7-Eleven – Okemos

13 10 2008
  • 3500 Okemos Rd.
  • Okemos, MI 48864
  • (517) 349-5711
  • Website
The 7-Eleven store near I-96 in Okemos.

The 7-Eleven store near I-96 in Okemos.

It was about a month ago that I first reviewed a 7-Eleven in this area when I took an unscheduled trip to the Holt 7-Eleven (review HERE) to get a Slurpee.  In that review, I remarked how clean the store was which is something I’ve never seen at a 7-Eleven before.  I wondered if it was just that store or if 7-Eleven was working on cleaning up it’s image.

J and I were leaving Meridian Mall after a full day of shopping.  As we were heading back towards the Interstate, J asked if there was a 7-Eleven on the way.  She’s been craving Slurpee’s recently.  Even though they’re technically not Slurpee’s, we stop quite a bit at the Speedway near our house to get their version of the frozen cola drink.

I thought there was a 7-Eleven near the Interstate and I was right.  The building sits on the corner of Okemos and Jolly Roads.  THIS is the 7-Eleven I remember.  This particular store is nothing like the shop in Holt.  It’s the dirty, cramped convenience store that I remember from my childhood.  I don’t mean dirty like disgusting, but just not sparkling clean like the Holt store was. 

They were running a sale on 44 oz Slurpee’s, but that was just way too much sugar.  We both ended up grabbing a 22 oz. cup which cost more than the 44 oz, but neither of us could trust ourselves to not drink the whole thing if we bought the bigger one.  No wonder America’s so fat.  Six months ago, I would have bought the 44 oz. and drank the whole thing just because it was cheaper. Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories : Chains, Michigan, Okemos, Reviews, Specialty Shop

Kilwin’s Chocolate Shoppe

20 09 2008
  • 129 E. Front St
  • Traverse City, MI 49684
  • (231) 946-2403
  • Website
Kilwins Chocolate Shoppe in downtown Traverse City

Kilwin's Chocolate Shoppe in downtown Traverse City

Fudge is a weakness of mine.  I have a hard time walking by a candy shop where I can see them making it in the window.  After we left The Cherry Shop (review HERE), we continued walking down Front Street.  It wasn’t long before we walked by two guys in the window making candy.  They weren’t making fudge, but they were making caramel apples.  I grabbed J and pushed her towards the door.  When we got inside, my suspicions were confirmed.  They had the most delicious looking fudge in a glass case near the door.

I didn’t know where to start.  I do know I love peanut butter.  I also know I love fudge.  If you put the two together, it should make an incredible confection.  They had a special going where if you bought two pieces of fudge, you got one free.  J wanted a piece of the cherry fudge and since we were going to get a free one, I got a wedge of the vanilla.  Each wedge was a half a pound.  There were no prices posted so I was a little shocked when it rang up at $17, but it was a lot of fudge.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Candy, Chocolate, Michigan, Reviews, Specialty Shop, Traverse City

The Cherry Stop

20 09 2008
  • 211 E. Front St.
  • Traverse City, MI 49684
  • 800-286-7209
  • Website
The Cherry Stop in downtown Traverse City

The Cherry Stop in downtown Traverse City

Well, I guess would couldn’t actually go to Traverse City without stopping in one Cherry related tourist trap.  When we were waiting for our meals at The Cooks House (review HERE), I grabbed a Traverse City dining magazine that was sitting on the window ledge.  In it, they had ads and articles for a number of businesses in the area.  J noticed one called The Cherry Store which was just a few blocks from where we were.  We were going to walk around downtown anyway, so we just kept an eye out for this store.

We found the Cherry Store on Front St right in the heart of the downtown business district.  The store is exactly what you think it is.  It’s cherries from floor to ceiling.  Everything on the shelves had cherries in it somehow.  Dried cherries, chocolate covered cherries, cherry salsa, cherry BBQ sauce, cherry Dijon mustard.  If they could figure out a way to put a cherry it in, it was there.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Candy, Michigan, Specialty Shop, Traverse City

Spice Merchants

14 09 2008
  • 401 N. 5th Ave #2C
  • Ann Arbor, MI 48104
  • Website
  • (734) 332-5500

(I’ve updated this review after Kelly pointed out I had the wrong name..It’s right now and I’ve found more info on the web.)

The Ann Arbor Spice House in the Kerrytown Shops

The Spice Merchants in the Kerrytown Shops

The Spice Merchants was another incredible find in Ann Arbor.  After walking around the Farmer’s Market (review HERE), we headed inside the Kerrytown Shops to see what that was all about.  We didn’t find much on the list of businesses next to the elevator, but there was one shop on the second floor that I wanted to check out.

I’m assuming this is a fairly new store because there’s no information about it anywhere on the web.  Even the Kerrytown Shops website lists the store as being vacant.  It’s definitely not vacant. It’s filled floor to ceiling with spices and not your run of the mill, everyday spices.  There were things in that store I’ve only seen mail order.

Along the walls, the spices are stored in bulk in glass jars.  You’re asked not to handle the jars, but for the more popular spices, there are bags of prepackaged spices hanging near the bulk.  If you want something that’s not already packaged or want more, an employee will package it for you.   In the middle of the store there are racks of spice rubs.  Same deal as the bulk spices except this time they add shakers of the rub to the display. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Ann Arbor, Michigan, Reviews, Specialty Shop

Zingerman’s Next Door

13 09 2008
  • 422 Detroit St.
  • Ann Arbor, MI 48104
  • (734) 663-5282
  • Website
  • Menu
eZingermans Next Door which is literally next door to the famous Deli of the same name in Ann Arbor

Zingerman's Next Door which is literally next door to the famous Deli of the same name in Ann Arbor

If you’ve been to Zingerman’s Deli, Zingerman’s Next Door shouldn’t be hard to find.  It’s right next door.  The shop has two purposes.  First, it’s seating for Zingerman’s Deli.  As I mentioned in my REVIEW of the deli, after you place your order, you go next door and have a seat.  A server will bring your sandwiches and you can sit down and enjoy the biggest deli sandwich you’ll probably ever eat. 

The second purpose of Zingerman’s Next Door is to offer things you can’t get at the deli.  The main focus is coffee, but they offer chocolates and even gellato. 

The tables are kind of cramped in to the space, but with as many people as Zingerman’s gets, the more tables the better.  We found one along the wall near the cash register.  Our wait was only about 15 minutes which was pretty good for the volume orders the kitchen was filling.  We ate our meal and didn’t feel rushed or cramped which happens at some of the other hot spots in Ann Arbor. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Ann Arbor, Bakery, Big Ten Tour, Chocolate, Coffee, Local Flavor, Michigan, Reviews, Specialty Shop

Roma Bakery, Deli, & Fine Foods

9 09 2008
  • 428 N. Cedar St.
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 485-9466
  • Website
  • No Online Menu
Roma Bakery, Deli, & Fine Foods on Cedar St. in Lansing

Roma Bakery, Deli, & Fine Foods on Cedar St. in Lansing

Finding Roma today was totally an accident.  We made our weekly trip to Horrocks and wanted to find something for lunch.  I seem to remember someone telling me Aunt Millie’s had a Deli out on Grand River, so that’s what we went looking for.  We put it in the GPS and when the GPS said we had arrived, there was nothing that even remotely looked like a diner.  We found the outlet store, but no deli.  I thought maybe it was farther down Grand River, so we kept driving.  Eventually, we hit I-96 BL and I got on that without even knowing.  Once I figured out we were going through Old Town, I thought of that bakery on Cedar Street that we had passed so many times without even giving a second glance to.  Since it was getting late in the afternoon and J needed to get to work, I suggested stopping since it would probably be something we could grab and go.

Roma is situated just a few blocks from Oldsmobile Park and downtown Lansing.  The building makes it look like nothing more than the corner bakery, but there is a sign out front that says “Join us for lunch.”  The parking lot was pretty empty when we pulled in around 1:00 and we wondered if we were making a mistake. 

The inside is set up like a local grocery store.  The name Roma suggests an Italian bakery, but I would call it more European as they offer food and baked goods from all parts of the continent even though most of their wares are Italian.  The deli case is in the back of the store.  Next to the deli case is a long pastry case filled with home made goodies.  Since lunch was the priority, we hit that up first. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bakery, Cafe, Deli, Downtown, Grocery, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, Specialty Shop

Frankenmuth Cheese Haus

1 09 2008
  • 561 S. Main St.
  • Frankenmuth, MI 48734
  • (989) 652-6727
  • Website
The Frankenmuth Cheese Haus in downtown Frankenmuth

The Frankenmuth Cheese Haus in downtown Frankenmuth

I just can’t pass up cheese.  J and I were walking down Main Street with my parents and an aunt who were in town for Labor Day.  There were so many shops, but the Cheese Haus was one we couldn’t pass up.  We weren’t the only ones.  The store was packed.

The Frankenmuth Cheese Haus sits on the corner of a courtyard and has an interesting shape.  We went inside and there’s a one-way path around large freezers which eventually leads to the check out and the exit.  They had every kind of cheese imaginable and the cheeses they didn’t make on site, they shipped in from Wisconsin.  There’s no trying to hide that fact either as everything is clearly labeled as Frankenmuth cheese or Michigan cheese.  Along the way, there are lots of samples. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Downtown, Frankenmuth, Local Flavor, Michigan, Reviews, Specialty Shop