There are hidden gems throughout Clay County. From the mom-and-pop grocery, to the family-owned butcher shop, to the local mechanic who still knows how to fix a carburetor, it’s fun to slow …
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There are hidden gems throughout Clay County. From the mom-and-pop grocery, to the family-owned butcher shop, to the local mechanic who still knows how to fix a carburetor, it’s fun to slow down to tell the story of another small business that provides a unique character to our community. This week: Corbitt’s Produce and Specialty Shop.
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A young girl carrying an armload of tomatoes suddenly was preoccupied by a rack of antique-looking glass-bottled soft drinks in a wooden case. Her grandmother stood behind her and smiled, realizing Corbitt’s Produce and Specialty Shop also sells memories.
To the child, the gas bottles and old vending machine seemed like ancient artifacts. So were the packs of Black Jack, Clove and Beamans gum, Chick-O-Sticks and Neapolitan candy behind the counter.
To Pat Corbitt, it’s one of the reasons she and her husband, David, spent the last 24 years turning their fruit and vegetable stand into what she calls “the jewel of Green Cove Springs.”
“What’s nice is to see the second-generation shoppers coming in now,” Pat said. “Children are amazed by some of our stuff. So are the parents and grandparents.”
Corbitt’s has bounced around “eight or nine times” in Clay County during the last 24 years, David said. They recently moved away from a small roadside stand on U.S. Highway 17 near Black Creek to permanent building at 2393 U.S. 17 on the north end of town.
“And this is it,” Pat said. “This one (location) gives us everything we need. This is our home.”
Which includes a plan to expand to the adjoining unit in the next few months.
Despite growing competition from major grocery-store chains, the Corbitts have stayed in business with their farm-to-table approach and a country store atmosphere. The walls are decorated with nostalgic signs; music is played from a juke box; and produce is displayed in bushel baskets.
“It’s not easy competing against the bigger stores,” David said, “but a lot of their stuff comes from Mexico. Ours doesn’t. We get our peaches from South Carolina. This time of year, we get our tomatoes from Tennessee because it’s a little cooler in the mountains there. We get everything as fresh as possible.”
Tomatoes have always been Corbitt’s biggest attraction, Pat said.
“Our tomatoes come off the vine – really off the vine,” she said. “Most of the others are picked when they’re green and they’re gassed as a warehouse before they’re shipped. You can taste the difference. We get it fresh, and we get it as local as we can. Our stuff doesn’t come from the warehouse. It comes from the fields.”
Including a fresh crop of shelled white acre peas.
The Corbitts also have a variety of Amish items, including cheese, popcorn and butter, as well as local honey and jams.
But most customers come for the tomatoes – and the memories.