Red Bay Grocery is reopening

Red Bay Grocery to reopen after fire damaged the community-owned store | bay, red, community - Northwest Florida Daily News

But the Red Bay Grocery isn’t a typical grocery store or restaurant, and the entire community is buzzing about its reopening at 7 a.m. today.

After being closed for more than a year, the Red Bay Grocery initially reopened in February 2009 as a cooperative-owned business in which more than 50 of the community’s 100 or so residents purchased a stake. The business model proved successful and the restaurant drew customers from across Northwest Florida.

However, a fire destroyed much of the nearly 75-year-old building Jan. 12.

Much like its ownership of the business, the rebuilding was a community effort; not one contractor was hired.