Fruits. Vegetables. Boiled peanuts. Hemp oil. This produce stand truly is one of a kind
At Thompson’s Produce of Cortez, everything is sold individually rather than in bulk amounts.
“I am single and I got so sick and tired of going into the big supermarkets and buying a five-pound bag of potatoes. I might use only four of them before the bag turned into a science project,” owner Tim Thompson said of his business philosophy.
He opened Thompson’s Produce at 11904 Cortez Road W. on April 1 in a shopping plaza between Tyler’s Ice Cream and The Beach Shop, with the idea that customers could get exactly what they need — be it one egg, two potatoes or “southern caviar,” aka boiled peanuts.
It’s sort of a convenience-store approach to selling produce, with a few extra bells and whistles.
For instance, Thompson reasoned that visitors to any resort area might like to buy saltwater taffy. That was the start of his “sweet corner,” which features nostalgic classics such as wax lips, Black Jack gum, Mallo Cups, chocolate turtles and more.
This week, he introduced hemp oil without the THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the active chemical in cannabis.
“I knew nothing about it, but I heard people talking about the medicinal qualities,” he said. “I have heard nothing but good things about CBD oil. I have done my research, studied and learned.”
It’s a long way from the Vermont farm where he grew up. During his career, he worked for several decades in the hospitality industry in New England and the Bradenton area and put in a stint as a radio talk show host, interviewing the likes of politicians Howard Dean and Bernie Sanders.
He opened Thompson’s Produce out of the restlessness produced by two years of retirement. He thought a produce store would fill a need serving residents and visitors in the Cortez and Anna Maria Island areas.
“My kids thought I was nuts,” Thompson said of coming out of retirement.
All of his produce is Florida or U.S. grown with the exception of avocados from Mexico and bananas from Central America.
“I try to give a quality product for a reasonable price,” he said.
Thompson’s Produce is located in space formerly occupied by Village Idiot Pizza, making Thompson’s one of the few produce markets with an idled pizza oven in the back.
The business is open from 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. daily except Wednesday, when Thompson replenishes his inventory.
He watches his promotion calendar and recently piggybacked on National Avocado Day and National Lollipop Day. He is also looking forward to participating in National Potato Day on Aug. 19, World Coconut Day on Sept. 2 and National Peanut Day on Sept. 13.
Recently, he offered his customers free mangoes, two per customer. A friend gave him the mangoes and he figured he would pass them along at no charge because they cost him nothing. All of the free mangoes were quickly snapped up.
Sally McAllister operates Sally’s Salon on the east end of the shopping center.
“People from up north drop in at Thompson’s if they need something in the area. Residents do the same thing if we need one cucumber or one squash without running to the supermarket,” McAllister said.
For more information, call 941-896-6027 or visit the Thompson’s Produce of Cortez Facebook page.
This story was originally published August 2, 2019 at 4:59 AM.
