Sanford Selfies Live On!

As some of you may know, the Sanford Chamber of Commerce held a Downtown Sanford selfie contest last month as an interactive way for visitors and residents to see Sanford through new eyes. I was skeptical at first, because I almost never took selfies, but made a vow to post at least two a week in order to help popularize the contest and get others to participate.

As some of you may also know, I became obsessed. I posted a new Downtown Sanford Selfie almost every day. And you know what? I loved it!

And now I can't stop.  It was so much fun to find and create situations in which to take selfies, all using downtown as a backdrop that now I find myself thinking, "This would make a great selfie!" So, I have decided to continue taking Sanford Selfies, contest or no contest. (I might be a little miffed that my privacy settings prevented me from placing. I might.)

I invite anyone in Sanford to be super selfie-absorbed and join me in my journey of selfie-discovery by sending me your Downtown Sanford Selfies! (sorry, couldn't resist!) You can email them directly to sumaphelia@gmail.com with the subject line "Sanford Selfie" or tag it with #sanfordselfie. (The chamber's tag, #DTSS, also includes posts from Downtown Silver Springs, so I thought I'd simplify things.) I would like to have a gallery of friendly Sanford faces and who knows...maybe one day I'll hold a contest of my own!

Here is a link to the contest winners from the city's contest.

Celery City with Luscious Lisa

I met up with Jeremy and Luscious Lisa at Celery City last night after work. It was great, I walked right from Willow Tree's back door to the side door of Celery's patio; they're alley neighbors! We played darts and drank beer, then fondled Lisa's boobs a little. Standard night out.

I love hanging out with Luscious. If you've never met her, you are missing out! She is headlining a show at the West End next Friday and has invited me to perform burlesque. I'm very honored and can't wait to bring our combined talents to Sanford! More on that event here.

You can read more about Luscious Lisa at A Tribe Called Sanford. You're welcome!

Side note: I also accidentally stole one of Rob's forks again. Goddamnit.

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.)

Martini Monday: Try Harder, Sanford!

Yesterday was Jeremy's first day of school. (*Tear*). 

Sumalee Translation: I had to drive somewhere. In a car, guys.

Every time I have to drive (i.e., go outside my bubble), I like to consolidate all of my non-Sanford-Centric activities together. So after I dropped Frenchie at SSC, I figured I may as well go over to Joann at the mall (aka "the other Sanford") to shop for materials for my show with Luscious Lisa.

Now, bear in mind. SSC is really nowhere near Joann. But everything is relative when you live in Downtown Sanford. (And according to Google Maps, I took the longest route. Whoops.)

It was a pretty worthwhile trip! I scored some 70% off clearance silk flowers for my Celery City bouquet and priced other things for my other acts. When I got back to school, Zach was wearing his Downtown Sanford - Small World shirt! It really excites me when I see people wearing their shirts out and about. We even got the chance to talk about the Sanford Passport with the director of the honors program because she was intrigued about the meaning of our matching shirts. (And that's what this is all about!)

I took a picture with my accidental twinsie, then Jeremy and I went to Burger-Fi. I didn't take pictures because I was embarrassed for spending so much time outside Downtown. Or I was stuffing my face.

Later on, I walked to City Hall for the commission meeting. Word on the street was that Randy Jones (District 3) was planning on reconsidering his vote. Sure enough, he waited until the very end to make a motion to reconsider, after which the entire commission sat around discussing how to deal with this insanity. Once again, I was impressed with how confused our city officials seem to be regarding city policy. Commissioner Williams talked in circles about just how confused she was, and Mccarty threw around personal attacks about other politicians taking campaign money from Cerasoli.


Frankly, their conduct was unbecoming and it made me wonder if these people ever talk to each other outside of these commission meetings. If they do, it doesn't show. Every time I watch these guys in action, my confidence in their knowledge of city policy and the issues on which they're voting is shaken, if not diminished.

Heads up, Randy. If Cerasoli has new information to present, he can present it when he reapplies. You were voting on the information he provided at the time of the last meeting, which was clearly inadequate. Just fyi, "reconsidering" means reevaluating the decision you made based on the information you were last given, not forming a NEW decision based on NEW information. If you already know this, it does not show. (Thanks for referring to yourself as "the boogeyman", though. That was great.)

Now, I do want to give proper kudos to Patty Mahany for questioning why city contracts are consistently awarded to the same companies time after time and sticking to her guns on her Marina vote. She appears to be the only commissioner doing her homework and pushing the other commissioners to be more thorough. The others may be trying. Again, if they are, it doesn't show. #tryharderSanford

Needless to say, I was ready for Martini Monday after that meeting. Lucky for me, the Imperial was open for a private event, so we had our Inaugural Martini Monday at the Imperial! Part of the reason Martini Monday works so well is that most of the Downtown businesses are closed on Monday evenings, so cocktails at home just make sense.

Hank joined us for some post-commission commentary, marking his very first Martini Monday. I even got tipsy enough to ask him questions about certain building owners in town and learned a little about the steps the historic preservation board is taking to help move Sanford forward.

Even though the meeting was a disappointment, it's moments like this when solidarity among citizens is at its most apparent, from wearing our Small World shirts to laughing over Velma saying "minimum requirements" over and over. I feel comforted knowing that even if the process is slow and difficult, we (the royal we) are still motivated to discuss the issues and attempt to find solutions.

Especially if it's over cocktails.

Sunday Funday: How I Totally Lost Rob's Fork

 I always think hosting at the Willow Tree is funny because I'm basically standing in the middle of the sidewalk on the street on which I grew up, currently live, and regularly drink, with a big 'ole smile on my face for nine hours. I'm pretty much guaranteed to run into people I know all day, while sweating my ass off.

Today, Rob from Rabbitfoot was walking past the restaurant, said, "Hey, Jeremy needs your house keys. I'm going to get ice", then reappeared five minutes later with two bags of ice, sticking his hand out. As I handed them over, it occurred to me for a split second that I was giving my keys to someone I wasn't related to, wasn't dating, that I have only known for six months, and who asked for them while strolling down the street on his way to do something else. 

....woah.

Then I blinked, remembered I was in Sanford, and things didn't seem so weird. 

And Rob IS my boyfriend's boyfriend, after all. 

That incident inspired me to spend my break shooting the shit at Rabbitfoot, so I walked my food (single mettwurst with side salad, thousand island, chipotle mayo, bier cheese soup and french bread, thanks for asking) over there on a Willow Tree plate.

BUT! I forgot a fork, and almost had to go all the way upstairs to get one. Luckily, Rob loaned me a fork (AND a knife). (Whoa, close one.)

BUT THEN. I took the plate back to work, and unknowingly shanghaied Rob's cutlery! I wrapped it in a napkin so I could drop them off when I went home. (I'm responsible.)

Meanwhile, some jack ass pulled into the alley to do a three-point and yelled, "What up, girl?" I was prepared to be pissed, since catcalling is the bane of my existence, but it was Percy! Hell yeah, I love it when my favorite people from other bars visit our bar!

BUT THEN. While I was distracted, someone bussed the fork and knife and put them in the dishpit! I felt horrible. Rob's cutlery was lost forever in Willow Tree dishwashing purgatory!

Okay, not really, but that's how it felt.

So, I swung by Rabbitfoot on my way home and begged forgiveness (barely granted), and listened to Rob's ideas for wall art. (It's gonna be great.)

I went upstairs and did some serious clean up in my apartment. I even put the shade on my lamp that Jeb fixed for me! He took it from my house at Martini Monday before the commission meeting to fix it, and I just picked it up this last Martini Monday at the Shining Casa. (What can I say? I never make it uptown enough.) I gotta tell you, it's like a whole different room in here. I never realized I missed this lamp so much!

Later on, Jeremy decided to go out for beer so we could watch the Big Lebowski. When he came back, he said, "I just ran into Sada downstairs."

"Really? What was he doing over here?" I never run into Sada on my block. He must have been on a mission. You know. Because it's such a long walk from the Willow Tree to my house. "Is he coming upstairs?"

"He said something about returning Rob's fork?"

Whew, what a relief. Man, I love Sanford.

About Sumalee and Sanford-Centric

Hi there! I'm Sumalee, a single gal living, working, and playing on First St. in Historic Sanford. You may know me as the Gidget of Sanford or the First Street Fox (and if you don't, please start using those names until they catch on.) I began Sanford-Centric as a way of sharing the downtown lifestyle, including where we live, drink, dine, and shop as a community.

But really, who are you?

I come from a (for lack of a better term) super bohemian family. We (my parents, my little brother Sada, and myself) moved to Sanford when I was about eleven, into the back of a bookstore on Commercial St. Despite strange circumstances, we felt at home in the Downtown Sanford community and were lucky enough to move into the entire upper story of the Hotchkiss Block, located at the southwest corner of First St. and Palmetto Ave. 

Growing up in a small town was great, but when I turned 18, I was dying to get out of Sanford. I went to school in New Jersey for a year, traveled a bit and did all the other silly things young people do, and finally returned to Sanford in March of 2013.

And damn. What a change!

Sanford is now a kick-ass place to live, and grows more awesome by the minute. Now, I find myself once again living on First St. (across the street from my old place!), working at the Willow Tree (and on occasion at the Imperial and Washburn Imports), and meeting amazing and eclectic people every day.

What does Sanford-Centric mean?

When I get up everyday, I know I'm in Sanford. I can hear cars rumble slowly down the brick roads and I can look out my window and see a street full of beautiful historic architecture. When I walk downstairs, I walk fifty feet to my very favorite coffee shop, where my very favorite people are likely hanging out. When it's time for work, I can mosey down the sidewalk to the restaurant two minutes before I have to be there (but I'm usually pushing it because I can't usually get there without running into someone I know!). At night, I can pick up imported cheese and house roasted meat from around the corner before a cocktail party down the block. If I go out by myself, there is always someone I trust around to walk me home.

Being Sanford-Centric means centering one's life around Sanford. It means appreciating the amenities and advantages of living in a unique town that is continually renewing itself. It means contributing to a community of eccentric personalities that come from all walks of life but have one thing in common, Sanford.

Living a Sanford-Centric life is about living here, now. And I'm enjoying every minute!