Remembering Downtown Sarasota's Short Stop Market and Deli
"After 15 years, you see the same person at 5:23 because Mr. Johnson finishes work, and he comes in every day at 5:23. If 5:45 shows up and he doesn't show up, you get concerned: Something is wrong, Mr. Johnson isn't here. My kids were raised in this place. The people, they become more than customers. They've become friends."
"I've been coming here for at least 10 years. Mostly to take a break and socialize. Sometimes we law enforcement need to check out and relax. We would all meet up here. Rarely have I come in for any issues, because no one comes in to cause issues here."
“Ali’s wife makes awesome desserts. He always orders special stuff for me, too. Say I needed blue-cheese buffalo puffs, he made sure he had them. One time he had a roof leak, so I went up and caulked it. It took me like three minutes and he sent me drinks. It’s going to be missed.”
Image: Regan Dunnick
"My husband does IPAs. I love stouts and porters. Ali would find things for me to try—give this a go. A lot of the wines I buy today are things he taught me about. I come from a small town, and there was always a central place that people go. This was it. It was like having a foot in yesterday."