“A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men.”
Roald Dahl
As
we headed on our adventure for the day to check out Alexander
Springs, we headed down State Road 40 and enjoyed many miles of
beautiful rural Florida countryside. We were surprised by how many
farms we passed and enjoyed looking at the lackadaisical farm animals
in the fields basking in the morning sunlight. We were driving in
the middle of nowhere when we came to the intersection with US Hwy
14, somewhere between Ocala and Daytona, where we entered the small
town of Pierson and couldn’t help but notice this unique, fun
looking store. We just had to stop and check it out as a statue of
T-Rex beaconed us to come in.
We
parked walking under T-Rex who towered over us at a height of
probably 20’ high or more. T-Rex’s friends, which included a
gigantic rooster, gorilla, and Statue of Liberty to name just a few,
who stood proudly by him as possible reinforcements. This place is
a photographers delight. We stepped into the shop where they had
local produce in season, specialty jams, and specialty items
including roasted and boiled hot peanuts. Yum. The ladies working
were supper friendly and are there to help if needed. This store
originally opened as a local neighborhood fruit stand in 1975.
As
we walked further into the abyss of never ending items, we strolled
down the cement pathways and into an outside section that carried a
wide variety of items. We saw many large statues, including
Hercules, bears, flamingos, giraffes, turtles, manatees, life size
nativity figures, and more. Anything you could possibly think of as
a statue they had or could make. If you do not like the color of the
statue, they will customize it to whatever color you would want. No
items is exactly the same. Their paint shop is in the back of the
store where you can see the aluminum cast statues unpainted. Most
of the statues are made out of recycled aluminum or wrought iron that
would be used for outside decorations.
They
also have rows and rows of Authentic Talavera Pottery which are
brilliantly painted in vibrant colors and gorgeous patterns. Walking
down the rows and seeing all the bright colors will put a smile on
any ones face. We walked around to the back of this store and found
gorgeous Indonesia teak wood sculptures and furniture. We also
spotted beautiful chain saw art done by a local artist.
Just
to name a few items they also have are clocks, gazing balls, gazebos,
terracotta items, wood items, patio furniture, statues, fountains,
planter pots, fancy sinks, wall decorations and much more
brick-a-brac. This place is amazing. Just image, this store spans
3 acres and is choke full. It is a total sensory overload but is
just a fun place to explore. Even the bathroom has interesting
items on display.
The
current owner, Carlos Pendola met the previous owner, David Biggers
at an auction and became fast friends. Carlos lived in Miami and
decided to move up to small town of Pierson, Florida and decided to
buy the store in 2010. Carlos says that his store sells what you
want and not really what you need.
The
store was built under beautiful large oaks that shade the building
and give it a great ambiance. This store is open seven days a week,
365 days out of the year. They open at 9 am and close at 7 pm.
This is a great store to stop and explore. I am sure you will exit
with some special item, that you never knew you needed or wanted.
Till next time. Bye for now.
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