I'm one of those guys who always says he believes in supporting local businesses, but I don't always live up to those ideals. I remember being shocked when I passed "The Music Chamber," the classical music shop, and saw that it was closed for good. I only went in at Christmas for presents. The young gal who ran the place gave it her best. She started carrying jazz vocalists to get a few more customers in, but I guess it didn't work out...
I get my hair cut at Peter's, a few doors down. I buy my groceries at the neighbourhood markets as well as the bigger grocery store. Maybe specializing in one area is a bad idea, I don't know. There's a shop west of here that sells nothing but hot sauce. My tolerance for hot sauce is rather low, but I haven't even bothered to walk in. I tend to window shop, even when I have a few bucks to spare...
You don't get the crowds east of here, but the rents are better. A shop opened not long ago that sells olive oil, nothing but olive oil. They don't even have a real sign -- it's a big piece of plastic flapping in the wind with the words "Olive Oil" stenciled on it. They have some hand-written signs taped to the window advertising olive oil from Greece, from Spain, from Italy. I have no excuse.
The sky is minty blue and the only snow to speak of is blowing off the rooftops. It's a tiny shop. It might be run by an old Greek woman dressed in black who will point at me as she yells at her dead husband. It's Sunday so they might be closed. They are not in the phone book...
Excuses, excuses. I'm going anyway and I'm going right now. Nothing is more life-affirming than extra-virgin olive oil and a late afternoon stroll...
11 comments:
Nothing but olive oil? That is some serious niche marketing. I'm curious to know how many different kinds they have.
It does seem a little over the top in the specialization. The little business district I live two blocks from doesn't have anything that monomaniacal. Wine, ice cream, used clothing, books...not a single "hot sauce" store.
That sentence about the old Greek woman is so good.
I remember a place in New York that only sells rice puddings...
I thought I posted here yesterday, but I guess the internet ate it. I was wondering which olive oil you came home with-- Greek, Spanish or Italian. I'm rooting for the Spanish.
I have actually heard of places that sell only olive oil, but I've never been to one. (I have been to a hot sauce store, but I don't eat much of that.) I hope to hear more about your adventure.
There are many businesses I would like to see succeed, but I am unable to help them too much. It's difficult.
Helen, do you remember the name of that place in New York? I may have to make a pilgrimage.
Italy won because I liked the shape of the bottle.
Indigo:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E7D61039F931A35757C0A9659C8B63
Ok, the complete link won't fit in the comment box. It's called Rice to Riches. If you google it, there's a New York Times article that goes into great detail about the rice puddings at Rice to Riches.
Lisa: I didn't count how many kinds they had, but it was a lot for the size of the shop. I never do anything fancy with olive oil. I'm too impatient to use it in some complicated sauce. I rarely use it to fry up stuff because the oil loses its taste. I like to sprinkle or should I say drizzle it over fish or veggies and even meat sometimes. But most of all I like to sop it up with a big hunk of bread.
Olive oil, a little cracked pepper, crusty white bread, sigh. Makes me want to go to a store that sells only olive oil.
Olive oil and bread. Yum. With Dukkah too ... but it masks the taste of the bread.
I can't imagine a "hot sauce" only store.
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