Harbor Docks owner brings Red Bay Grocery back to life

RED BAY, FL - A few miles north of South Walton’s beautiful beaches is a small and intimate community known as Red Bay.

Located away from the steady stream of traffic headed to and from the beach, Red Bay is country living at its best.

However, even those who prefer the country life as full-time habitat enjoy some modern conveniences -- such as a restaurant where locals can gather and enjoy a meal.

Red Bay lost its gathering spot when the old Red Bay Grocery closed in 2008, a loss the whole community felt. The store had served as an anchor since 1936.

One member of the community had the means and the ideas of how to turn that loss around.

Charles Morgan is the owner of Destin’s Harbor Docks restaurant. He also has a home in the Red Bay community.

Morgan brought the community together with the proposal to lease the old store from current owner Ed Gomillion, with all community members joining him in the endeavor as investors. Forty-nine people took him up on the offer and joined in as 1-percent shareholders. Morgan retains 51-percent interest.

The freshly painted and spruced up Red Bay Grocery reopened in February. More than just a convenience store this time around, the vision for what it can be has expanded.

Shelves are still lined with necessities and unique items such as black-strap molasses and honey made in Walton County. Large tables fill the store’s interior for family-style dining.

The store opens for breakfast daily at 6 a.m., offering eggs, biscuits, grits and a choice of meats for under $5.

Lunch is also served daily with chicken salad plates, fried chicken, burgers and sides, or the blue plate special, for under $6. Plates include a meat and two sides.

Dinner is served on Friday and Saturday nights with choices of chicken, pork chops, a 14-ounce ribeye, fried shrimp or catfish for $9 - $15.

Every other Thursday a guest chef prepares a special dinner. Reservations are required for one of the two seatings at 5:30 or 7:30 p.m., which might feature Japanese, Caribbean or a Low Country Boil. These dinners include an appetizer, salad, meat and homemade dessert.

Homemade banana pudding, cakes, pies, cookies, and toasted coconut, butter pecan and vanilla ice cream are available daily for $1.99 a scoop.

Barbecue is available all day, every day, to eat in or take home. The aroma from the open pit fills the air on County Road 81N and the sight of the billowing smoke from the pit marks the spot. All meat is cooked onsite.

Those who chose to dine in, will notice the colorful fresh flowers on each table, placed there by one of the investors.

The plastic eating utensils are rolled in paper napkins and held in a Barq’s Root Bear cardboard crate.

“Our partners grow our produce (most of it comes from Luke Langford with Cypress Cattle), cut our fresh flowers, bake our cookies, cakes and pies, take care of our carpentry, plumbing and electrical needs and even handle our legal issues, but mainly, over coffee and biscuits. We use their recipes in our baking. The partners of Red Bay Grocery provide stories and daily updates of the goings on in our small town,” said store manager/partner Katie Barrineau.

Barrineau moved from Atlanta to Red Bay last year, a place she feels she has the best of all worlds.

“It was wild at first. I did private events in Atlanta and now wear jeans and cowboy boots. But it is very rewarding, like family. I am 20 minutes from the 331 Bridge and access to happenings at the beach. Here, I run with the dogs and enjoy the beauty of the country,” she said.

While most of the folks found sitting around the tables at the café are the investors, they also see folks from DeFuniak Springs, Freeport and the beach.

“We get people from all over. All 49 partners eat here and their families and friends. My family lives in Destin and drives up,” said Barrieneau.

“Charles wanted something for the people in that area instead of needing a stick of butter and having to drive to Wal-Mart in DeFuniak Springs,” said Operations Manager Jackie Tway. “There’s no other place to eat up there except traveling seven miles one way or nine miles the other. It gives them something to do and the response has been good.”

Barrineau said the investors are talking of expanding the options yet again with entertainment.

“We have already had a wrestling match here and are talking about having Dread Clampitt come up and play at some point, and a movie night and maybe even a fall festival. The options are endless,” she said.

“This was a community effort that brought the store back to life by the community it serves. We are proud of our store. We are all partners in this and like family. We think we’re on to something. We are doing business the way it should be done,” said Barrineau.

From Santa Rosa Beach, turn right on State Road 20 in Freeport, turn left on State Road 81N, go 8 miles and Red Bay Café will be on the left.

For reservations call 850-836-2220.