This week, the blog started with a link to the Southern Living article that included Landrum, SC. This quaint town is located just down the road from the entrance to Derbyshire.
Over the past few days I've shown some of my favorite places in the small main street area (which is technically Rutherford St. in Landrum). Today, I'm going to show two grocery shops that provide access to great locally-sourced items and some unique items that shoppers wouldn't have easy access to without these locations.
Ken's Meats & Seafood was my first stop. Situated in the same block as the hardware shop, an art gallery, and Lucy's Boutique, it's easy to get to while out shopping around Landrum. In addition to carrying fresh meats, they stock basic groceries (cheeses, potatoes, onions, etc.) that make putting a meal together simple, without having to venture into a traditional grocery store.
They also function as a bakery featuring cakes, pies, precious little petit fours, and some peach cannolis. Many of their breads are baked in house, with others coming from a nearby bakery in Greenville, SC.
Next to the breads and also in one of their cold cases, you'll find items that would be great in a gift basket. Many of these prepackage foods items are ones that I've had to travel to a larger store to find, and now I know where I can find them locally. It's a great thing to keep in mind when you need a fast hostess gift!
Once you've had a chance to stock up on all of the fresh meats and baked goods at Ken's, you can head down one block to Dutch Country Foods. All of the items found inside of this shop have been sourced from the Amish Country (Ohio and Pennsylvania). I specify inside of the shop only because the first thing you see outside are wonderful peaches from Strawberry Hill (which was also mentioned in the article from Southern Living). Not that the farm is very far away, but it's wonderful to be able to run down to Landrum for peaches instead of having to travel a bit farther to Strawberry Hill.
They carry great little candies, which you can see in the picture above, and a huge aisle lined with every type of spice, candy, and baking ingredient imaginable. I'm sure they don't carry everything, but it certainly looks like they do!
I ended up picking up some unique root beer that I hadn't seen before and some crispy green beans that were really very good, and yes, that is an incredibly random assortment of purchases.
After I had checked out, a lady was raving about the ladyfinger popcorn that they carry. Apparently it's smaller, hulless and more tender when popped. Guess I know what I'll be grabbing on my next trip! For those who desire to shop in locally owned stores, Ken's Meats and Seafood and Dutch Country Foods are wonderful resources.