Retro Roadmap Writeup
Spending less than 24 hours on the east coast of Florida I was bound and determined to pack as much Retro Roadmap goodness into our short stay. So when we drove past an aqua painted building with the words Alex's Gift Shop emblazoned in orange, well I had to ask Retro Roadhusband to pull into their parking lot - it looked like the type of place that would have some great Florida souvenirs, and I was right!
Family owned and operated since 1963, Alex's has been at this location since some time in the 1980's according to the nice lady behind the counter. The gift shop is large, clean and and chock full of tons and tons of Florida and beach souvenirs. Me being me I was pleased to find a good selection from the retro and kitschy school of souvenirs along with the more modern versions.
While my photo of the colored glass boat floats came out too blurry to include, here's just a sample of the fun keepsakes you'll find tucked into Alex's.
As I'm sure I've mentioned before, I have a thing for flamingos of all types, though my faves are the original Featherstone pink plastic flamingos from Leominster MA. Heck, the mascot of the college radio station I worked at was even a pink flamingo with a blue mohawk! I was THIS close to buying this for the Hacienda, but Retro Roadhusband pointed out it looked like it was missing a piece, dang!
And this one is for Gunnar from Eccentric Roadside:
I had already pledged my allegiance to the oranges at Nokomis Groves, but if you are on this side of the state you'd do well to check out the other half of Alex's - their Flamingo Groves fruit porch and gift shop where you can buy and ship all matter of oranges and gift baskets. I loved how the bags of fruit hung so cheerily outside- like giant tropical Christmas decorations!
Next time you're in the area, check out this cheery shop and have some vintage vacation fun browsing the souvenirs!
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Gunnar
March 2, 2010 at 2:48 pmWow! Thanks for the Retro Roadmap shout-out. I’m touched (maybe in the head)! Words can’t describe how truly awesome the poker-playing shell people are. The thing is, you have to be a pretty talented craftsperson to design and execute something that kitschy. On a scale of one to five, we give it six Eccentric Roadside concrete potatoes!
Mod Betty / Retro Roadmap
March 2, 2010 at 4:50 pmGlad you liked the “virtual souvenir”! Retro Roadhusband is much happier when I’m taking photos of things vs buying them all, as it satisfies my “collectors-tooth” without filling up the house and draining the bank account.
I’m thrilled with the concrete potato designation- I can just see them now, all painted gold.
Marqus
March 16, 2010 at 10:59 amOne of the best kept secrets of the area. I always take guest here and they love looking around the place. It has every type of shell you can think of and it is a real treat to stop by thier orange shop and pick up a gallon of the best fresh orange juice you’ve ever had.
Marqus
Mod Betty / Retro Roadmap
March 17, 2010 at 2:50 pmHope I’m not ruining a good secret, just wanting to spread the good word, so it gets customers and stays in business as long as possible! Thanks for swinging by the Retro Roadmap!