Archive for 2014

Day 289: Gnarly Knots Pretzel Company

You can keep your funnel cakes. Nachos are ok. Given the choice, I’m opting for the soft pretzel…every time. I even contemplated driving back to Michigan for the delicious pretzels from The Baker’s Wife. But I knew there was a spot closer to home I needed to try: Gnarly Knots Pretzel Company. Embarrassingly, they’ve actually... Read more »
By Stefanie Rock,
August 15, 2014 at 5:43 pm • 

Day 288: The Baker's Wife

You’ll have some time to digest your Fatty Lumpkins lunch while you drive from Muskegon to Grand Haven. Good thing because you’re definitely going to want to save room for dessert…or breakfast…or snack…when you find your way into The Baker’s Wife. Grand Haven itself has a cute downtown area full of small shops, even another... Read more »
By Stefanie Rock,
July 20, 2014 at 6:28 am • 

Day 287: Fatty Lumpkins Sandwich Shack

Who’s ready for a road trip? The past couple of years our baseball team took on the Wisconsin Dells where I found surprisingly cool shops (remember Macs and Alpha Beta Karma?!). This year we drove a couple hours the other direction to the Grand Haven area. Lucky for us, we can leave in the morning... Read more »
By Stefanie Rock,
July 8, 2014 at 8:28 pm • 
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Shop Small Day 286: Chuck's Southern Comfort Cafe

Now that baseball season is in full swing (ha! get it?!), it means new towns and new (to me) small businesses. A recent game in Burbank led us to a highly recommended restaurant. We were told the food is great and the beer is cold…that was more than enough to influence our group. The recommendation... Read more »
By Stefanie Rock,
June 9, 2014 at 9:17 pm • 

Shop Small Day 285: Big Frog

It’s that time of year when there’s something going on every weekend: graduations, tournaments, charity runs, vacations, and reunions.  You run (ok, maybe walk) a 5k and you get a cool t-shirt, right?  Wouldn’t it be cool if you could create an awesome t-shirt for your next event without it resembling an old “Todd’s Corner”... Read more »
By Stefanie Rock,
May 22, 2014 at 6:34 pm • 

Shop Small Day 284: Rito's Mexican Restaurant

For the sake of argument, let’s just say I get a little cranky when I’m hungry. When it’s 7:00 and we haven’t had dinner, I don’t feel like cooking, and I’m sick of leftovers…well…things can get a little ugly. Wisely my husband diffused the situation by suggesting a Mexican restaurant not far from our house.... Read more »
By Stefanie Rock,
May 3, 2014 at 10:43 am • 
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Shop Small Day 283: The Find Market Event

This one has had me stumped for a while. Early in the challenge I wrote a negative review and decided that I never wanted to do that again. I’ve definitely been to small shops that I’ll never return to for various reasons (biggest pet peeve- don’t ignore your customers!), but I decided to not write... Read more »
By Stefanie Rock,
April 21, 2014 at 10:30 pm • 

Shop Small Day 282: La Michoacana

I mentioned last time that I went to Aurora specifically to try Prisco’s, but found another surprise stop on the way home. Not even a half mile down from Prisco’s, two words caught my eye…homemade and ice cream. Quick u-turn and I found myself in a cool (no pun intended) new shop...La Michoacana. Even though... Read more »
By Stefanie Rock,
March 24, 2014 at 3:57 pm • 

Shop Small Day 282: Prisco's Fine Foods

Now that I don’t need 17 layers of clothes to go outside, I’m happily exploring for amazing small businesses again! While everyone in oohing and ahhing over Mariano’s, I found a different grocery gem.  Although more grocery stores are moving toward a grocery “experience” with their lunch stations (Whole Foods has a grilled cheese cart... Read more »
By Stefanie Rock,
March 15, 2014 at 9:33 am • 
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Shop Small Day 281: Cracker Jax

Sometimes treasures aren’t found in neatly organized racks and display cases. Finding a hidden gem is more rewarding when you stubble upon it wondering how someone else could’ve missed it. Much like discovering the prize at the bottom of the box, you can find rewards digging through Cracker Jax. If neatly organized, color cordinated clothing... Read more »
By Stefanie Rock,
February 15, 2014 at 1:39 pm •