Story
If You Need It They Got It at Grayton General Store
September 28, 2017 by Manny Chavez
The Grayton General Store is truly SoWal’s convenience store of choice.
“If you need it, they got it” seems to be the most popular opinion of store shoppers. Located at the corner of Scenic 30A and Hwy 283 in Grayton Beach, the iconic little grocery/deli/bike and watersport venue is a very popular place for all manner of shoppers.
“We open early (6 a.m.) and close late (10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday),” says store manager Sabrina Irby. “We have the usual grocery-type selections here, we’re heavy on beach stuff and beach toys, sex wax for the surfer dudes, and even offer a good selection of better cigars.”
Cool hats, t-shirts, beach towels, suntan lotions, flip flops, beach chairs, assorted beers and wines…the list goes on and on.
The Grayton Beach General Store deli is managed by Ciara Croteau, the super-perky wizard of delicious eats. Customers line up early to indulge in the breakfast grub that includes biscuits and gravy, sausage, pancakes, bacon, egg and cheese biscuits, spicy chicken biscuits, various burritos and fried potatoes. Not to be overlooked is the ever-popular “Everything Plate” that includes cheese grits, biscuit and gravy, link sausage, bacon, AND an egg.
Breakfast items range in price from $3.49-$4.99. Lunch specials include meatloaf on Thursday, chicken enchiladas on Friday, and breakfast quesadillas on Saturday. Everyday hot lunches include burgers, cheeseburgers, or pulled pork, chicken, or spicy chicken sandwiches. Hot lunch prices range from $5.49-$7.99. Deli items include chicken or egg salad sandwiches, a variety of subs, and tuna and BLT sandwiches. Deli prices range from $2.99-$5.99. All items are served “until they run out!”
Situated within the Grayton General Store is Yellowfin Ocean Sports, a great place to rent bikes, book a fishing charter, or rent kayaks or paddle boards. Manning the window during our visit was Jon Butler who also maintains the rentable bikes. He also welcomes customer requests for personal bicycle maintenance.
Should you arrive here only to find your bicycle needs repair, Jon will have you up and riding in no time. Another feature of the Store is an outside air station. Customers finding themselves low on air or in need of a quick vacuuming of their cars, can fill up for $1.50/5 minutes. No cash? No problem…a quick swipe of your credit card will do the trick.
The air machine will work on Schrader valves (most cars, motorcycles, and wide-rimmed bicycles). If you’re rolling on a 10-speed, high-pressure road bike with presta valves, just see Jon the “bike meister” who will help you out at his bicycle maintenance station. Need help with inflating your air mattress or any other inflatable beach accessory? Inquire inside and they will assist you.
Yellowfin stocks everything you could possibly need for fishing including bait, tackle, and the necessary fishing license to make it all legal. Chartering your fishing trip here is quick and simple. They also carry a large assortment of hats, t-shirts and sweatshirts to keep you cool or warm depending on your season of choice. Yellowfin hours are from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., seven days a week.
Asked about the most-often-heard comment from customers, Sabrina is quick to reply, “We have the coldest coolers and the cleanest bathrooms!” She laughs when she says this, but loyal customers like their adult beverages ice cold!
“We don’t have mile-long lines here … we are definitely convenient for our customers. Why wait in line for just a few items? If a customer wants something that is not on the shelf, I will gladly pull from our deli and sell it to them if need be.”
Customers have been lining up to the Grayton Beach General Store for a long time now, and much can be attributed to their friendly customer service.
“The way I see it, if customers leave with a smile and a laugh, we’ve done our job,” says Sabrina. There’s a lot of smiling and laughing emanating from the Grayton General Store!
For more information, please call 850-231-2110. Location: 32 E. County Hwy. 30A, Unit A (corner of Scenic 30A and Hwy. 283 (just north of AJ’s Grayton Beach).