The Costas family has opened JP’s Steak and Seafood House on Irby Street. I went last weekend with a large group of girls, and we had the best time!

JP’s has a great menu with a diverse selection. I really enjoyed the scallops. Another girl at my table had prime rib that she loved, and another loved the flounder. I did not get the She Crab Soup but that is a definite on my list for next time (and there will be a next time). There was a nice sized crowd there. We got there early so we didn’t have to wait, which was nice.

I loved the food, and I also loved the atmosphere. You can certainly tell this is a family business. Everyone is friendly and working together. I spent a good bit of time wandering around looking at the decor.

There is a list of the menu items here.

They will be open this weekend, so be sure to stop in for a meal!

705 South Irby Street
Florence, SC 29501-5213
(843) 407-7918

I have been eying this new shopping center for a while now. A cute looking store was opening and Saturday we finally got the chance to go in. I am so glad we did! The prices are reasonable and the customer service was excellent!

The store is very roomy and full of great gift ideas (for yourself or someone else).

I took my daughter with me, as she is a connoisseur of all things pink. This was her favorite item:

There are gifts for grown ups:

My favorite bags:

Adorable flip flops for little feet (only $12.00 a pop!)

They also have a GREAT selection of children’s clothes. There are some smocked outfits, but also some very trendy outfits for spring that I LOVED.

If you want to mail me something, I suggest this:
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If you are going:
2509 S. Cashua Dr. (beside Creek Ratz)
Florence, SC 29501
662-8135
(If you go, tell them about the Flossip! They don’t know me and I received nothing for this post, but I like to spread the word about the website!)
(I do recommend they get a facebook page or a website!)

Why don’t you come in and sit a spell?

I fell in love with Bean Groovy the other day. I could honestly sit there and write or work for hours. Comfy chairs, light jazz in the background, really good coffee…. it was fabulous.

The service was excellent. I highly recommend the Chai Latte. You can also buy their coffee beans to take home. Let me know if you go by!

Located: 848 S. Woody Jones Blvd.

Behind the Swamp Fox Theaters.

(843) 667-9337

The gift of eating healthier and supporting local farms. This falls in with the “Certified South Carolina Grown” Movement. Today’s post was written by Melinda, a local supporter of eating local and incorporating more organic food into our diets. I enjoy her blog, Behind the Stall Door, and have learned a good many tips from her.

From Melinda:

If you know me, you know our family is big into the slow food movement. Ok, so the family is not as much into it as I am. My husband is very happy for the savings in the food budget though. When you buy fresh, you tend to buy when you are going to use it, so you also get the benefit of not wasting as much food (or that could just be my bad habits…anyone? Buehler?)
The slow food movement was begun in Italy in the late 80s to combat the ever growing gluttony of the fast food market. It is based upon eating real food, not prepackaged, preservative filled foods you get at fast food chains and in super markets. Since the 80s fast and prepackaged foods have become staples of so many American lives. I was lucky, I grew up in a large family and my mother cooked most of our meals. As a result, cooking wasn’t a foreign idea for me. I have cousins, who have said if it were not for a can opener, they would have starved while growing up.
Our reasoning is financial as well as health related. We have three children and live on one income. We might eat out three or four times per month, when things get really hairy around the house with activities and such. We live very cheaply, and very happily. A can of beans from the store costs as much as a two pound bag of dried beans. This is the difference between eating one meal or four meals. Eating fresh and local is much cheaper, and it reduces your waste (we have gone from five or six trash bags per week to only a max of three bags – another thing my husband loves about my household changes, since he is the one to go to the dump each week).
Ah, I can see the excitement in your eyes, young padawan. How, you ask, do I get started living this wonderful lifestyle? Well, follow me and I will show you the power of the force. You will discover where to go for all this glorious food; plus you will meet wonderful people who will happily provide you with a whole kit and kaboodle of food inspiration.
My main sources of local and organic foods are just two, count them, two stops. However, I also run a veggie garden in the spring/summer. We can and dry foods we grow and purchase. We also have a flock of chickens for fresh eggs. You can also find small farms or individual growers with overstock who will set up a table in their yards for you to buy fruits and veggies. There is also McLeod Farms in McBee for fruits and veggies. If you are interested in buying a cow for meat, you can stop when you see cattle in someones yard and inquire about if they are willing to sell you all or part of a cow. Stopping at local roadside stands is also a great way to meet interesting people. Want to know the best way to peel a peach? Stop at a roadside peach stand and strike up a conversation with the people running the stand. Chances are the peaches are from their own orchard and they can give you the best tips (and pie recipes!). There are also your local farmers markets, you can find a listing at Local Harvest.
First stop; for all things organic you need to see Cynthia at Trinity Farms. You can find her in the big metal shed at the Pee Dee Farmers Market. She has raw goat and cow milk for sale, as well as butter made from milk from free range, pasture fed cows. She also has a plethora of organic veggies from her own farm, in addition to organic eggs from her chickens. Cynthia also takes consignments from other farms in the area, so there is always something new and exciting in her booth. When you are ready to plant your garden, she will have some wonderful organic and heirloom plants ready for your growing pleasure.
My second stop; Ovis Hill Farms can actually be found at two different locations (three, if you count the farm store). First location is every Thursday afternoon from 4-7pm at Naturally Outdoors in Florence. You can also find them once a month at The Good Living Marketplace in Hartsville. At this one stop, you have ten separate farms consigning their goods together into one CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). In a CSA, you will receive a box of goodies once a month for a very reasonable price. If interested you can contact Jannie Dickson for veggies at dicksoneffn@aol.com or Charlie Caldwell for meat at Charlie@ovishillfarm.com. You can also just show up at their location and browse their selection. They have non-homogenized, low heat pasteurized milk (including some of the best chocolate milk you have ever tried), raw goat milk, butter, organic meats, cheeses. They also have grains, legumes, honey, jams, chowchow, mustard and home baked items such as breads and pies and cakes and cookies (they also have wool yarn from the sheep and goats). If you need something before their vending dates, you can go to their farm store in Timmonsville. Hours are 3-6 Tuesday through Thursday; 10-6 Fridays and Saturdays 10-5. Just give them a call if you have any questions, they are a very friendly bunch: 843-992-9447.
So, as you can see, there are plenty of places to look if you are interested in eating locally. We do not eat 100% organic, that is just not possible due to budgeting and time and store locations (you can find some organic selections in your local supermarkets, but for Earth Fare you have to drive to Columbia and for Whole Foods you have to go to Mt Pleasant). But, if you are looking to reduce your carbon footprint on the foods you eat, finding local, healthful ingredients is a wonderful way to start. And remember, it takes 28 days for a new habit to ingrain, so don’t give up! Before you know it, eating out won’t be the first thing that comes to mind when asked “What’s for dinner?”

I just got an email from Wukela’s House of Clocks that they are having a HUGE sale!

All Prints and Oil Paintings have been marked down up to 70% off suggested retail prices! And just in time for Valentines Day all designer and fine jewelry is an additional 20% off! We just received two huge, new shipments from Rita’s market trip so make sure you come in to get first dibs on new and sale merchandise!

I know that I would like to have this scarf, maybe your Valentine would as well!

Location:
403 2nd Loop Rd, Florence, SC 29505

I am going to write suggestions for Valentine’s gifts in Florence, SC from now until Valentine’s Day. Palmetto Place is suggestion number one.

First of all, I love businesses with a strong online presence. Often I pass by a business on the road and wonder what they are all about. When they put themselves front and center on the internet, it gives me a glimpse inside so I can decide if I want to be a patron. Palmetto Place has a great website and a facebook group that gives out a good bit of information about specials.

They offer massages, facials, waxing, peels, scrubs, and ear candling. I made a stealth appointment for a massage this week. What a wonderful treat! I was very stressed out when I arrived. I was greeted and given a moment to relax. The entire atmosphere is peaceful and quiet. You will have no idea that Palmetto Street is a hundred feet away, it is as if you are at a spa in the countryside.

Everyone there is extremely professional. They asked about any problems I was having, what areas were causing me trouble. It was truly an hour of pampering and relaxation– exactly what I needed for a respite from a bad week.

They offer some very nice package deals for massage and facials, as well as other services. If you have driven past Palmetto Place and wondered if you should make an appointment– the answer is YES!

(Dear all male readers: This would be an EXCELLENT Valentine’s gift for your special someone. HINT HINT HINT. They sell gift certificates. HINT HINT HINT. Dear Mr. Flossip: This includes you. HINT HINT HINT!)

Since I started writing the Flossip, I have also been researching blogs of this type in general. Blogs of this type are collectively called “hyperlocal blogs.” In the broad category of hyperlocal blogs there are many, many different types of websites. On my links page, I keep a list of those that I like the best.

For example, the Shop Tart in Columbia is loads of awesomeness. Funny, quirky, light… and interesting. Life in Forsyth is also a great hyperlocal blog (and the inspiration for the Flossip). Both of these writers show their personalities and charm through their writing. I think a coffee date with the two of them would result in hours of hysterical laughter.

Some hyperlocal blogs think they are here to replace the news. Replace news stations, replace the paper… etc. I don’t see that ever happening– and I don’t want it to. I like the Morning News. I like the writers and editors– some of whom I have gotten to “know” through twitter and facebook since I started this blog. Also? They are really our only dedicated news outlet left. Everyone else is running to the beach and pretending they have Florence coverage.

You want coverage of the SF-WF Basketball game? To know why traffic was backed up for miles at Francis Marion? To see who lives in our community and what they are doing? The Morning News is your source for that kind of information. I think it is OUR job as a community to quit whining over a typo and help them be the best that they can be. Send them an email or a tweet when you see news happen. Discuss the stories. Link to their articles. These people actually care about Florence. Subscribe.

This isn’t an advertisement. This is a reminder that without them, we will lose an integral part of our community. For everyone that complains about the news? Take a second and think about the kind of loser town that doesn’t EVEN HAVE A PAPER. I’m not being dramatic here… look at the news. Ads are down, Media General had layoffs already, publishers are filing Chapter 11. I can’t imagine we are going to be getting free online content from any news source much longer. Giving their product away free makes no sense to me, I imagine it will become “subscriber only” at some point for all papers.

SO…. what can we do to help our community continue to support a newspaper? Its easy. I’m asking that you make ONE simple New Years Resolution. Subscribe to the paper– even if it is just Thursday through Sunday. (You can easily accomplish this online.) I keep asking everyone to support local merchants, and have overlooked one of the most important local merchants that we have.

I just finalized my own subscription. I wouldn’t ask you to do it if I did not do it myself.

SUBSCRIBE

SUBSCRIBE

SUBSCRIBE

I know that Christmas is nigh and you are all rushing to stuff stockings, buy that last gift, and get groceries for preparing meals. However… it will get done. I promise! If it doesn’t? It wasn’t important anyway. So, please drive safely, walk safely, shop safely. Don’t cut in line and be rude. Also! Remember my favorite local places to shop locally as well as some local places that are offering deals if you mention the flossip!

Shop local as much as possible! Remember– Porter’s and the Toy Shop wrap gifts!

I issued myself quite a challenge the other day: Pick my 10 favorite places to shop local. That may not sound like a challenge, but I like to give shout outs to all local businesses and this limits me a great deal. So, you can take this list as the be all and end all of ten places the Flossip has shopped, will shop, and wishes Mr. Flossip would visit as well (to buy me more stuff). These are ad free, spam free, pure-t links that I received no credit or reimbursement for. (Though, if you want to send me something I ask for I am happy to give you my PO Box).

In no particular order, but starting with the number 10 to make everyone feel as if they are on top:

10. A Mills Brown t-shirt at the Toy Shop.

9. Labels from Nella (locally born artist Elizabeth Allen)

8. Almost anything from Porter’s, but they have this one thing I REALLY love and I can’t tell you because it will give me away.

7. Costa Del Mar’s From Harrington Vision Center (currently 20% off thank you very much!)

6. A fully cooked filet from The Butcher Shoppe. And some Lowcountry Kettle Corn. And some smoked salmon. And some fru-fru cheese.

5. Tights, hairbands, bows, and dresses for Belle Flossip from Pattycakes. (Isn’t that a cute name? She needed an identity other than daughter.)

4. A bedspread from Tomlinson’s that I spotted when I was in there the other day.

3. A gift certificate for a massage from Palmetto Place.

2. Dermalogica supplies from the Forum Spa. (They do have a discount on the holiday deals as well.)

1. And last but not least, or first but not last… a gift certificate to Victor’s!

TA-DA!!!

You will notice a new ad in the sidebar for Flirt! Boutique here in Florence. The Flossette* wrote a review of Flirt! a few months back and loved it. They also have a facebook page with other deals listed.

Best of all, Flossip readers get 15% off just for mentioning their ad on the Flossip! How awesome is that? Check out Flirt Boutique today and finish up some Christmas shopping.

315 Rainbow Dr.
Florence, SC, 29501
(Near Apple Annies)

(This post is written in conjunction with a paid advertisement.)