This part of the list was actually the genesis of the whole idea for local places we miss at the Jersey Shore, and this is how it happened.
We were in the office sitting around the water cooler.. Ok, we don’t have a water cooler or even seats in the kitchen area at the radio station, but it beats saying “we were at the toaster oven”. Anyway, the subject of the Beach Haus Brewery in Belmar came up, and suddenly someone said “Oh my gosh, I would love a buttered roll from Freedman’s Bakery right now!”. Then I said “Or a cheesesteak!”.. Next thing you know the three of us were in a full blow gastronomic trip down memory lane about Freedman’s Bakery, which used to stand for decades on the footprint now occupied by the brewery. That in turn spiraled into memories of other places we used to enjoy in town, and around the shore.
So here we are. I am calling this part of our memory tour “cool shops”. Some had food, some had memorabilia. Others had, well, just about anything.
They are all gone, and yes, they are all missed. I hope you like me will fondly remember at least one of these places, and as I said about the last list, please feel free to add your memories to mine. This one was a bit harder to generate in the old memory banks for sure. Mostly due to the fact that it’s not just bars, or restaurants, and so on. I had to run through multiple brick and mortars, trying to remember what stood out for me personally. I think two things about this list. One, I did a pretty good job with the six I came up with, at least from a personal perspective, and two, I know I missed a lot more than I remembered!
