Rabbitfoot Records: My Home Not-So-Far-Away From Home

Sanford has always tried to be good at coffee.

But seriously? Any coffee place that doesn't open until 10am is pretty useless. Same goes for places that just serve coffee as an afterthought, despite touting themselves as a breakfast joint. These places have come and gone so much over the years I've lost track. Fortunately, I'm not a die-hard coffee drinker, so it's not a huge deal for me.

So you can imagine how very mild my excitement was when Rabbitfoot Records opened on First street. It seemed like a cool concept, vinyl records and coffee, but mostly I was just impressed that an established business from Titusville would even consider opening a second store in Sanford.

BUT THEN, I visited for the first time. There I was, just a silly little girl with a laptop, searching for some wifi. Little did I know, I had just stumbled on the place I would be spending pretty much every day of my life for the rest of my life. Little did I know, I'm way more hipster than I ever thought. Little did I know, I was meeting my downstairs neighbors for the first time. Little did I know, I'm actually super into vinyl. Little did I know, I had a void all along, a tiny cavity in my heart that was gently calling out "Rabbitfooooot....Rabbitfooooot!". Little did I know, my life was not quite complete.

Actually, let's back up. I was at the beginning of a really rough breakup when I first found Rabbitfoot. It's all kind of a blur, but my most vivid memories of that time period all take place at Rabbitfoot, whether it's arguing on the phone while being harassed by a homeless man outside on the sidewalk or frantically going through my online banking and realizing someone close to me was stealing my money. In between those moments of anxiety were Bailey offering me a complimentary Perrier and Tiffany giving me the longest, most comforting hug I had in a while.

That being said, Rabbitfoot is the bomb. The first day I went there, I met a veeeery pregnant Kendra and Tiffany. We chatted timidly at first, but it quickly became apparent that I was dealing with two extremely quirky ladies with a snarky sense of humor...like myself. They were also worldly, cultured and...

Who am I kidding? They were cool as shit.

We ended up getting sandwiches at Magnolia Square Market (with my discount!). I was super excited to go back. I ended up there probably every other day, drinking chai lattes and chatting up whoever was working.

The coffee (organic from Columbia) is actually great, even though I have a strange relationship with coffee in general. I usually get what I call the Sumalee Special, iced green tea with a touch of honey. The pastries, made by Get Just Desserts, are very tasty and may be responsible for a slight weight gain on my part.

The music portion of the store is awesome. You can request to play any of the vinyl for sale, and take it home if you like it. It's a far cry from these impulsive days of skipping songs you don't like or pressing shuffle. There's something cool and communal about listen to records. You commit to one artist, one album, you anticipate tracks, you have to flip it midway. It's a new experience for many in my generation that, like the atmosphere at Rabbitfoot, forces you to slow down and really enjoy something.

But really, my very favorite part is the people. Rob and Kendra are just kickass, and I'm really happy they chose Sanford. (Rob is actually my boyfriend's boyfriend, in case you didn't know. Deep down I know that what we have can never match what they have. Or at least that's that they both tell me.) I love talking to Tiffany about pretty much anything because she is funny as hell. Austin and I always swap server stories and his ability to deal with the shit select customers say amazes me. Collectively, they are all a witty, low-key bunch who are just as happy to make you a coffee as they are to spend the afternoon making a new snark-buddy. (Only cool people need apply.)


In other words, I think a visit to Rabbitfoot should be mandatory for anyone visiting Sanford. Their coffee and music alone are impressive, but the atmosphere is truly what people come to small towns for.

Find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rabbitfootrecordssanford
(Also, all of the photos minus Rob and my selfie were stolen from their FB page. So I take no credit for the awesome signs.)