At the corner of Fauquier and Main streets, there’s a wooden beam with arrows pointing to destinations around the world. Aiken, South Carolina, is 546 miles away, and Shanghai is 7,396. Steps away, The Plains begs you to stay: new caffeine provider Happy Creek Coffee & Tea, restaurant The Front Porch (in the old Forlano’s Market space) and its sister store, The Side Porch, all opened last year.
Friday through Sunday (on other days, ask an employee at The Front Porch, just across the street, to let you in), this tiny collection of wares is where to pick up handcrafted gifts. Find jars of Epic Pickles (York, Pennsylvania) filled with cauliflower, carrots and green beans and Mustard & Co. (Seattle, Washington) condiments in flavors as wide-ranging as honey curry and garlic dill, plus gourmet salts, caramel sauce and marinades. Both locations sell bottles of wine and local items include Best of Luck chocolates and Lindera Farms vinegar.
Kitchen gear is also stocked: ceramic mugs and bowls, wooden utensils, psychedelic pepper grinders and, in a nod to hunt country, a ceramic butter dish topped with a fox . Non-food-related items include candles, purses and jewelry (recycled from liquor bottles). After a meal at The Front Porch, browse the mini-market for chocolates, hot sauce and Chesapeake Bay Chip Company kettle chips. // 6488 Main St., The Plains
( March 2016 )
