Category: ShopLocal

Celebrate Ice Cream

Debbie Roney Smith on

Today is National Soft Ice Cream Day! This annual event celebrates ice cream and all the happy memories it has facilitated. Remember late-night ice cream runs with friends? Enjoying the first cone of the summer? The joy of dippin’ dots when visiting NASA? Ice cream pops up in the happiest of places. 

Ice cream wasn’t available to the general public until the 1800s thanks to the creation of ice houses and other cold storage constructions. Nowadays, it’s a lot easier to enjoy your favorite soft serve. Looking for a creamery to visit today in celebration? While you can find chain creameries such as Baskin Robbins and Dairy Queen almost anywhere, visiting locally-owned ice cream parlors is worthy of a special occasion. See the list below for some suggestions across the Florida Panhandle.

Tallahassee Beer Festival 2023

Debbie Roney Smith on

The 5th annual Tallahassee Beer Festival is next Saturday, August 26th. Held at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, the festival will run from 2-6pm. There will be over 100 homebrewers and breweries taking part in the Festival; they will feature over 300 different fermentations to sample. For those guests who don’t care for beer, there will be ciders, meads, sparking sodas, and wines available.

All guests will receive a souvenir-tasting glass. There will also be a Beer Mile; ambitious guests can register to take part in a one-mile race where participants drink a 12-ounce beer after each quarter-mile loop. All proceeds will benefit the United Partners for Human Services. Learn more by visiting the Festival website HERE. 

 

American Vintage Market 2023

Debbie Roney Smith on

American Vintage Markets is returning to Tallahassee this August! Come enjoy the market at the indoor North Florida Fairgrounds; two air-conditioned buildings will be chock full of vendors. The market runs from August 25-26th from 9am-4pm. American Vintage Markets is a curated collection of vendors who bring their best recycled, repurposed, handcrafted, and reimagined treasures. The market was inspired by a love of vintage, handmade, and repurposed items. Learn more by visiting the Facebook event page. 

Coastal Cat Cafe

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Pensacola’s first and only cat cafe has officially found a location to set up; they anticipate opening sometime in 2023. Coastal Cat Cafe’s future physical adoption location will be 1508 W Garden Street. The owners aren’t sure when this year the location will open but are firm in their community goal “to collaborate with local city and county shelters to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome adoptable cats.” Keep up to date by CLICKING HERE to visit their Facebook. 

Wildflower Summer Shop-n-Sip

Debbie Roney Smith on

GypsyWillow is hosting a Wildflower Summer Shop-n-Sip event this Wednesday, July 26th. From 6-8pm, there will be poetry, shopping, flowers, and fun! There will be in-store specials, snacks, drinks, and special guests. Special guests include:

  • Nicky Holta, local intuitive and QHHT Practitioner
  • Britt Matthews Gonzalez, author of “We are All Wildflowers” poetry collection
  • Bohemian Funk, local creatives focusing on the beauty of the natural world

Learn more by visiting the event Facebook page HERE. 

Sip & Shop Market

Debbie Roney Smith on

Southern Fields Brewery is hosting its first Sip & Shop Market this Sunday. The event kicks off with a  Pints and Paint at 2pm. The Market will run from 3-6pm. There will be beer, food, a waterslide for all ages, vendors, AND live music performed by Dylan Kelley starting at 4pm. Learn more by visiting the event’s Facebook page HERE. 

 

Grand Opening: Late Bloomer

Debbie Roney Smith on

Panama City welcomes a new small business – Late Bloomer is having its grand opening today! Open from 9am-3pm, you can visit this fresh flower shop at 556 Harrison Avenue. Late Bloomer Flower Shoppe has a bouquet bar, everlasting flower bar, gift shop, elopement corner, and more. They are offering 20% off the first 20 customers, a subscription giveaway, and a surprise contest. 

Irish Pub to Open in PCB

Debbie Roney Smith on

The former Boarshead property located on Front Beach Road in Panama City Beach will be revived as McGuire’s Irish Pub! 

The lot has been vacant since Hurricane Michael in 2018. The McGuire parent company purchased the location last week; they estimate renovations will take around 12 months. A tentative opening goal for fall 2024 has been announced. 

This will be the third McGuire’s Irish pub in Florida. The first was opened in 1977 in Pensacola. A second was opened in Destin circa 1996. The franchise offers steak, seafood, Irish cuisine, and pub fare. McGuire’s also operates a brewery; they regularly produce five beers, one seasonal beer variety, and a root beer. Visit their website here to learn more. 

Flower Farm Tour

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The Flower Farm Tour is back! Hosted by Black Barn Blossoms and Fussell’s Daylily Farm, the Tour will be held on Saturday, May 27th from 9am-3pm. Admission to the two flower farms will be FREE; bring cash or a card for on-site plants, flowers, and food trucks. There will also be farm tours and workshops. Come out for a lovely day enjoying the local community and the weekend sun. 

Learn more and stay up-to-date with event announcements by visiting the Facebook event page. 

Magnolia Market

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Magnolia Market is happening this Saturday, May 13th from 5:30-8:30pm CST. Magnolia Market is hosted by Main Street Blountstown in Magnolia Square Park. There will be live music, face painting, crafts, boutique clothing, ax throwing, metal works, and more! The Market will also have cotton candy, kettle corn, and food trucks to feed you throughout the night of family fun.