Life in a Small Town
As a kid growing up in a small county, I liked to imagine life as a corporate executive in some big accounting firm or maybe a librarian in a big city library. I tried banking (my feet still hurt thinking about it), I tried corporate life (I never want to see a War Room again), I tried real estate (right in the middle of the housing crisis), I tried public service (which I still do part-time). In every instance, I tried to learn something that would help me in my career. After 30 years of trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, I may have found it.
I love to be surrounded by pretty objects that mean something to me and when I look around I remember why I loved it. I want to help locate those items that mean so much or speak to your style or personality. As we mature as a business we'll refine our products and learn which items we can stand behind and which items aren't in our niche. Let us help you find those items that define your style or express your personality.
As a teen I worked in a store in downtown Apalachicola, Florida called The Camouflage Shop. We sold camouflage clothing and framing. I know, it's a strange combination. You see, Apalachicola is a small town and we didn't even have a stop light until the 90s. We had plenty of hunters and no art galleries (now there are at least 5 in that same small town). The owner of The Camouflage Shop is an artist, hence the framing. I learned how to ring up sales tax using a calculator and how to fold clothing professionally. I could give one of those GAP employees a run for their money in a folding contest. 😁
It's a beautiful area we call the Forgotten Coast. I think it used to be said tongue-in-cheek because everyone forgot about us, but that's just my opinion. Now it's still forgotten and we like it that way. No high rise condos like the beaches to the West of us. Just enough tourism to support a splash of nice stores downtown near the water, and not so much as to cause a traffic jam.
My husband and I have had the big city life for a few years and now we live about an hour from the coast, about an hour from the beautiful beaches we grew up on, and about an hour from home. We'll eventually move back to the 'Cola and want to be able to continue to provide quality items and great customer service.
We started The Southern Magnolia in 2005 and had to close our doors after hurricanes flooded downtown Apalachicola and tourism dropped off for a while. I went back to work for the State and tried to heal my heavy heart.
We've started again with The Southern Magnolia Too (or 2) and we hope to move our store back home when the time is right. For now we're going to put all we have into helping our customers find those items that make them feel special.
Let us know if we can find that perfect item for you! Carol and George