July 12, 2024 • 34 mins
Garrett and Brandy Shaver join Christa today to talk about their unique Surf City shop in the popular Triton Village: Salt Marsh Market!
Whatever you’re craving, Salt Marsh Market has something to satisfy! They offer NC craft beer in the bottle and on tap, wine and refreshing wine slushies, coffee, organic smoothies, the BEST shakes made from gelato, Grab & Go lunches, and unique snacks. If you don’t feel like cooking tonight, pick out one of their Take & Bakes, charcuterie plates, or cookies and breads baked fresh daily!
There’s so much more to discover at Salt Marsh Market! Take a listen, then give them a visit and explore!
Address: 100 A Charlie Medlin Dr, Surf City, NC 28445
Phone: (910) 802-0900
Email: info@saltmarshmarket.com
Follow Salt Marsh Market on both Facebook and Instagram
Topsail Insider is Sponsored by Saltwater Suites & Resort - Topsail Island’s premier luxury hospitality experience! Book your beach getaway today at SaltwaterTopsail.comor call (910) 886-4818!
Topsail Insider is also Sponsored by Surf City Line! Come out for Beachin’ Bowls, Margaritas, and Live Music, and enjoy your meal on their top deck with Ocean Views! Visit SurfCityLineNC.com for their full food, bar, and brunch menus!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Topsail Insider, where you can hear all
about the businesses and eventsin the beautiful coastal towns
in the greater Topsail area ofNorth Carolina.
Coming up today, we're talkingto Garrett and Brandy Shaver.
They are just the coolestcouple behind Salt Marsh Market.
It's a real favorite for localsand visitors alike.
(00:23):
Just check out their reviews.
They're in Surf City, northCarolina.
This truly delightful littlegrocery store is packed with
specialty foods and gift items,freshly baked goods and a cozy
bar serving beer, wine and theiramazing shakes and wine
slushies.
We'll explore the array ofproducts they offer today on
Topsail Insider.
(00:50):
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With no nightly minimum, youcan enjoy short getaways or an
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Each suite features luxurybedding, full kitchens with
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three ADA suites have full-sizewashers and dryers.
(01:13):
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Saltwater Suites is the perfectchoice for your next beach
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(01:34):
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(01:57):
beach break salads and more.
They offer a full bar servinghandcrafted cocktails,
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craft beer.
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(02:18):
.
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(02:40):
line.
Hello everyone and welcome toTopsail Insider.
My name is Krista and I am yourhost.
Today I have the pleasure ofspeaking with Garrett and Brandy
Shaver.
They are the owners of SaltMarsh Market.
Salt Marsh Market is located inthe popular Triton Village
(03:02):
Shopping Center and that's onCharlie Medlin Drive in Surf
City, north Carolina.
Garrett and Brandy, thank youso much for joining me today.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Thank you for having us, thank you for having us.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
You offer a lot at your store.
You've filled it with such anamazing array of products, so
we're going to talk about all ofthose, but for now, for anyone
who doesn't know the Salt MarshMarket, give me just an overview
of what your store is about andtell me what makes it different
from all the others.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Well, first and foremost, it is a lot crammed
into 1,200 square feet.
That's a common theme withnewcomers to the store.
Wow, it's a lot to look at.
It is, but just take your timeand work your way around and
you'll find something thatyou're looking for.
We are a market concept.
We do have take-and-bake foodsprepared meals, wraps you can
(03:50):
eat on site, a lot of snackstuff.
We have a big selection ofsauces and rubs, chips, things
of that nature, charcuterie typethings, meat and cheese trays.
We also have an eight-personbar that you can sit and have a
glass of wine or a draft beer,or even open a bottle of wine if
you'd like, and a good largesize selection of to-go beer and
(04:13):
wine.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
The bar was full, by the way, when I walked in.
I thought I was going to bellyup to the bar and we were going
to sit there and chat while.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I typed away.
We had planned to do that, butwe could not.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
No, it was packed.
I loved seeing it.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Some of the other stuff, a lot of local vendors,
whether it be local right therein Surf City or North Carolina.
In general, apparel is reallybig for us.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
It's not a chain grocery store, it's
independently owned.
Can you tell me a little bit?
Speaker 3 (04:38):
about that?
Absolutely.
We definitely are family ownedand operated.
We do have employees.
We have six right now.
My first employee was my motherand my son.
I did end up firing my motherwhat?
It was kind of a joke, or itstarted out as a joke.
She loved working with us butshe also wanted to move back to
Massachusetts and so I fired herbecause she would not leave
otherwise.
(04:59):
She felt really she wanted tostay and help with the store,
but she's back now in Hampstead,so really she wanted to stay
and help with the store.
But she's back now in Hampstead.
So there is that.
Oh, she is.
And then my son also was one ofour first employees and he
decided working for his parentswas not what he wanted to do
either.
Do not blame him, not one bit,but we needed them a lot when we
first opened and there was somuch going on we were just very
busy, so it was great havingthem there.
(05:20):
Garrett and I obviously worktogether a lot.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Yeah, sometimes I wonder how we've been in wife
team here.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
It has its challenges , but it's very rewarding.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
We work well together .
We definitely have a goodbalance of what he does and what
I do, and they're verydifferent at the store, so it
kind of gives us a littleseparation from each other
because we both are doing verydifferent things.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Yeah, garrett, you handle beer and wine primarily.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
And the food too, or no?
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Some of the food, but most of the food items, the
specialty items, that's Brandy's, that's Brandy's, yeah Right,
and she's really good at it.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
So Well, thank you.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Garrett, let's talk about your personal history.
You did mention that yourmother was from Massachusetts,
so I'm assuming you'reoriginally from Mass.
I am Okay, and what brought youhere to North Carolina?
Speaker 3 (06:03):
originally it was South Carolina.
I've been here for probably 17years, 20 years a while.
I came to Wilmington, probablyin 2008.
And I came here for a boy, fellin love with Wilmington and
stayed.
That's not the boy.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
No, no, no, different boy Different boy, boy.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Well, that's my story , though.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
It's all good, we all have a story.
Okay, you two are really youngand we're not even thinking
about retirement at this stage,are we?
Speaker 3 (06:35):
No, I was thinking about next week.
I like to work.
I'm kidding, I need to work, Ineed something to do.
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
And Garrett, where are you from originally?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Originally from Southport.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Oh, that's such a great area.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Love Southport A little different than when I
grew up there, but it's stillvery nice.
Still have parents on CaswellBeach and we visit them quite
often.
Moved to Wilmington in 96.
Went to UNCW oh nice, and Istayed.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Can I ask what you studied?
Marketing, marketing, business.
Yes, now you guys don't livehere in the Topsail area, you're
living in Wilmington, is thatright, correct?
What made you decide to openyour store here in the Topsail?
Speaker 3 (07:15):
area.
Well, we never had intentionsof having a store in Topsail
before we had one in Wilmington.
However, we saw the locationone day, had a letter of intent
the next day.
Oh wow, we knew that locationwas perfect for what we were
doing.
So of course we didn't passthat up and we have yet to find
a location that we would like todo.
A second location in Are youplanning on doing?
Speaker 1 (07:35):
a second location?
Absolutely, it's always beenthe idea.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
That's great, but location, location, location,
and we just haven't found whatwe're looking for.
Would you put it?
In Wilmington Possibly?
It really depends.
I think what we're looking foris we want something with
outside seating area, somethingthat maybe not on a strip mall
like we are now, just somethingdifferent, and those are hard to
come by, and there's a lot ofpeople looking for the same
thing as well.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
What we do is very unique and the location has to
be unique or pretty dialed in.
It takes a certain spot for usto be successful.
We feel like.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
You mentioned that you wouldn't choose to be in
another strip mall area.
There's a lot of foot trafficwhere you are currently.
Are you looking for like astandalone for your second
location?
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Ideally it would be standalone.
That's hard to come by.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Yeah, y'all need something bigger.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Yes, definitely bigger.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Yeah, I want to buy more things, kind of like the
new place Wilmy Woody in theirtruck.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Oh, yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
That building they have, that they're rehabbing, is
even I think it's even smaller.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
It is small but it's cute and that's like that.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
We look, we ride by it every day and tiny, but
they're putting that nice deckaround it.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
I'm sure they're going to make a lot out of the
backyard at that right, I thinkthey're utilizing every square
inch of that property.
I haven't seen any plans oranything, but I did just read
that article.
It's pretty exciting.
Have you had their pizza?
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Oh yeah, it's a busy night when we have them.
They're at Salted Turtle a lot,so when they're there it's
usually a pretty busy eveningfor us.
In general, great pizza Awesome.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
How did you two meet?
Wait, wait, brandy.
I just want to say that Garretttold me it was love at first
sight.
I'm just kidding, I like it.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
I like it.
It was not love at first sight.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
She picked up on that very quickly in your notes.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
I knew she would.
I put it in there just for her.
I was just asking, like tryingto get some information about
you.
And I was like, was it love atfirst sight?
And he just looked at me likeif you ask her that, she's going
to think I put you up to that.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Well, the story is, I definitely dated him a lot
longer than he dated me, butthat's okay.
I knew what I wanted and I wasnot going to give up, and so and
here we are.
That's right.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
It all worked out.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
How long have y'all been together?
We met back in 2010.
We were engaged since 2015.
We just recently got married in2023.
Yeah, oh, wow, congratulations.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Thank you, yeah, but we've been together for quite
some time and we finally decidedto make it official, all right,
so let's talk about what youdid prior to Saltmarsh Market,
because, garrett, you handle thebeer and wine primarily, but
you have a lot of experience inbeer and wine, right?
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Yes, tell me a little bit about that I worked in beer
distribution for almost 17years prior to this, wore a lot
of hats, did a lot of differentthings on-premise, off-premise
sales, craft brand managing anda lot of that translates to what
I do now.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
And what about you?
I was in the medical field forquite some time.
I ended up running a smallmedical clinic before opening
the store, which gave me areally good understanding of
what it takes to run a smallbusiness, and I think that was
really helpful for us openingour business as well.
I do all the QuickBooks andthat part of it.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
I think it's interesting what we both kind of
our takeaways from our previouscareers.
Like some of the things thatlike merchandising, branding and
marketing.
The things that I apply nowwere not the things that I
thought would translate likethey do.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
It sounds like, from your beer and wine experience
and also your marketing degree,that you're coming to the table
with a lot of knowledge and andyou're coming to the table with
with the back end knowledge, butit's different knowledge, but
you're selling a whole differentrealm of stuff.
I would imagine this is morefun, a lot more fun.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
I don't do any personal shopping anymore,
because all I do is buy thingsfor the store, yeah, and then
I'm all shopped out and you geta little retail therapy that
helps the business and doesn'thurt your wallet Absolutely.
I'm a big fan.
It's just as much fun.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
It satisfies that urge.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
What was it that inspired you to take the leap
and open up your own store?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
So the big turning point, I think, would have been
when my mother passed away verysuddenly in November of 2020.
That was very unexpected.
This was already in the worksand but we were still hesitant,
we had not committed.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
But you were already thinking about opening the store
.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
We were planning and working on it, but we hadn't
reached the point of no returnand we both looked at each other
and thought what are we waitingon?
You know, tomorrow's notguaranteed.
Like we're going to do it,let's do it.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Yeah, so you guys are both first-time business owners
with Salt Marsh Market A lot offirst-time business owners.
We don't know what we're doing.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
We flounder a little bit.
What hurdles did you face whenyou were opening up, or deciding
to open up, saltmarsh Market?
The biggest hurdle, and wasright in the beginning, was the
initial commitment to move onfrom careers and take the leap.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
Quit our jobs without another job in mind.
Yes.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
It is frightening.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Yeah, absolutely, and for both of us to do that.
That was the biggest.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
I think.
If you remember, though, it wasnever my intention to come on
full time at the store.
I wanted a career change and Iwanted to leave where I was, so
it was a good time for me to doit, to help him open the store
and then find something else forme to do.
I've been trying to leave eversince, but he won't let me.
No, no, me, no.
(13:01):
There's no way he could.
She's not going anywhere.
It's not a one person job.
It really does take the both ofus, and even that like I could
never do what he does, and Icould never even try to do what
he does in beer and wine, youknow, dealing with all of the
vendors, and he already knowseverybody in that industry, so
that was a really easy thing forus to get into because of his
background.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
What was the spark?
What inspired you to say Ithink we need to open a grocery?
We never said that, actually,how did it turn into Saltmarsh
Market?
Speaker 3 (13:28):
It started out as beer and wine, with his
background, and just where wewere in the area north end of
Wilmington, we were trying tolook at something beer, wine
bottle shop-ish, and then COVIDhappened, and then, of course,
those places were being closed,and so then Garrett got the idea
of reaching out to the VeggieWagon that were also long-term
customers of his, through thebeer and wine you mentioned, the
(13:49):
Veggie.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Wagon in our pre-interview.
But for the listeners who maynot know what they are, tell me
what they do and how that helpedyou go in the direction that
you went.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
So they started out in Carolina Beach with a shop
much like ours now and makingall their food in the back in
their kitchen, and it quicklygrew into another store.
So they have two stores now anda standalone production kitchen
that makes our food their foodand food for other stores as
well.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
We would not be able to do what we do without the
veggie wagon, simply saying thatwe have 1,200 square feet.
You've been in the store.
The space is very limited.
Our backroom is even smaller,and so having that relationship
with them where they can get usthe fresh food sandwiches and
all of our wraps, all of ourto-go food it's all done by them
, so that really allows us to beable to be in the footprint
(14:36):
that we are and also be able tooffer those offerings be able to
be in the footprint that we areand also be able to offer those
offerings.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
You mentioned COVID.
Did you open after COVID?
Speaker 2 (14:43):
We did, but we signed the lease in January of 21.
So right on the heels.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
We opened a business during COVID.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Or we had grand plans to.
We tried to.
Yes, it did take us a year,almost exact to the day, to get
open.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
We have a walk-up window, though that walk-up
window is only there because itwas COVID time when we were
trying to do the build-out.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Are you still using that walk-up?
Speaker 3 (15:07):
window.
Oh yeah, absolutely.
We have a doorbell andeverything.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
By the time we opened , I think most of the COVID
stuff had kind of blown over andpeople were more comfortable.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Now the window is just a walk-up window for people
sitting outside, so they don'thave to come inside to grab
their drinks and we can servethem out the window, okay.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
All right, so let's talk about that bar first.
It is a smaller bar, but evenso, I will say that I walked in
and it was completely full.
You offer beer on tap.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
So tell me what types of beer you're offering on tap?
Mainly local, some regional andnational brands, but a lot of
local craft beer.
Right now we have ourBeachcomber, our Honey Blonde
from Outer Dunes, which is ourcollaboration beer that we've
done with them.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Oh, tell me about that.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Two years in a row.
The folks at Outer Dunes, goodfriends of ours, we joined with
them last year.
We wanted to do a beer withthem because collaborations are
fun, and we made a Honey Blondeand it was a big hit.
And it's been a big hit thisyear as well.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
You've got a shelf full of all different kinds of
wines there.
You have some standard winesbehind the bar that you serve on
the regular.
But you also mentioned that youcan go get a bottle off the
shelf and open that, have somethere and then take it home.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
Absolutely no corking fee or anything.
We really do encouragecustomers to come in and enjoy a
bottle of wine.
Try some different things,bring a friend and you can make
a day of it, or a couple hoursat least.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Yes, you can.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Does anyone ever walk out with a partial bottle?
Speaker 3 (16:42):
No, it really does not happen.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Not very often.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
They polish that off right there, I know.
Or they make friends at the bar.
We have seen so manyrelationships happen at the bar
and friendships form and we'vemet so many awesome people.
But our bar is kind of like alittle it's a little.
I love it.
But Our bar is kind of like alittle it's a little, I love it,
but it's a little hub forpeople to meet and I've seen a
lot of friendships forged there.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
It definitely has become that kind of a meeting
point or a hub for the localneighborhoods.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
And do you get a lot of tourists coming in as well
this time of year?
Absolutely.
When I went there, I had acoffee and it was delicious, by
the way, I love to hear that itwas before.
I heard about the shakes.
You do offer a full range ofcoffee drinks, but tell me about
the shakes.
Why are people raving aboutthese shakes?
Speaker 3 (17:31):
It's the gelato.
The gelato, oh, absolutely.
Thank you, veggie Wagon.
They do a house-made gelato forus that we make our milkshakes
with.
Oh, wow, okay, and it isfantastic.
Gelato, if you don't know, is alittle bit.
It's a lot like ice cream, butit's less milk fat.
It's turned a little bit slowerso there's less air
incorporation, so you get alighter in taste but a creamier
in texture.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
It really does make a difference.
It definitely is creamy, yeah,so what flavors are you offering
back there?
Speaker 3 (17:50):
We have quite a few.
Our most popular is the greenmint, which is my least favorite
the chocolate chip green mint.
We also do a salt marsh, whichis the salted caramel and
marshmallow which is oursignature drink for coffee,
milkshakes or whatever you wantto make it with.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
And I saw somewhere on Facebook, or perhaps it was
Yelp, but I saw smoothies.
Are they one and the sameYou're offering?
Speaker 3 (18:12):
both, so a gelato milkshake, and then we do
smoothies as well, which we makewith a organic fruit puree,
local honey, ice and your choiceof milk.
They're fantastic, I didn'tknow.
And if you really want to getadventurous, you can actually
replace the milk with wine.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Let's go ahead and get to those wine slushies.
First of all, do you have aspecial wine machine and are
there different flavors?
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Everyone's made by hand.
What?
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Made by hand.
To order Now the machines.
I do love a machine, but westarted with this and they were
doing really well.
So if it's not in progress,we're not going to fix it.
But we do the same concept asour smoothie, but we literally
just replace the milk with thewine.
Oh, so you get a five-ouncepour and you get a three-ounce
of fruit and then ice and weblend it with local honey.
It could be a wine that youhave by the glass behind the bar
(19:00):
.
We have a red-white blend inthe back that we use for wine
slushies.
Oh, okay, also, we do a sangria, which is my favorite.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Oh, that would be so good.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
With a little bit of cinnamon it tastes tropical.
For whatever reason I know it'sa sangria wine slushie but
they're very tasty and probablyone of our most Popular that and
the Prosecco, mango or theStrawberry Rosé.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
You really can't go wrong with any of the flavors.
You really can't.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Your store offers also an impressive selection of
beer and wine from the shelf.
So, garrett, how are you goingabout choosing which wines and
beers you're going to stock onthe shelf?
And also, you mentioned whatwas the brewery you mentioned
earlier.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
Outer.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Dunes Brewery Outer Dunes.
Are there any other breweriesthat you're working with to get
your shelves stocked?
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Absolutely.
We stock most of the localbreweries Outer Dunes, mad Mole,
flying Machine, wrightsvilleBeach, wilmington Brewing,
bill's, waterline, and thenregional stuff too.
Like you know, the VeilDissolver in Asheville, burial
out of Asheville, and one of ournew favorites that we're able
to get now is Other Half out ofBrooklyn.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Brooklyn, New York.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
Oh my gosh, you named over a ton of local breweries.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Yes, we're fortunate to have so many breweries
locally.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Yeah, truly, and some really really good beer.
So these must be all theconnections that you made when
you were working down inWilmington.
Some of yes, well, that's nice.
And the wine selection anyspecialty wines there, any local
wines, are they standard?
Speaker 2 (20:22):
We do have a few wines from North Carolina
sanctuary vineyards.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
Where are they located?
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Outer Banks.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Okay, so a lot of our wines come from smaller
vineyards, so they're lessadditives, low intervention, not
mass produced.
Absolutely.
They're not trying to make thewine taste the same every year.
You're going to have adifferent wine every year
because they're not going tohave.
They're not adding things to it.
You're going to get somethingreally good in a bottle.
In our prices we have somethingfor everybody.
We can beat grocery storeprices at the bottle of wine.
(20:50):
I can guarantee you'll be a lotbetter, less sulfites and just
better for you all around nice,unless you drink the whole
bottle our selection.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Our selection is going to be stuff you're not
going to find in the grocerystores, like at the Lowe's.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
Foods or something.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
There's a couple bottles that are popular, that
people like, but 98% of ourselection is going to be found
only in a store like ours or awine specialty shop Wonderful.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Okay, let's go to the food.
You have several refrigeratorsand freezers in there, so you
have people who are stopping infor lunch, because I saw them
there.
So I'm assuming that you havelike sandwiches and things that
you can eat right there on site.
But you also had some frozenfoods.
You mentioned taken bakesearlier, and then I did see some
reviews about cheese balls andcharcuteries.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
So we do have anything from sandwiches and
wraps, salads, shakers, whichare little chicken and rice and
vegetables that you canliterally shake with a little
bit of dressing.
I used to eat them all the timedriving back to work when I
would pick them up from theveggie wagon.
We also have a lot of pre-mademeals for dinner or lunch, but
we have Garrett's favorite, thebeef stroganoff.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
Yes, love it.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
Shrimp and grits and shrimp scampi are our two new
meals and they've been a hugehit.
We have spaghetti and meatballsmacaroni and cheese Stuffed
shells.
Kung pao chicken.
Chicken tikka.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
These are all family size.
Like I could come home and feedmy family a four.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Some are, some aren't .
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Depending on how your family eats.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
I can make one last meal, a couple of meals.
If Garrett's there, then it'sgoing to be a one-mealer.
We might be able to share it.
It does depend.
But we do have frozen meals aswell that are a little bit more
of a bigger serving, gotcha.
We have lasagnas and we havevegetable and sausage.
What about?
Speaker 1 (22:26):
the appetizers?
Do y'all sell the cheese ballsand the charcuterie plates?
Speaker 3 (22:31):
We have meat and cheese trays.
We have habanero stuffedpeppers, which are one of our
biggest hits in that cooler.
We have cheese balls, cheeseball samplers, stuffed grape
leaves.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
And I saw the baked goods.
I was there in the afternoon,but I have heard that it smells
delicious in the morning and youguys are actually baking there
on site every morning.
We do.
I saw like a.
Was it a banana bread?
Speaker 3 (22:54):
Oh, yes, yeah, yeah, banana bread, no nuts, that's my
favorite.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
It looked really good .
It looked really good.
It looked really moist, buttell me what other baked goods
you're serving there.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
Sure, we do a bunch of cookies, anywhere from lemon,
ginger, chocolate chip browniecookies.
We do peanut butter brownies.
We have the sweetbreads, banana, cinnamon and pumpkin dark
chocolate.
We bake those daily.
We also have sourdough andbaguettes.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
We bake it as we need it daily.
And also I noticed that yourshelves are loaded with
specialty food items.
Those were the sauces andthings that in the rubs that you
were mentioning earlier.
What are some of your hottestitems that just fly off the
shelf?
Speaker 2 (23:30):
It's always changing, so let me think about what do
we have right now?
One of my favorite things wehave right now would be the Hank
sauce and the Qualified Captaincollaboration.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
The Hank Sauce and the.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Hank Sauce Uh-huh, they make a variety of hot
sauces.
It's pretty popular.
Okay, mm-hmm, but they've donea collaboration with Qualified
Captain.
It's a two-pack called In theChannel it's a green sauce of
Sailor's Delight, okay, and thered sauce is the fish whistle,
and they're good.
It's a good little gift pack.
(24:02):
Another one that I really get akick out of that we did really
well with and so we've kept fora while, is from Spicewalla, you
know T-Pain.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
Yeah, they did a.
Let me buy you a drink.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
That's the one he has a line.
It's a set of three like a wingdust or seasoning.
It's a set of three like a wingdust or seasoning.
It's really neat.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
This is T Payne's line.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Yes, that he did in collaboration with Spicewalla.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Sugar Daddy, hot Daddy or what's the other one?
I don't remember all the namesof them, just Sugar Daddy is the
only one I can think of.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
That's the only one you remember.
That's the only one and one ofthe you know.
Talking about the differentthings that we have and the
surprises sometimes, one of ourlocal favorites now is by
Stammy's Pickles out ofCherryville, north Carolina.
It's spicy pickled quail eggs.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
I saw those.
They're a bit of a localfavorite these days.
They are good.
I saw them on the shelf and Ichecked it out and then I was
like I'll pass.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
I questioned it as well.
Did you try them?
Oh my God, they're really good,really, absolutely Okay.
So it's just a boiled egg.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
basically right, it's tiny, so little.
It's a good multiple.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Yeah, so a regular-sized egg.
You kind of have to bite it inhalf.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Totally.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
So these are just one-biters.
Pop right just you know they'redoing one biters little poppers
yeah, I do love a pickledboiled egg.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
You need to try them then I probably will.
But I I remember, yeah, I didsee that.
I noticed that on the shelf.
I'm like, hmm, you guys do havea huge variety of like novelty,
almost foods in there yeah,it's kind of the name of the
game.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
We it's always what's new.
When people come in that comein there once a week, the first
question they want to ask iswhat's new?
I feel obligated now to alwayshave something new on the shelf.
How I find them and what webring in really does vary.
We try to bring in things thatwill resonate with, obviously,
our customers, but also with thearea I did notice that you had
the Hampstead oil and vinegar upon your shelf, Miss Georgia's
(26:00):
products up there.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
What other local food items are you bringing in from
other stores?
Speaker 2 (26:06):
Hampstead Oils is a good one right down the road.
Two more that jump out at methat we have great relationships
with, and they're greatproducts Lava Dust Seasoning.
Ryan is a great guy and hissteak seasoning is the best.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Lava Dust Seasoning.
Oh yeah, when is he located?
Speaker 2 (26:21):
In Surf City.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
In Surf City.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
Ah, I learned something new today, okay.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
Also Andrew with Dirt Road Coffee.
He's right here in Surf Cityand roasts his own beans and we
sell them as well.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Nice Kathy with Gluten-Free by the Seam.
She does all of our gluten-freebaked goods and breads.
We we do a lot of gluten-free.
I'm actually gluten-free myself.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
Are you really?
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Mm-hmm, but there was definitely that need in the
area to have you know there'snowhere serving, you know,
gluten-free items, specialtygluten-free items.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
So I try to bring in if anything we have.
I try to always get agluten-free option if it's
available.
Yeah, so it's definitely a lotof that, a lot of vegan Cravings
.
They're little like vegan bakedgoods, okay.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
And honey as well.
Right, you have a local honeyvendor in there.
We do Cape.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
Fear General Store Brad Carter.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Brad Carter.
So Brockmore Pretzels isanother local product that we're
carrying.
They're out of Wilmington.
They do a big variety offlavored pretzels.
They can be found actually in alot of places in our area.
They're very popular veryquickly they are great pretzels.
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
I was not going to bring them into the store
because they are everywherearound us, but they're that good
that I could not say no.
Oh, really, absolutely.
Say the name again.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
Brockmar, brockmar.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
And they have one pretzel that they've done in
collaboration with the SeaTurtle Hospital.
So they give some money backfor every bag, or a portion of
every bag, that's sold.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
That's an interesting collaboration.
So pretzels and the sea turtlehospital and people love turtles
.
And so it's huge here oh yeah,so is it shaped like a turtle?
It is not.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
But the flavor is margarita or salt and lime or
something Really.
They're really tasty, all thepretzels are.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Okay, do you have that one in the store?
Because?
Speaker 3 (28:05):
I'll stop by and pick that up.
We sure do, okay.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Let's talk about all the gift items.
So I fell in love with so manyof the gift items when I was
walking through the store.
I could have walked out ofthere with a handful of stuff
like, truly, why didn't you?
Why didn't you?
Because, if I Good one, brandonRight, I was thinking about it
the other day.
I interview all these wonderfulpeople who are selling
wonderful products.
If I purchased all that Iwanted and got tickets to
(28:30):
everything, I would go broke.
I would make a dime, Iunderstand.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
I totally understand, but I picked up that tray.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
There's a tray in there in North Carolina.
It's a wood tray.
The little key rings but it wasWell, thank you.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
I also appreciate when people appreciate what I do
and what we do.
I love to hear that people canwalk into our store and take a
lap, and every time they take alap they find something new.
It really does take a while tocome into the store and see
everything we have.
I still sometimes find thingsI'm like where did that come
from?
So it's a lot of fun.
So it's a lot of fun, it's anexperience.
Obviously, being a touristlocation, people want to bring
(29:02):
something home with them whenthey come to the beach.
Yeah, right now we have thesekeepsake ornaments actually.
So you put sand in them orshells or whatever it is you
find it has Topsail Island onthere so you can take it home
with you, or a tray with TopsailIsland.
We have all sorts of thingsthat are very Topsail
Island-centric.
It's an all-serve city.
We have candles.
We have custom candles as well.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Homemade soap yes yes , it smells so good.
It's great for people who arehere vacationing and they want
to take a little piece of NorthCarolina back with them.
But it was also stuff that, asa local here, that I would want
in my home as well.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Absolutely.
It makes me think of.
We have some dish towels thatare done from Printed Hughes.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Laura with Printed Hughes oh.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Printed Hughes, yes, and she does fantastic work.
Speaker 3 (29:44):
We sell a bunch of her kitchen towels and stuff
like that.
She is very local.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
So she offered classes.
At one point I took a class.
I love watercolor and so Ithought I'll be able to go in
there and make my watercolorlook as good as her watercolor.
And I was like it didn't lookanything like it.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
They never do, and she's good.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
It was terrible and I realized that day that I have
no artistic ability.
However, when I went to choosemy logo for Toppsville Insider,
I fell in love with herwatercolor so much that when I
found that image, thatwatercolor image, I got that
from her look and feel.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
I see it yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
So who are some of the local makers that you
partner with when you'recurating these items for your
store?
Speaker 2 (30:26):
We actually do business with a, I think a 12
year old young lady.
I think she's 13 now 13.
Really, she finds her shortteeth on the island, yeah, and
handcrafts earrings out of them.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
No way.
And she's selling them in yourstore, yep.
Well, she should be very proud.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
With the money she's making.
She should, Because we sell aton of those little things Do
you really?
Speaker 3 (30:49):
Oh my gosh Good for her.
Yeah, and she matches themperfectly.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
And of course our parents are good friends of ours
and we've met them through thestore, so it's a real organic
thing of they shopped with usand we became friends.
I said you know she has theseearrings, would you like to see?
Speaker 3 (31:02):
if it works, they're right by the register.
You can't say no to them.
They're shark tooth earringsfound right there on Topsail.
She's an entrepreneur at 12, 13years old.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
What's her name?
Annabelle.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Annabelle.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
Awesome.
How do you follow those trends?
How do you know what's hotright now and what's going out
of style?
Speaker 3 (31:20):
You never really know it's out of style until you're
not selling it.
Oh, you just wait for thenumbers to drop.
We're there at the store, somuch so when things aren't
moving.
I really get to see that, and soI try to change, like where
they are maybe in the store,give them better shelf spacing,
but I just I do a lot ofscrolling as far as what other
stores are doing what's popularon TV.
Stores are doing what's popularon TV.
(31:43):
I mean, they're all trends andso I'm not on Facebook or
Instagram very much, but Idefinitely try to stay in the
know.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
All right, guys, we're coming to the end here.
I want to find out are thereany future plans for Salt March
Market?
You mentioned that you arelooking to open another store.
That seems like it's notimmediate.
Are there any plans that youcan tell us about right now?
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Nothing immediate but we do.
Our full intention is to open asecond store.
It always has been.
We do have to find a reallyspecial spot to open another
salt marsh, but we're alsolooking at other business
ventures as well.
Absolutely, because we do needto do something else.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
What else you got?
What else are you thinkingabout?
Speaker 2 (32:20):
All that remains to be seen.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Okay, all right, so final thoughts then.
What is the main thing that youwant listeners to take away
from the conversation today?
About you, garrett and Brandy,or just about Salt and Marsh
Market?
Speaker 2 (32:34):
I think for us and what we've done, it's really
about the sum of the parts wecould.
The three of us could have thesame ingredients and not bake
the same cake.
Mine's probably going to bebetter than y'all's.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
Do you bake much?
Speaker 2 (32:47):
But so you know, taking all the things that we
have at the store and justthrowing them all in, it's not
an easy step-by-step.
Connect the dots one, two,three.
There's a lot more to it thanthat, a lot more gray area and
tangibles, and that's what makesour store special is Brandy and
I and our staff.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
We have great staff, the heart, soul of the store is
us and our staff.
It's the people.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
They're an extension to our staff for sure, starting
from scratch.
So many people I did not evenknow are now really good friends
and that's what's really cool,I think, in Surf City because we
are a small community stilleven with all the people still
very small, and that's reallyneat to watch.
Watch that grow from kids thatwere in strollers to now
(33:32):
bouncing off the walls.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
And we'll continue to see these kids that we've seen
in strollers, and one day theymight be working there for us,
who knows?
Yeah, but we really do lovebeing part of the community in
Surf City.
We were very welcomed and welove it.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
Do you ever see yourself moving here?
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Absolutely, oh yeah, for sure, depending on where
that next business is.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
That's a lot of it too, and interest rates.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
That's the truth.
Yeah, it truly is.
So let's give out that contactinformation.
The phone number there is910-803-0900.
The address is 100A CharlieMedlin Drive in Surf City.
The email address is info atsaltmarshmarketcom.
You can also find, and pleasefollow, salt Marsh Market on the
(34:19):
socials there on Instagram andFacebook and if you missed any
of this information, you canalways look in my show notes.
I'll have the contactinformation there for you, along
with clickable links for easyaccess.
Thank you, listeners, forjoining us today, and thank you
again, garrett and Brandy, forbeing on Topsail Insider and
telling us all about Salt MarshMarket.
Thank you, thanks, hey, if youenjoyed today's episode of T
(35:03):
Salt Marsh Market.
While you're there, you canclick the Send Me a Voicemail
button and let me know exactlywhat you're thinking.
Your message just might be onan episode of Topsail Insider.
You can email me at Krista atTopsailInsidercom, or call or
text me at 910-800-0111.
Thank you for listening andsupporting Topsail Insider and
(35:23):
our local businesses andnonprofits.
These are our neighbors and ourfriends, and together we build
a mighty and a beautifulcommunity I'm super proud to be
a part of.
I'll see you around Topsail.
Welcome to Topsail Insider, where you can hear all
about the businesses and eventsin the beautiful coastal towns
in the greater Topsail area ofNorth Carolina.
Coming up today, we're talkingto Garrett and Brandy Shaver.
They are just the coolestcouple behind Salt Marsh Market.
It's a real favorite for localsand visitors alike.
(00:23):
Just check out their reviews.
They're in Surf City, northCarolina.
This truly delightful littlegrocery store is packed with
specialty foods and gift items,freshly baked goods and a cozy
bar serving beer, wine and theiramazing shakes and wine
slushies.
We'll explore the array ofproducts they offer today on
Topsail Insider.
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Hello everyone and welcome toTopsail Insider.
My name is Krista and I am yourhost.
Today I have the pleasure ofspeaking with Garrett and Brandy
Shaver.
They are the owners of SaltMarsh Market.
Salt Marsh Market is located inthe popular Triton Village
(03:02):
Shopping Center and that's onCharlie Medlin Drive in Surf
City, north Carolina.
Garrett and Brandy, thank youso much for joining me today.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Thank you for having us, thank you for having us.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
You offer a lot at your store.
You've filled it with such anamazing array of products, so
we're going to talk about all ofthose, but for now, for anyone
who doesn't know the Salt MarshMarket, give me just an overview
of what your store is about andtell me what makes it different
from all the others.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Well, first and foremost, it is a lot crammed
into 1,200 square feet.
That's a common theme withnewcomers to the store.
Wow, it's a lot to look at.
It is, but just take your timeand work your way around and
you'll find something thatyou're looking for.
We are a market concept.
We do have take-and-bake foodsprepared meals, wraps you can
(03:50):
eat on site, a lot of snackstuff.
We have a big selection ofsauces and rubs, chips, things
of that nature, charcuterie typethings, meat and cheese trays.
We also have an eight-personbar that you can sit and have a
glass of wine or a draft beer,or even open a bottle of wine if
you'd like, and a good largesize selection of to-go beer and
(04:13):
wine.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
The bar was full, by the way, when I walked in.
I thought I was going to bellyup to the bar and we were going
to sit there and chat while.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I typed away.
We had planned to do that, butwe could not.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
No, it was packed.
I loved seeing it.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Some of the other stuff, a lot of local vendors,
whether it be local right therein Surf City or North Carolina.
In general, apparel is reallybig for us.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
It's not a chain grocery store, it's
independently owned.
Can you tell me a little bit?
Speaker 3 (04:38):
about that?
Absolutely.
We definitely are family ownedand operated.
We do have employees.
We have six right now.
My first employee was my motherand my son.
I did end up firing my motherwhat?
It was kind of a joke, or itstarted out as a joke.
She loved working with us butshe also wanted to move back to
Massachusetts and so I fired herbecause she would not leave
otherwise.
(04:59):
She felt really she wanted tostay and help with the store,
but she's back now in Hampstead,so really she wanted to stay
and help with the store.
But she's back now in Hampstead.
So there is that.
Oh, she is.
And then my son also was one ofour first employees and he
decided working for his parentswas not what he wanted to do
either.
Do not blame him, not one bit,but we needed them a lot when we
first opened and there was somuch going on we were just very
busy, so it was great havingthem there.
(05:20):
Garrett and I obviously worktogether a lot.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Yeah, sometimes I wonder how we've been in wife
team here.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
It has its challenges , but it's very rewarding.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
We work well together .
We definitely have a goodbalance of what he does and what
I do, and they're verydifferent at the store, so it
kind of gives us a littleseparation from each other
because we both are doing verydifferent things.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Yeah, garrett, you handle beer and wine primarily.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
And the food too, or no?
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Some of the food, but most of the food items, the
specialty items, that's Brandy's, that's Brandy's, yeah Right,
and she's really good at it.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
So Well, thank you.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Garrett, let's talk about your personal history.
You did mention that yourmother was from Massachusetts,
so I'm assuming you'reoriginally from Mass.
I am Okay, and what brought youhere to North Carolina?
Speaker 3 (06:03):
originally it was South Carolina.
I've been here for probably 17years, 20 years a while.
I came to Wilmington, probablyin 2008.
And I came here for a boy, fellin love with Wilmington and
stayed.
That's not the boy.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
No, no, no, different boy Different boy, boy.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Well, that's my story , though.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
It's all good, we all have a story.
Okay, you two are really youngand we're not even thinking
about retirement at this stage,are we?
Speaker 3 (06:35):
No, I was thinking about next week.
I like to work.
I'm kidding, I need to work, Ineed something to do.
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
And Garrett, where are you from originally?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Originally from Southport.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Oh, that's such a great area.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Love Southport A little different than when I
grew up there, but it's stillvery nice.
Still have parents on CaswellBeach and we visit them quite
often.
Moved to Wilmington in 96.
Went to UNCW oh nice, and Istayed.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Can I ask what you studied?
Marketing, marketing, business.
Yes, now you guys don't livehere in the Topsail area, you're
living in Wilmington, is thatright, correct?
What made you decide to openyour store here in the Topsail?
Speaker 3 (07:15):
area.
Well, we never had intentionsof having a store in Topsail
before we had one in Wilmington.
However, we saw the locationone day, had a letter of intent
the next day.
Oh wow, we knew that locationwas perfect for what we were
doing.
So of course we didn't passthat up and we have yet to find
a location that we would like todo.
A second location in Are youplanning on doing?
Speaker 1 (07:35):
a second location?
Absolutely, it's always beenthe idea.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
That's great, but location, location, location,
and we just haven't found whatwe're looking for.
Would you put it?
In Wilmington Possibly?
It really depends.
I think what we're looking foris we want something with
outside seating area, somethingthat maybe not on a strip mall
like we are now, just somethingdifferent, and those are hard to
come by, and there's a lot ofpeople looking for the same
thing as well.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
What we do is very unique and the location has to
be unique or pretty dialed in.
It takes a certain spot for usto be successful.
We feel like.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
You mentioned that you wouldn't choose to be in
another strip mall area.
There's a lot of foot trafficwhere you are currently.
Are you looking for like astandalone for your second
location?
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Ideally it would be standalone.
That's hard to come by.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Yeah, y'all need something bigger.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Yes, definitely bigger.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Yeah, I want to buy more things, kind of like the
new place Wilmy Woody in theirtruck.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Oh, yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
That building they have, that they're rehabbing, is
even I think it's even smaller.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
It is small but it's cute and that's like that.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
We look, we ride by it every day and tiny, but
they're putting that nice deckaround it.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
I'm sure they're going to make a lot out of the
backyard at that right, I thinkthey're utilizing every square
inch of that property.
I haven't seen any plans oranything, but I did just read
that article.
It's pretty exciting.
Have you had their pizza?
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Oh yeah, it's a busy night when we have them.
They're at Salted Turtle a lot,so when they're there it's
usually a pretty busy eveningfor us.
In general, great pizza Awesome.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
How did you two meet?
Wait, wait, brandy.
I just want to say that Garretttold me it was love at first
sight.
I'm just kidding, I like it.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
I like it.
It was not love at first sight.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
She picked up on that very quickly in your notes.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
I knew she would.
I put it in there just for her.
I was just asking, like tryingto get some information about
you.
And I was like, was it love atfirst sight?
And he just looked at me likeif you ask her that, she's going
to think I put you up to that.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Well, the story is, I definitely dated him a lot
longer than he dated me, butthat's okay.
I knew what I wanted and I wasnot going to give up, and so and
here we are.
That's right.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
It all worked out.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
How long have y'all been together?
We met back in 2010.
We were engaged since 2015.
We just recently got married in2023.
Yeah, oh, wow, congratulations.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Thank you, yeah, but we've been together for quite
some time and we finally decidedto make it official, all right,
so let's talk about what youdid prior to Saltmarsh Market,
because, garrett, you handle thebeer and wine primarily, but
you have a lot of experience inbeer and wine, right?
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Yes, tell me a little bit about that I worked in beer
distribution for almost 17years prior to this, wore a lot
of hats, did a lot of differentthings on-premise, off-premise
sales, craft brand managing anda lot of that translates to what
I do now.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
And what about you?
I was in the medical field forquite some time.
I ended up running a smallmedical clinic before opening
the store, which gave me areally good understanding of
what it takes to run a smallbusiness, and I think that was
really helpful for us openingour business as well.
I do all the QuickBooks andthat part of it.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
I think it's interesting what we both kind of
our takeaways from our previouscareers.
Like some of the things thatlike merchandising, branding and
marketing.
The things that I apply nowwere not the things that I
thought would translate likethey do.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
It sounds like, from your beer and wine experience
and also your marketing degree,that you're coming to the table
with a lot of knowledge and andyou're coming to the table with
with the back end knowledge, butit's different knowledge, but
you're selling a whole differentrealm of stuff.
I would imagine this is morefun, a lot more fun.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
I don't do any personal shopping anymore,
because all I do is buy thingsfor the store, yeah, and then
I'm all shopped out and you geta little retail therapy that
helps the business and doesn'thurt your wallet Absolutely.
I'm a big fan.
It's just as much fun.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
It satisfies that urge.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
What was it that inspired you to take the leap
and open up your own store?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
So the big turning point, I think, would have been
when my mother passed away verysuddenly in November of 2020.
That was very unexpected.
This was already in the worksand but we were still hesitant,
we had not committed.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
But you were already thinking about opening the store
.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
We were planning and working on it, but we hadn't
reached the point of no returnand we both looked at each other
and thought what are we waitingon?
You know, tomorrow's notguaranteed.
Like we're going to do it,let's do it.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Yeah, so you guys are both first-time business owners
with Salt Marsh Market A lot offirst-time business owners.
We don't know what we're doing.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
We flounder a little bit.
What hurdles did you face whenyou were opening up, or deciding
to open up, saltmarsh Market?
The biggest hurdle, and wasright in the beginning, was the
initial commitment to move onfrom careers and take the leap.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
Quit our jobs without another job in mind.
Yes.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
It is frightening.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Yeah, absolutely, and for both of us to do that.
That was the biggest.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
I think.
If you remember, though, it wasnever my intention to come on
full time at the store.
I wanted a career change and Iwanted to leave where I was, so
it was a good time for me to doit, to help him open the store
and then find something else forme to do.
I've been trying to leave eversince, but he won't let me.
No, no, me, no.
(13:01):
There's no way he could.
She's not going anywhere.
It's not a one person job.
It really does take the both ofus, and even that like I could
never do what he does, and Icould never even try to do what
he does in beer and wine, youknow, dealing with all of the
vendors, and he already knowseverybody in that industry, so
that was a really easy thing forus to get into because of his
background.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
What was the spark?
What inspired you to say Ithink we need to open a grocery?
We never said that, actually,how did it turn into Saltmarsh
Market?
Speaker 3 (13:28):
It started out as beer and wine, with his
background, and just where wewere in the area north end of
Wilmington, we were trying tolook at something beer, wine
bottle shop-ish, and then COVIDhappened, and then, of course,
those places were being closed,and so then Garrett got the idea
of reaching out to the VeggieWagon that were also long-term
customers of his, through thebeer and wine you mentioned, the
(13:49):
Veggie.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Wagon in our pre-interview.
But for the listeners who maynot know what they are, tell me
what they do and how that helpedyou go in the direction that
you went.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
So they started out in Carolina Beach with a shop
much like ours now and makingall their food in the back in
their kitchen, and it quicklygrew into another store.
So they have two stores now anda standalone production kitchen
that makes our food their foodand food for other stores as
well.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
We would not be able to do what we do without the
veggie wagon, simply saying thatwe have 1,200 square feet.
You've been in the store.
The space is very limited.
Our backroom is even smaller,and so having that relationship
with them where they can get usthe fresh food sandwiches and
all of our wraps, all of ourto-go food it's all done by them
, so that really allows us to beable to be in the footprint
(14:36):
that we are and also be able tooffer those offerings be able to
be in the footprint that we areand also be able to offer those
offerings.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
You mentioned COVID.
Did you open after COVID?
Speaker 2 (14:43):
We did, but we signed the lease in January of 21.
So right on the heels.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
We opened a business during COVID.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Or we had grand plans to.
We tried to.
Yes, it did take us a year,almost exact to the day, to get
open.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
We have a walk-up window, though that walk-up
window is only there because itwas COVID time when we were
trying to do the build-out.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Are you still using that walk-up?
Speaker 3 (15:07):
window.
Oh yeah, absolutely.
We have a doorbell andeverything.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
By the time we opened , I think most of the COVID
stuff had kind of blown over andpeople were more comfortable.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Now the window is just a walk-up window for people
sitting outside, so they don'thave to come inside to grab
their drinks and we can servethem out the window, okay.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
All right, so let's talk about that bar first.
It is a smaller bar, but evenso, I will say that I walked in
and it was completely full.
You offer beer on tap.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
So tell me what types of beer you're offering on tap?
Mainly local, some regional andnational brands, but a lot of
local craft beer.
Right now we have ourBeachcomber, our Honey Blonde
from Outer Dunes, which is ourcollaboration beer that we've
done with them.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Oh, tell me about that.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Two years in a row.
The folks at Outer Dunes, goodfriends of ours, we joined with
them last year.
We wanted to do a beer withthem because collaborations are
fun, and we made a Honey Blondeand it was a big hit.
And it's been a big hit thisyear as well.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
You've got a shelf full of all different kinds of
wines there.
You have some standard winesbehind the bar that you serve on
the regular.
But you also mentioned that youcan go get a bottle off the
shelf and open that, have somethere and then take it home.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
Absolutely no corking fee or anything.
We really do encouragecustomers to come in and enjoy a
bottle of wine.
Try some different things,bring a friend and you can make
a day of it, or a couple hoursat least.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Yes, you can.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Does anyone ever walk out with a partial bottle?
Speaker 3 (16:42):
No, it really does not happen.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Not very often.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
They polish that off right there, I know.
Or they make friends at the bar.
We have seen so manyrelationships happen at the bar
and friendships form and we'vemet so many awesome people.
But our bar is kind of like alittle it's a little.
I love it.
But Our bar is kind of like alittle it's a little, I love it,
but it's a little hub forpeople to meet and I've seen a
lot of friendships forged there.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
It definitely has become that kind of a meeting
point or a hub for the localneighborhoods.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
And do you get a lot of tourists coming in as well
this time of year?
Absolutely.
When I went there, I had acoffee and it was delicious, by
the way, I love to hear that itwas before.
I heard about the shakes.
You do offer a full range ofcoffee drinks, but tell me about
the shakes.
Why are people raving aboutthese shakes?
Speaker 3 (17:31):
It's the gelato.
The gelato, oh, absolutely.
Thank you, veggie Wagon.
They do a house-made gelato forus that we make our milkshakes
with.
Oh, wow, okay, and it isfantastic.
Gelato, if you don't know, is alittle bit.
It's a lot like ice cream, butit's less milk fat.
It's turned a little bit slowerso there's less air
incorporation, so you get alighter in taste but a creamier
in texture.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
It really does make a difference.
It definitely is creamy, yeah,so what flavors are you offering
back there?
Speaker 3 (17:50):
We have quite a few.
Our most popular is the greenmint, which is my least favorite
the chocolate chip green mint.
We also do a salt marsh, whichis the salted caramel and
marshmallow which is oursignature drink for coffee,
milkshakes or whatever you wantto make it with.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
And I saw somewhere on Facebook, or perhaps it was
Yelp, but I saw smoothies.
Are they one and the sameYou're offering?
Speaker 3 (18:12):
both, so a gelato milkshake, and then we do
smoothies as well, which we makewith a organic fruit puree,
local honey, ice and your choiceof milk.
They're fantastic, I didn'tknow.
And if you really want to getadventurous, you can actually
replace the milk with wine.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Let's go ahead and get to those wine slushies.
First of all, do you have aspecial wine machine and are
there different flavors?
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Everyone's made by hand.
What?
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Made by hand.
To order Now the machines.
I do love a machine, but westarted with this and they were
doing really well.
So if it's not in progress,we're not going to fix it.
But we do the same concept asour smoothie, but we literally
just replace the milk with thewine.
Oh, so you get a five-ouncepour and you get a three-ounce
of fruit and then ice and weblend it with local honey.
It could be a wine that youhave by the glass behind the bar
(19:00):
.
We have a red-white blend inthe back that we use for wine
slushies.
Oh, okay, also, we do a sangria, which is my favorite.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Oh, that would be so good.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
With a little bit of cinnamon it tastes tropical.
For whatever reason I know it'sa sangria wine slushie but
they're very tasty and probablyone of our most Popular that and
the Prosecco, mango or theStrawberry Rosé.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
You really can't go wrong with any of the flavors.
You really can't.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Your store offers also an impressive selection of
beer and wine from the shelf.
So, garrett, how are you goingabout choosing which wines and
beers you're going to stock onthe shelf?
And also, you mentioned whatwas the brewery you mentioned
earlier.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
Outer.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Dunes Brewery Outer Dunes.
Are there any other breweriesthat you're working with to get
your shelves stocked?
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Absolutely.
We stock most of the localbreweries Outer Dunes, mad Mole,
flying Machine, wrightsvilleBeach, wilmington Brewing,
bill's, waterline, and thenregional stuff too.
Like you know, the VeilDissolver in Asheville, burial
out of Asheville, and one of ournew favorites that we're able
to get now is Other Half out ofBrooklyn.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Brooklyn, New York.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
Oh my gosh, you named over a ton of local breweries.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Yes, we're fortunate to have so many breweries
locally.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Yeah, truly, and some really really good beer.
So these must be all theconnections that you made when
you were working down inWilmington.
Some of yes, well, that's nice.
And the wine selection anyspecialty wines there, any local
wines, are they standard?
Speaker 2 (20:22):
We do have a few wines from North Carolina
sanctuary vineyards.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
Where are they located?
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Outer Banks.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Okay, so a lot of our wines come from smaller
vineyards, so they're lessadditives, low intervention, not
mass produced.
Absolutely.
They're not trying to make thewine taste the same every year.
You're going to have adifferent wine every year
because they're not going tohave.
They're not adding things to it.
You're going to get somethingreally good in a bottle.
In our prices we have somethingfor everybody.
We can beat grocery storeprices at the bottle of wine.
(20:50):
I can guarantee you'll be a lotbetter, less sulfites and just
better for you all around nice,unless you drink the whole
bottle our selection.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Our selection is going to be stuff you're not
going to find in the grocerystores, like at the Lowe's.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
Foods or something.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
There's a couple bottles that are popular, that
people like, but 98% of ourselection is going to be found
only in a store like ours or awine specialty shop Wonderful.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Okay, let's go to the food.
You have several refrigeratorsand freezers in there, so you
have people who are stopping infor lunch, because I saw them
there.
So I'm assuming that you havelike sandwiches and things that
you can eat right there on site.
But you also had some frozenfoods.
You mentioned taken bakesearlier, and then I did see some
reviews about cheese balls andcharcuteries.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
So we do have anything from sandwiches and
wraps, salads, shakers, whichare little chicken and rice and
vegetables that you canliterally shake with a little
bit of dressing.
I used to eat them all the timedriving back to work when I
would pick them up from theveggie wagon.
We also have a lot of pre-mademeals for dinner or lunch, but
we have Garrett's favorite, thebeef stroganoff.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
Yes, love it.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
Shrimp and grits and shrimp scampi are our two new
meals and they've been a hugehit.
We have spaghetti and meatballsmacaroni and cheese Stuffed
shells.
Kung pao chicken.
Chicken tikka.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
These are all family size.
Like I could come home and feedmy family a four.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Some are, some aren't .
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Depending on how your family eats.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
I can make one last meal, a couple of meals.
If Garrett's there, then it'sgoing to be a one-mealer.
We might be able to share it.
It does depend.
But we do have frozen meals aswell that are a little bit more
of a bigger serving, gotcha.
We have lasagnas and we havevegetable and sausage.
What about?
Speaker 1 (22:26):
the appetizers?
Do y'all sell the cheese ballsand the charcuterie plates?
Speaker 3 (22:31):
We have meat and cheese trays.
We have habanero stuffedpeppers, which are one of our
biggest hits in that cooler.
We have cheese balls, cheeseball samplers, stuffed grape
leaves.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
And I saw the baked goods.
I was there in the afternoon,but I have heard that it smells
delicious in the morning and youguys are actually baking there
on site every morning.
We do.
I saw like a.
Was it a banana bread?
Speaker 3 (22:54):
Oh, yes, yeah, yeah, banana bread, no nuts, that's my
favorite.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
It looked really good .
It looked really good.
It looked really moist, buttell me what other baked goods
you're serving there.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
Sure, we do a bunch of cookies, anywhere from lemon,
ginger, chocolate chip browniecookies.
We do peanut butter brownies.
We have the sweetbreads, banana, cinnamon and pumpkin dark
chocolate.
We bake those daily.
We also have sourdough andbaguettes.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
We bake it as we need it daily.
And also I noticed that yourshelves are loaded with
specialty food items.
Those were the sauces andthings that in the rubs that you
were mentioning earlier.
What are some of your hottestitems that just fly off the
shelf?
Speaker 2 (23:30):
It's always changing, so let me think about what do
we have right now?
One of my favorite things wehave right now would be the Hank
sauce and the Qualified Captaincollaboration.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
The Hank Sauce and the.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Hank Sauce Uh-huh, they make a variety of hot
sauces.
It's pretty popular.
Okay, mm-hmm, but they've donea collaboration with Qualified
Captain.
It's a two-pack called In theChannel it's a green sauce of
Sailor's Delight, okay, and thered sauce is the fish whistle,
and they're good.
It's a good little gift pack.
(24:02):
Another one that I really get akick out of that we did really
well with and so we've kept fora while, is from Spicewalla, you
know T-Pain.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
Yeah, they did a.
Let me buy you a drink.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
That's the one he has a line.
It's a set of three like a wingdust or seasoning.
It's a set of three like a wingdust or seasoning.
It's really neat.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
This is T Payne's line.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Yes, that he did in collaboration with Spicewalla.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Sugar Daddy, hot Daddy or what's the other one?
I don't remember all the namesof them, just Sugar Daddy is the
only one I can think of.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
That's the only one you remember.
That's the only one and one ofthe you know.
Talking about the differentthings that we have and the
surprises sometimes, one of ourlocal favorites now is by
Stammy's Pickles out ofCherryville, north Carolina.
It's spicy pickled quail eggs.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
I saw those.
They're a bit of a localfavorite these days.
They are good.
I saw them on the shelf and Ichecked it out and then I was
like I'll pass.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
I questioned it as well.
Did you try them?
Oh my God, they're really good,really, absolutely Okay.
So it's just a boiled egg.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
basically right, it's tiny, so little.
It's a good multiple.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Yeah, so a regular-sized egg.
You kind of have to bite it inhalf.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Totally.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
So these are just one-biters.
Pop right just you know they'redoing one biters little poppers
yeah, I do love a pickledboiled egg.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
You need to try them then I probably will.
But I I remember, yeah, I didsee that.
I noticed that on the shelf.
I'm like, hmm, you guys do havea huge variety of like novelty,
almost foods in there yeah,it's kind of the name of the
game.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
We it's always what's new.
When people come in that comein there once a week, the first
question they want to ask iswhat's new?
I feel obligated now to alwayshave something new on the shelf.
How I find them and what webring in really does vary.
We try to bring in things thatwill resonate with, obviously,
our customers, but also with thearea I did notice that you had
the Hampstead oil and vinegar upon your shelf, Miss Georgia's
(26:00):
products up there.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
What other local food items are you bringing in from
other stores?
Speaker 2 (26:06):
Hampstead Oils is a good one right down the road.
Two more that jump out at methat we have great relationships
with, and they're greatproducts Lava Dust Seasoning.
Ryan is a great guy and hissteak seasoning is the best.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Lava Dust Seasoning.
Oh yeah, when is he located?
Speaker 2 (26:21):
In Surf City.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
In Surf City.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
Ah, I learned something new today, okay.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
Also Andrew with Dirt Road Coffee.
He's right here in Surf Cityand roasts his own beans and we
sell them as well.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Nice Kathy with Gluten-Free by the Seam.
She does all of our gluten-freebaked goods and breads.
We we do a lot of gluten-free.
I'm actually gluten-free myself.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
Are you really?
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Mm-hmm, but there was definitely that need in the
area to have you know there'snowhere serving, you know,
gluten-free items, specialtygluten-free items.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
So I try to bring in if anything we have.
I try to always get agluten-free option if it's
available.
Yeah, so it's definitely a lotof that, a lot of vegan Cravings
.
They're little like vegan bakedgoods, okay.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
And honey as well.
Right, you have a local honeyvendor in there.
We do Cape.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
Fear General Store Brad Carter.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Brad Carter.
So Brockmore Pretzels isanother local product that we're
carrying.
They're out of Wilmington.
They do a big variety offlavored pretzels.
They can be found actually in alot of places in our area.
They're very popular veryquickly they are great pretzels.
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
I was not going to bring them into the store
because they are everywherearound us, but they're that good
that I could not say no.
Oh, really, absolutely.
Say the name again.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
Brockmar, brockmar.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
And they have one pretzel that they've done in
collaboration with the SeaTurtle Hospital.
So they give some money backfor every bag, or a portion of
every bag, that's sold.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
That's an interesting collaboration.
So pretzels and the sea turtlehospital and people love turtles
.
And so it's huge here oh yeah,so is it shaped like a turtle?
It is not.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
But the flavor is margarita or salt and lime or
something Really.
They're really tasty, all thepretzels are.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Okay, do you have that one in the store?
Because?
Speaker 3 (28:05):
I'll stop by and pick that up.
We sure do, okay.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Let's talk about all the gift items.
So I fell in love with so manyof the gift items when I was
walking through the store.
I could have walked out ofthere with a handful of stuff
like, truly, why didn't you?
Why didn't you?
Because, if I Good one, brandonRight, I was thinking about it
the other day.
I interview all these wonderfulpeople who are selling
wonderful products.
If I purchased all that Iwanted and got tickets to
(28:30):
everything, I would go broke.
I would make a dime, Iunderstand.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
I totally understand, but I picked up that tray.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
There's a tray in there in North Carolina.
It's a wood tray.
The little key rings but it wasWell, thank you.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
I also appreciate when people appreciate what I do
and what we do.
I love to hear that people canwalk into our store and take a
lap, and every time they take alap they find something new.
It really does take a while tocome into the store and see
everything we have.
I still sometimes find thingsI'm like where did that come
from?
So it's a lot of fun.
So it's a lot of fun, it's anexperience.
Obviously, being a touristlocation, people want to bring
(29:02):
something home with them whenthey come to the beach.
Yeah, right now we have thesekeepsake ornaments actually.
So you put sand in them orshells or whatever it is you
find it has Topsail Island onthere so you can take it home
with you, or a tray with TopsailIsland.
We have all sorts of thingsthat are very Topsail
Island-centric.
It's an all-serve city.
We have candles.
We have custom candles as well.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Homemade soap yes yes , it smells so good.
It's great for people who arehere vacationing and they want
to take a little piece of NorthCarolina back with them.
But it was also stuff that, asa local here, that I would want
in my home as well.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Absolutely.
It makes me think of.
We have some dish towels thatare done from Printed Hughes.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Laura with Printed Hughes oh.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Printed Hughes, yes, and she does fantastic work.
Speaker 3 (29:44):
We sell a bunch of her kitchen towels and stuff
like that.
She is very local.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
So she offered classes.
At one point I took a class.
I love watercolor and so Ithought I'll be able to go in
there and make my watercolorlook as good as her watercolor.
And I was like it didn't lookanything like it.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
They never do, and she's good.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
It was terrible and I realized that day that I have
no artistic ability.
However, when I went to choosemy logo for Toppsville Insider,
I fell in love with herwatercolor so much that when I
found that image, thatwatercolor image, I got that
from her look and feel.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
I see it yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
So who are some of the local makers that you
partner with when you'recurating these items for your
store?
Speaker 2 (30:26):
We actually do business with a, I think a 12
year old young lady.
I think she's 13 now 13.
Really, she finds her shortteeth on the island, yeah, and
handcrafts earrings out of them.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
No way.
And she's selling them in yourstore, yep.
Well, she should be very proud.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
With the money she's making.
She should, Because we sell aton of those little things Do
you really?
Speaker 3 (30:49):
Oh my gosh Good for her.
Yeah, and she matches themperfectly.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
And of course our parents are good friends of ours
and we've met them through thestore, so it's a real organic
thing of they shopped with usand we became friends.
I said you know she has theseearrings, would you like to see?
Speaker 3 (31:02):
if it works, they're right by the register.
You can't say no to them.
They're shark tooth earringsfound right there on Topsail.
She's an entrepreneur at 12, 13years old.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
What's her name?
Annabelle.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Annabelle.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
Awesome.
How do you follow those trends?
How do you know what's hotright now and what's going out
of style?
Speaker 3 (31:20):
You never really know it's out of style until you're
not selling it.
Oh, you just wait for thenumbers to drop.
We're there at the store, somuch so when things aren't
moving.
I really get to see that, and soI try to change, like where
they are maybe in the store,give them better shelf spacing,
but I just I do a lot ofscrolling as far as what other
stores are doing what's popularon TV.
Stores are doing what's popularon TV.
(31:43):
I mean, they're all trends andso I'm not on Facebook or
Instagram very much, but Idefinitely try to stay in the
know.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
All right, guys, we're coming to the end here.
I want to find out are thereany future plans for Salt March
Market?
You mentioned that you arelooking to open another store.
That seems like it's notimmediate.
Are there any plans that youcan tell us about right now?
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Nothing immediate but we do.
Our full intention is to open asecond store.
It always has been.
We do have to find a reallyspecial spot to open another
salt marsh, but we're alsolooking at other business
ventures as well.
Absolutely, because we do needto do something else.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
What else you got?
What else are you thinkingabout?
Speaker 2 (32:20):
All that remains to be seen.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Okay, all right, so final thoughts then.
What is the main thing that youwant listeners to take away
from the conversation today?
About you, garrett and Brandy,or just about Salt and Marsh
Market?
Speaker 2 (32:34):
I think for us and what we've done, it's really
about the sum of the parts wecould.
The three of us could have thesame ingredients and not bake
the same cake.
Mine's probably going to bebetter than y'all's.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
Do you bake much?
Speaker 2 (32:47):
But so you know, taking all the things that we
have at the store and justthrowing them all in, it's not
an easy step-by-step.
Connect the dots one, two,three.
There's a lot more to it thanthat, a lot more gray area and
tangibles, and that's what makesour store special is Brandy and
I and our staff.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
We have great staff, the heart, soul of the store is
us and our staff.
It's the people.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
They're an extension to our staff for sure, starting
from scratch.
So many people I did not evenknow are now really good friends
and that's what's really cool,I think, in Surf City because we
are a small community stilleven with all the people still
very small, and that's reallyneat to watch.
Watch that grow from kids thatwere in strollers to now
(33:32):
bouncing off the walls.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
And we'll continue to see these kids that we've seen
in strollers, and one day theymight be working there for us,
who knows?
Yeah, but we really do lovebeing part of the community in
Surf City.
We were very welcomed and welove it.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
Do you ever see yourself moving here?
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Absolutely, oh yeah, for sure, depending on where
that next business is.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
That's a lot of it too, and interest rates.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
That's the truth.
Yeah, it truly is.
So let's give out that contactinformation.
The phone number there is910-803-0900.
The address is 100A CharlieMedlin Drive in Surf City.
The email address is info atsaltmarshmarketcom.
You can also find, and pleasefollow, salt Marsh Market on the
(34:19):
socials there on Instagram andFacebook and if you missed any
of this information, you canalways look in my show notes.
I'll have the contactinformation there for you, along
with clickable links for easyaccess.
Thank you, listeners, forjoining us today, and thank you
again, garrett and Brandy, forbeing on Topsail Insider and
telling us all about Salt MarshMarket.
Thank you, thanks, hey, if youenjoyed today's episode of T
(35:03):
Salt Marsh Market.
While you're there, you canclick the Send Me a Voicemail
button and let me know exactlywhat you're thinking.
Your message just might be onan episode of Topsail Insider.
You can email me at Krista atTopsailInsidercom, or call or
text me at 910-800-0111.
Thank you for listening andsupporting Topsail Insider and
(35:23):
our local businesses andnonprofits.
These are our neighbors and ourfriends, and together we build
a mighty and a beautifulcommunity I'm super proud to be
a part of.
I'll see you around Topsail.
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