Reason #5: It’s a Family Affair

Owners Bill and Susan–married for almost 50 years–teamed up with their son Jason and daughter-in-law Lacey to offer Breakfast, Lunch and Sunday Brunch. They make a great team!

Reason #4: Vegetarian and Vegan Options

In addition to their traditional offerings, Vegetarians and Vegans have plenty of delicious options from which to choose.

Reason #3: Giving Back

Since moving here, Bill and Susan have been involved with multiple nonprofits and community groups. They make great neighbors!

Reason #2: Specials

As if their expansive menu isn’t enough to tempt you, there are always new and different mouthwatering specials available.

Reason #1: Sweet Endings

No trip to The Chowder House would be complete without splurging on one of their amazing sweet treats! They’re big enough to share, but why would you want to?

As Florida begins a phased re-opening next week, The Chowder House aims to re-open next Friday with patio dining and continued curbside takeaway.

Click here for The Chowder House’s contact info, and click here to buy an e-gift certificate!

By Susan Schmidt

I was born in Detroit, Michigan and grew up in a small community north of Detroit called New Baltimore on Anchor Bay of Lake St. Clair. Our home was on the lake and I spent all my summers boating and fishing.

After graduating from college in Nursing, I started working at Port Huron Hospital in Port Huron which is on one of the Great Lakes of Michigan, Lake Huron. One of my best friends would show photos of her son in the Army stationed in Viet Nam to all the other nursing students but not me. So I made sure that when he came home I would be the first to meet him, and the rest is history because we have now been married for 49 years!

I first worked on the pediatric floor then medical-surgical, the recovery room and finally the operating room where I spent the next 30 years. In 1979 we moved to North Palm Beach, Florida where I helped open up the operating room in a new hospital in Jupiter, Florida.  First becoming a certified operating room nurse, then teaching operating room nursing and eventually charge nurse then director of the operating room. I took 2 ½ years out of the hospital setting and was a clinical nursing instructor at a small private college in West Palm Beach. I returned to the day surgery unit in a West Palm Beach Hospital where I finished my 30-year nursing career doing patient teaching, coordinating their interviews with anesthesiology and readying every patient for surgery. 

Bill was born in Port Huron. He was the Drum Major of his high school marching band. After graduating he enlisted in the Army and trained in electronics. He was deployed to Viet Nam and did his tour of duty there. He came home after that tour during the holidays and that is when we met. He had to finish his tour of duty in Colorado before being discharged and coming home to Port Huron. He enrolled at Michigan State University and entered the teaching field. We were married in the small Neumann Center on the campus of St. Clair Community College where I was finishing my nursing degree. He then received his master’s degree in elementary school education from Wayne State University. In 1979 we fled the “cold north” and moved to North Palm Beach in Palm Beach County. I continued my operating room nursing career and he started out teaching and then went on to serving as the President of the Classroom teachers association, the largest teacher’s union in Florida, for eight years. He then was recruited to be a financial service representative working with nonprofits such as teachers and nurses for their annuities for retirement.

After my son and daughter were grown and started their lives my husband and I who had spent time for many years on Marco Island in southwest Florida decided to move there. We lived in a lovely community right on the Great Marco River and Gulf of Mexico. After about ten years living there our children were married with children. In our attempt to be closer to them (my son and family lived in Jacksonville and my daughter and family lived in Atlanta) we looked for a place to live on the gulf further north in Florida. We came upon Apalachicola and fell in love with it.

So, that is how we ended up here in Apalachicola. We had always lived in small communities and were very active in those communities. After buying our home here we started out becoming part of the community. We joined the Historical Society and are guides at all the “ghost walks” and volunteer for other events. We were involved with Save our Shotguns historic homes on the hill, Riverkeeper, the Historic Squares, and one of our favorite things– volunteering at the Food Bank which we discovered from joining St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. We also volunteer for Elder Care at the Holy Family Center. 

After being here about a year, on a whim my husband and I decided to open a small restaurant called The Chowder House, serving chowders, bisques, soups, sandwiches, and salads. We first opened in a small space on Market Street. We received such a warm reception from the community including the other downtown businesses.

My son and daughter-in-law came to visit and decided they would like to add breakfast time to the restaurant. They moved here shortly after that. We moved into our larger space on Commerce Street last summer. So come and join us at The Chowder House for a delicious Breakfast, Lunch or Sunday Brunch.

Visit our Business Listing for contact info, or buy an e-gift certificate by clicking here!

National Volunteer week gives us an opportunity to shine a light on those that serve their communities by sharing their immeasurable time and talents. In addition to our volunteer board members, Apalachicola Main Street volunteers serve on committees, work at events and promote our historic downtown district. We want to acknowledge these individuals for their invaluable contributions to their community. 

Today we want to recognize Connie Finneran, our outstanding volunteer coordinator who always shows up and ultimately makes Apalachicola a better place to live. As we shine a spotlight on Connie, we also want to reward her with a token of our appreciation by sending her a gift certificate from ShopApalachicola.com, where she can find anything that her kind heart desires.

And to all of our Volunteers,  THANK YOU!

Volunteer Spotlight: Connie Finneran

In Her Own Words

“I first passed through Apalachicola in 1995 as a recently widowed lady on a road trip with my teenage son. At the time I was oddly attracted to this little sleepy Southern town and had to stop. I told my son, “I would love to live here some day.” He answered, “Mom, why?”  Time passed and my life went off on a journey I never anticipated.

I met a fellow vagabond, got married and ended up living on a sailboat for 13 years sailing the Caribbean, to South America, across the pond to Europe and North Africa. Although we loved the life we were living, we eventually thought it might be time to head back to the US and find a place to settle down. We wanted to be part of a community again with friends that didn’t change with the sailing season.

  We ended up sailing into Apalachicola and anchored off town. We found many of the things on our wish list: a town we could walk and bike in, a wonderful library, friendly people, a lively pub music scene. We got involved immediately volunteering at the food pantry. We ended up buying a cottage downtown and making Apalachicola our permanent home.

  I always had promised myself that when I settled somewhere I was going to try to be friendly and helpful to tourists as so many people had helped me in many different countries. I volunteered to be in the Hospitality Booth at a Apalachicola Main Street event and found my niche. I love talking to people, finding out where they are from and guiding them toward their interests and needs. From that experience I met newcomers to town and discovered they are looking to be part of this community and are looking for opportunities to help.

I love being the Volunteer Coordinator for both Apalachicola Main Street organization and also for PALS (Friends of the Apalachicola Library). My goal with both is to connect volunteers– both old and new– with opportunities in the community and to promote communication with those volunteers. And especially to thank them for all their hard work.”

-Connie Finneran

View our latest e-newsletter that highlight’s Betsy’s Sunflower, the Kitchen Store & More! Plus new additions to the ShopApalachicola.com site where you can purchase e-gift certificates from participating downtown businesses. Thanks for reading!

Emily Raffield is the designer of BECASA clothing and accessory line that’s featured in her brick and mortar shop at 115 Commerce Street in Apalachicola’s historic downtown. Growing up in nearby Port St. Joe, Emily has always appreciated the community and generational love for place and people that’s found along our special coastline. 

“I’ve always felt the pull of home wherever I’ve been. Our area’s natural beauty answers so many questions in my life and has given me guidance through the years. If I’m home, what can’t I do? The feeling of home is something people search for and sometimes never find. When you find what feels like home, it’s magic. That’s when your soul can rest,” Emily says. 

Relocating to Apalachicola from Atlanta last summer, Emily and her husband, Rene, have found that undeniable feeling of home here in Apalach– and with that peaceful phenomena at play, Emily uses it to create and design BECASA’s classic linen clothing and much more, all for our coastal lifestyle. When Emily’s not designing a new collection, meeting with her manufacturer in South Georgia, or working on the business — she’s nurturing BECASA as a communal space for local women to shop, connect and feel cared for in our community. 

“I want BECASA to be a haven, of sorts, for all of us. I hope locals and visitors alike feel comfortable to stop by anytime — to shop, get style advice, or sit on our couch for a bit and chat. It’s something we can give back, as I’ve been held up and cheered on by so many in our community — from Jan Thomas and the Girl’s Night Out group, to many of my clients who’ve become family, Apalachicola Main Street, my merchant friends – Marilyn Brogan of Marilyn Brogan Jewelry, Debbie at The Shop, Michelle Seawright of Riverside Mercantile and Beverly at The Grill, to name a few — all have given me a support group to call on as I face the daily adventures of owning a small business,” says Emily.

BECASA’s offerings range from high quality clothing, shoes, beauty products, home goods and gift items. Candles, fragrance, art and some furniture. You can connect online with BECASA – www.shopbecasa.com  and on social media, @BECASA.