A Long Hot Summer...and a Super Cool Yule!

Wow! So much can happen over the course of a few months.

Roadside Attraction experienced a long, hot, QUIET summer at Antique Alley...TOO quiet for our liking! Sad to say, after two years spent trying to work with the other shops to bring the Alley back to life as a fun shopping destination, we realized there were too many things beyond our control (Hello, derelict south side! Yes, I said that!). Even though we have been building a following of the coolest customers in Pinellas County and beyond, that location became more of a liability than an underdog rallying to get back into the spotlight...so we decided to pack up and move to greener pastures.

But where? Finding THE PERFECT SPOT was going to take some time...or so we thought. One day in late October, a potential new location dropped out of the blue as a suggestion from an Alley neighbor who also happened to be looking for a more happening locale. Jennifer Kapper, of Forty Three Oh 3 and Oh Whatever fame in South Tampa and soon-to-open Patina Maison in Largo, mentioned a double-wide opportunity in Largo! (insert trailer joke here)

We see it as more of a "Siamese Twin" kind of space, naturally! Two lovely units are...ahem...conjoined at the cash wrap, allowing us to help each other out with staffing, camaraderie and snack sharing, ha ha...

Here's a "BEFORE" picture of
Roadside
Attraction's
NEW location at
13836 Walsingham Rd, LARGO.

Also, with her "vintage reimagined" style--voluptuous painted furniture, unique accessories...and the chandeliers!--and our retro-tropical flair, shopping at our two new stores will help you fill every room of your home, from boudoir and dining room to tiki bar and rumpus room, with a unique look seen nowhere else.

Moving the shop into a new location was not exactly how we imagined spending the end of 2014, but we couldn't be happier and more excited to take the party to such a fantastic new location! Yes--We are missing out on all the holiday retail fun, but in The Big Picture, Santa knew EXACTLY what to bring us this year! We must have been REALLY good!

So, we hope you all have the best of holidays and please come visit next month (probably by mid-January) when Roadside Attraction opens at 13836 Walsingham Rd, Largo FL, just east of the intersection with Indian Rocks Rd, in the Hammock Hardware plaza, directly across from the WalMart Neighborhood Market. 

And don't forget--you can always get the latest news at www.Facebook.com/ShopRoadsideAttraction.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Best Regards,
Tiki Dave and the Tipsy Gypsy

Aloha and Cheers!

Time for an update, kiddoes!

The Tipsy Gypsy is thrilled to announce that Roadside Attraction continues to evolve as we learn more about the retail vintage scene and work on refining our niche. (And what a niche it's turning out to be!)

Running a small business is the most exciting and all-consuming adventure for us as it represents pretty much every thing we love: treasure hunting near and far for the coolest stuff and being able to share it with everyone who walks through our door.

But the absolute best part of it all has been making so many new friends and meeting so many cool people. From favorite customers to fellow dealers and vendors, artists, musicians--the people we've gotten to know have added so much to this experience. No matter how hard running a business can be--most days, it's like trying to keep a lead balloon up in the air--we wouldn't trade it for the world because it put these awesome folks in our path.

What's next? Oh, so much is coming down the pike, I can't even believe it! Here's the summer in a nutshell:

Most immediately, we'll be setting up shop again at The Hukilau in Ft. Lauderdale, June 12-15. Not only will we finally get to meet one of the nicest guys on the planet (Jeff from Vintage Roadside--we've been carrying his popular Tiki Gardens T-shirts since we opened in 2012), we'll be seeing some of our favorite people who really helped make our first show EVER (at last year's Hukilau) such an amazing weekend. The booth next to ours, Jim & Freda of Aloha Art & Alligators, were so kind to help us with our set-up and offered such good neighbor-liness. Robert and Nicole were picture-perfect Hukilau-ers and an all around swell couple that we were thrilled to meet. And of course...there were The Intoxicators and their alter-egoes, The Disasternauts--what would a Hukilau soundtrack be without them?

We're also hoping to launch a new event concept in late June or July called "Speakeasy Sundays." It'll be a fun cocktail-related symposium, complete with a little learnin' and a little "refreshment" and a few other special treats. Keep checking our Facebook page for details.

In mid-July...We're doing away with the Craft Lounge and bringing in the Craft COCKTAILS! We expect to do a lot of SERIOUS RESEARCH at Tales of the Cocktail (a liquor industry extravaganza) in New Orleans, so we can bring you..."everything but the booze" by the end of the summer. In addition to showcasing even more sweet vintage cocktail accoutrements, we will make it easy for the home mixologist to whip up first-rate libations using the latest barware and other necessary ingredients for enjoying a civilized evening in with friends.

This segue into promoting the entertaining arts of yesteryear also represents another thing we love--hosting fabulous parties, as anyone who ever attended one of our legendary Halloween soirees can attest. So with the addition of more cocktail-related goods, we'll be elevating the retail experience to feel like more of a drop-in shindig on a regular basis.

Thank you for reading this post and be sure to follow Roadside Attraction on our Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/ShopRoadsideAttraction .

Mahalo and Cheers, Everyone!
--The Tipsy Gypsy

My, how time flies...

Has it really been almost a year since Roadside Attraction, the shop, opened its doors?

Oh my stars! Where are we now?

We've been refining our vision to bring you the coolest MidCentury home decor and furniture (Heywood Wakefield galore!) and a luau's worth of vintage tiki paraphernalia, including mugs and Hawaiian shirts plus T-shirts featuring cool logos of long-gone tiki bars. And if you need a late 1920s smoking stand featuring a cast-iron dragon to catch your ashes, well, we've got that too.

We still feature oodles of fine local talent, bringing you jewelry, handcrafted soap and home decor, photography and art. The Craft Lounge has been entertaining hands-on parties for projects as eclectic as Crowns & Tiaras and super-fancy Easter Egg decorating.

Roadside Attraction has participated in all of Antique Alley's special events, including the big Fall & Spring Antique Shows, the Christmas and Valentine Strolls, and coming soon...Lots of new events!

On May 23, Roadside Attraction hosts a Wedding Trunk Show featuring the work of Tumble & Drift Design, a Dunedin-based outfit creating super-cool upcycled and handcrafted event decor and accessories to celebrate one of life's most memorable occasions. Also featured will be several of Roadside's most popular artisans, offering wedding-specific lines of jewelry and other handmade goodies. Up and coming bakery star Sugar Me Sweet will be providing a variety of samples to enjoy and the champagne cocktails will be flowing.

This summer, mark your calendar for Summer Sunsets @ The Alley. Shops will be open late on the 3rd Thursday each month in June, July and August for shopping, live music and specially-themed refreshments and sales.

In June, Roadside Attraction takes its show in the road as a vendor at The Hukilau, an international tiki festival held on beautiful Ft. Lauderdale Beach. We'll be hawking our gorgeous 1950s pin-up girls, Tiki Ts and vintage Hawaii and Florida souvenirs in the Tiki Treasures Bazaar, held at the old Yankee Clipper, now known as the (yawn) Sheraton Beach Hotel.

Stop by and see us some time!

Check out the latest shop news at: www.Facebook.com/ShopRoadsideAttraction

Roadside Attraction is open Wed - Sat, 11-ish til 5 p.m.

Located at Antique Alley:
596 Indian Rocks Rd N., # A-1 (behind Petal & Vine)
Belleair Bluffs FL

Step Right Up!

ROADSIDE ATTRACTION will be opening soon!

Roadside Attraction is a Carnival of Creativity in Beautiful Belleair Bluffs, on the west coast of Florida...

Part Vintage/Retail Boutique, part Arts & Crafts Gallery, part hands-on Arts & Craft Studio & Lounge, Roadside Attraction welcomes All Who Dare Enter to Explore the Reaches of the Imagination!

Right now, the Peerless Pickers of Peculiar Products are treasure hunting near & far to bring you the coolest finds for jazzing up your own hacienda with one-of-a-kind prized possessions with fascinating stories all their own.

The Tipsy Gypsy is packing up her caravan of Glittery Goodies and making ready to move into her more permanent Gypsy Camp Craft Lounge in Roadside Attraction's mizzen quarters...

And the Expert Eye Classy Stash Arts & Crafts Jury of Seriously High Standards is rallying a bevy of hand-picked artists and craftspersons to supply the finest in handmade wares for the Gallery.

There's a lot going on...and it's going to be Fabulous Fun!

Stay tuned for more updates!

Ciao for now...

Art (Really!) IS Everywhere

If you find yourself up near the top of the world some time, check out Franconia, Minnesota’s Sculpture Park on Hwy. 95, just outside 

St Croix Falls.

Not that I was expecting to see only sled dogs and lumberjacks in those parts, but I’ll admit I was utterly delighted to visit such a vibrant, community-supported arts endeavor. 

By the time we passed through, the place was empty, save for a lone artist grinding away on some big project under a canopy at the back of the park. 

The whole place took on an eerie dimension as we explored the giant imaginative constructions in the twilight.

Many of the pieces brought to mind an apocalyptic "Mad Max" movie set.

The log tunnel was a groove in the ground. The painted purple ends reminded me of the colored chalk I used to draw with inside the buffet cupboard when I was a kid.

 

Travels with Sophie: Dog-Friendly Sanibel

Hi. I’m Sophie the Wonder Dog.

I like to get my people out of the house once in a while. The back yard is great and all, but there’s a big world to sniff.

Normally, what I do is have them put on my “sass”—I’m wearing my pink sass for this trip. And when they say “Load up,” it means they’re ready to go.

From what I understand, other dogs also like to get their people out there once in a while. And if those dogs are like me, they’re all about fun, so they might like to hear about our adventures. Maybe it will inspire them to take their people on some new adventures of their own.

Dog House Away from Home

All I can say is: Sanibel's Tropical Winds=Fantastic. Probably the only dog-friendly accommodations right on the beach. The grounds offered plenty to sniff, if you know what I mean—several other canine guests were staying there too.

The bed was great for afternoon napping and the terrazzo floor cooled my tummy after a hard morning of romping through the waves.

The Glorious Seashore

I couldn’t get enough. I mean, that’s why you go to Sanibel, am I right?

I’m a water dog by nature and I’m totally addicted to tennis balls.

What more is there to say?

Doggie Dining

Lots of restaurants on Sanibel invite people to bring their canine companions. Actually, Sanibel is a very dog-friendly destination—as long as owners are responsible and make sure to be respectful of the wildlife and conservation issues—no chasing birds over the delicate sand dunes, in other words (and I’m a bird dog!). We have to stay on a leash at all times (except when I’m treading water after those tennis balls) but it’s worth it to feel welcome in such a beautiful place.

So—at Sanibel's Island Cow, I sniffed everyone’s table along the way to ours. The guy brought me a bowl of water. Thanks, chump. He could have at least thrown me a bone, huh? The shrimp and grits looked like a nasty bowl of gravy—she sent it back and ordered red beans and rice, but I would have eaten it. Just sayin’.

Sightseeing

The Sanibel Lighthouse offers several sniffing trails and is adjacent to a nice little beach. I was ready to jump in, but they wouldn’t let me. Said something about “next time,” which I don’t even know what that means. (Usually they say stuff like they’ll be “back in five minutes.” And sure enough, there they are.)

But the sniffing was good anyway.

Sophie Snacks

You gotta love a place like Pinocchio's Ice Cream that gives us four-legged customers a complimentary “puppy cup” of vanilla soft serve. And a liberal sprinkling of unabashed adoration. That’s what I really love.

I’m looking forward to our next big adventure, which will probably be in about five minutes.

Agro-Marvel Thrives on People-Packed Peninsula!

It’s frickin’ hot out. Again.

That’s when I always seem to visit. Of course, that’s when the busy (an understatement) Farmer and Farmer’s Wife can stop and take a breath—between hectic growing seasons—to show me what’s new.

I’ve been an admirer of Gateway Organic Farm since I first pitched a story on this Pinellas County (FL) wonderland to my editor at Bay Area Business Magazine in the summer of 2008. Gateway is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) operation offering annual memberships that garner weekly or bi-weekly pick-ups of freshly harvested produce, November to May.

Hank and Pamela Sindlinger have been working hard with their grandchildren, scores of volunteers and grateful local-food enthusiasts and chefs, turning slow but steady miracles on this three-acre green strip wedged into suburbia.

This time, I was greeted by rows of giant black pots lining the fence—some 250 of them left over from the property’s landscape nursery days—put to good use, overflowing with squash and kiwi vines and herbs. (Photo, right: Muscadines on another fence)

They’ve cleared more land for more herb and vegetable gardens. The greenhouses contain a variety of alternative gardening experiments, from a tilapia tank and earthworm enclosures to hydroponic towers. Every project is made of recycled material. Their creativity turns someone else’s trash into useful components that meet their needs without wasting resources.

Everything has a purpose at Gateway. The chickens peck away at grubs and weeds when they’re rolled along the rows in the “chicken tractor,” leaving rich “chicken gold” behind. The bees buzz away from their hive boxes to help with pollination.

One of the greenhouses is used for special dinners, herb society klatches, and other get-togethers. The Sindlingers have big plans for future farm activities beyond planting and harvesting.

As usual, I came home with armloads of foraged treats from the now-scraggly gardens: kale, collards, buttery yellow squash blossoms, tawny and brittle coriander stems gone to seed, dill, oregano, sunflowers. The herbs immediately went into a lunch pasta tossed with olive oil, Roma tomatoes and garlic.

Supper was an adventure. I’d always wanted to make stuffed squash blossoms. Now I could. I carefully untwisted the delicate flowers, spooned a blob of feta and herbs softened with a little Greek yogurt into the cup of the bloom, dunked the bundles into a slapdash tempura batter and popped them into hot oil. Amazing and delicious.

I sautéed the greens with paper-thin sliced garlic from the tender bulb tugged gently from the earth only a few hours earlier. Now that I’ve tried home-grown garlic, I can say its light ethereal taste stood out like a dewey Merchant-Ivory heroine compared to the tightly papered, pungent Abe Vigodas you get at the grocery store.

Locally-grown food just makes sense, given today’s health concerns, energy woes and economic conundrums. Backyard plots and community gardens are sprouting up all over. With CSAs like Gateway providing yet another opportunity to eat local, we really have little excuse not to try it.

Gateway welcomes visits by appointment only during the summer. For more information, visit the website: http://www.gatewayorganicfarm.com/.