Holiday Cakes, Cupcakes, Pies and Cheesecakes Have Arrived

We have just received a wonderful supply of cakes, cheesecakes, cupcakes and pies from Cindy at Hometown Desserts for the holidays. If you haven't ordered your desserts or you would rather not bake during the holidays, please stop in to get your holiday desserts. We have Coconut Cake, Carrot Cake, Chocolate Fudge Cake, Key Lime Cheesecake, Hot Buttered Rum Cheesecake, Pecan Pie, Double Crumb Apple Pie and Assorted Cupcakes... Happy Holidays to Everyone!
And remember we are open on Christmas Eve from 7am - 10pm and Christmas Day from 10am - 4pm

Greenleaf Wisconsin Cheeses

The Anna Maria General Store would like to welcome a new friend to the store. We now offer authentic Wisconsin Cheeses from our new partners Greenleaf Cheeses out of Sarasota. You can view their website by going to www.greenleafcheese.com

We have a great selection of their cheeses in the store and we would be happy to order you in any cheeses they offer in their store so you do not have to make the drive to their location. Please stop in and check out the new offerings!

We Are Open Christmas Day

The Anna Maria General Store will be open on Christmas Day from 10am - 4pm for all your last minute holiday needs. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone!

We're all ready for the Holidays!

We'd like to introduce Penny and Percy, our new resident Holiday Penguins, and our store Elf Doug. Happy Holidays!

The First Ever Sun Powered Christmas Tree (possibly in the world!)

Take a simple solar panel, generating 175 W of energy, 5 hours of sunshine, a bunch of 24 volt batteries, an invertor, 1 Christmas Tree and set of lights, and what do you get...



The first ever Zero Energy, Sun Powered Christmas Tree. Go take a look at this fantastic tree, truly the greenest you will ever find at the site of the Historic Green Vilage on Pine Avenue. Fantastic!

Tom Stockebrand is the solar expert for the Green Village development, and here's some pictures of him setting up the tree.

Santa Arrives!

Congratulations to the Anna Maria Island Privateers for an awesome Christmas Parade today and everyone that took part! And, welcome to Santa too. What a great day!

Welcome New Businesses

The Anna Maria General Store would like to welcome two new businesses to Pine Avenue. Welcome to the Island Cabana at 403C Pine Avenue and Bella By The Sea at 218C Pine Avenue. If you haven't had a chance to stop in and see the two new additions on Pine Avenue, please do they both have wondeful products that everyone could use.

Anna Maria Holiday Open House

The General Store will be participating in the Anna Maria Holiday Open House on Friday, December 10th starting at 5pm. We will be decorating the store and giving out beverages and treats to all that stop by. Other activities sponsored by the Anna Maria Historical Society and AMI Sun Newspaper include... A visit with Santa Claus, an outdoor movie, a treasure hunt, a holiday window decorating contest, live music, food and festive cheer. So come down to kick off the holidays with the Anna Maria General Store starting at 5pm on Friday, December 10th

Beautiful Anna Maria Sunsets

We had to share this beautiful sunset with you. If you have any beautiful sunset pictures of your own, please share them with us on our blog, Facebook/AMGeneralStore or Twitter.

Holiday Open House and Christmas Parade

The AMI Chamber is having its Holiday Open House and Christmas Parade Friday, December 3rd. The Parade starts promptly at 5pm at CrossPoint Fellowship Church and goes to the Island Shopping Center in downtown Holmes Beach.

Christmas Decorations Island Style!

We just love these Anna Maria Island inspired Christmas decorations. Stunning! Share some of your Christmas ideas with us too.

Anna Maria Historic Green Village

Exciting stuff is happening just down the road from us, as the Anna Maria Historic Green Village continues to take shape. The beautiful Sears Cottage that was donated and moved from its original place to this new site, looks truly settled on its new foundations, and the Rosedale Cottage next door is looking good too. We've been told that February and March is when both of these historic buildings will be finished. We'll keep you posted! Check out the website for more information www.annamariahistoricgreenvillage.com

Some great press features for Anna Maria

We wanted to share with you some great features recently received in Coastal Living Magazine and Sarasota Magazinea about Anna Maria Island. What a couple of great reviews for our lovely Island. And, we couldn't agree more!

http://www.coastalliving.com/travel/ana-maria-island-florida-00414000068809/
http://www.sarasotamagazine.com/Articles/Past-Issues/2010/October-2010/The-Last-Best-Beach-Town.aspx

Online Ordering for the Holiday Season

Are you planning on visiting Anna Maria Island for the holiday season and want your necessary supplies upon arrival? Then remember our online ordering system is active. Delivery is "free" within the cities of Anna Maria and Holmes Beach and only $5.00 delivery charge for Bradenton Beach. Take some time, browse our online store and pick out the items you would like. You can find our online store at this link www.annamariageneralstore.com/online-store.aspx

Happy Holiday Season from your friendly local store!

Thanksgiving Holiday Desserts have arrived..

Cindy has brought us some wonderful Thanksgiving themed desserts. We have a Cranberry swirl cheesecake and Pecan and Cinnamon topped Pumpkin cheesecake. Stop in and get a piece to try and don't forget to order your Thanksgiving desserts through the General Store by close of business Monday, November 22, 2010.

Congratulations Beach Bums!

The Anna Maria General Store would like to congratulate Lauren and Diane at Beach Bums for winning the small business of the year award! Well done... If you haven't stopped in to Beach Bums lately, take time to stop in, look around and say hi...

Bridge Street Market Starts on Sunday!

Don't forget the Bridge Street Market that opens again this Sunday! A Bradenton tradition, stalls include fresh produce, jewelery, garden art, local artwork, clothes, accessories, food, music and mch more. This winter market is great for searching out bargains and finding great souveniers to take back home. A little early Christmas shopping!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Hope you all have a fantastic Halloween weekend. We've got plenty of Halloween goodies for your Halloween party and trick and treaters, so stop buy and stock up on everything you need for this weekend!

Sarasota Halloween Extravaganza!

If you love Halloween, the 2nd Annual Pumpkin Festival is definately worth a trip. October 29-31, 2010 from 12pm-10pm Sarasota County Fairgrounds on Ringling Blvd. Benefiting All Children's Hospitals in the area.
Enjoy all things Pumpkin - featuring carnival games, rides, a fun zone, free hay rides and a 'not so scary' haunted house, safe trick or treating, pie-eating and costume contests for children, pumpkin carving, costumer parades, live entertainment, great food and beverages.
Entertainment highlights include: Friday 29th Soul Purpose, Sturday 30th Saint Tone Band, Sunday 31st Casey Weston, and featuring Sarasota Gold and The Florida Blues Brothers nightly from 8-10pm. With over 100 different shows - including the amazing flying trapeze performers 'The High Flying Pages Ariel and Animal Thrill Show' and the Ham Bone Express Pick Races, Sarasota County Fairgrounds is the place to be on Halloween weekend!

A Spooky Time this Halloween!

Can you believe it's nearly Halloween! All our Island businesses, incluidng us, are joining in our Trail of Treats event this Halloween weekend. We all dress up and have a real spooky time playing trick or treat with the little ones. See you there!

10th Annual Bayfest is real soon..!

Remember everyone, Bayfest is happening on 16th October! We can't wait! From 10am till 10pm 16th October.
Booths full of arts and crafts, food and home baked goodies amongst others fill the length of Pine Avenue. The headline act this year is the fantastic Bill Rice band with a full supporting line up giving us great live music all day. And, if you want to start the celebrations early, then a kickoff party will be happening on the Friday night (15th) featuring the Dr Dave band!
The weather's going to be great, so come along and don't forget to pop in to the General Store while your here!
NEMO, the North End Merchants Organization will also hav a booth, so take some to go see them, and find out what they are doing to support the local community.

Gene Aubrey Sworn In

Congratulations to Gene Aubrey who was sworn into office today, as the new Anna Maria City Commissioner!

Which Cake...

We're trying to decide if we had to choose one of Cindy's delicious cakes as our favorite, which would it be? Which would be yours...
Lime Cheesecake,
Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake,
Carrot Cake,
Coconut Cake,
Chocolate Coconut Cake,
German Chocolate Cake,
Chocolate Fudge Cake with Vanilla Frosting,
Chocolate Mousse Cake

YUMMY!!

Mixon Farm November Harvest

Check out the upcoming Harvest Festival at Mixon Farms, Bradenton in November. 10 days of fantastic events and activities, from 11th November. We totally recommend it! http://www.mixon.com/harvestfestival/

Thank you!

A huge thank you from everyone at the General Store, for all the wonderful support from our Island residents and treasured vacation guests. We are having such a great time in our new store!

Congratulations Gene Aubry!

Recall news is that Harry Stoltzfus has lost his office seat and Gene Aubrey has been elected. However, the election results have not been certified as yet, so Gene can't take the seat until this is done. However, the appeal process by Harry continues with his claims that the recall petition is legally insuffienct! We'll keep you posted...!

Labor Day Weekend set to Sizzle!

After record rainfalls last week, Labor Day Weekend looks to have perfect weather! High temperatures are set to be around 90 degress with lows in the mid 70's from Friday-Monday. Everyone make sure you stop by the store for all your weekend needs and say hi, to the team who will be working hard to make your weekend that more special! Have a great Labor Day Weekend everyone!

Recall Election still on for Tuesday 7th September

Whilst an emergency hearing of appeal has been scheduled for tomorrow at 11am, as of now, the recall election is still on schedule for Tuesday Sept 7 2010. The choice is to recall or not recall Harry Stolzfus from his City Commissioner Seat and then if he is recalled, vote for either Gene Aubry or Harry Stolzfus to claim the seat on the City Commission...Gene Aubry has been recommended by both the Islander and The Sun! Get involved and make sure you vote on Tuesday!

Anna Maria City Pier Still No.1

The Historic Anna Maria City Pier is still the No.1 attraction for visitors to the Manatee County area! And, it celebrates is 100th birthday next year! We love our Pier!

No News on Harry Stolzfus

We are still waiting to hear from Circuit Court Judge Edward Nicholas for his decision on the motion to dismiss the recall petition against Commissioner Stolzfus.. we'll keep you posted!

a new School Term begins...

Good luck all the kids going back to school this week. Have a great new term!

Bridge Street Markets move to Sunday

The fabulous Bridge Street Markets start up again in November, but has now been moved to Sundays instead of Saturdays. See you there!

The Island Rockers, Rocked!

Did anyone see The Island Rockers perform at the Back Alley boutique-bar-outdoor-venue, last week. They are raising funds to offset costs of performing at an east coast surfing contest, Labor Day Weekend, that benefits The National Kidney Foundation. Great gig guys and all for a great cause. Good luck!

Bayfest 2010!

Only 8 weeks to go to the Bayfest Celebrations 2010. We're getting excited, so we're going to start the countdown until it starts on October 15!

Welcome to the new Pastor at St. Bernard's Catholic Church

We at the General Store would like to welcome the new Pastor, the Rev. Michael Mullen at St. Bernard's Catholic Church in Holmes Beach.

Voting Fever Hots Up!

The September special election is now only weeks away. Important dates: Sept 7 is the day for voting for recall of Commissioner Harry Stolzfus and voting for the Commission seat by Gene Aubrey, which will all be on the same ballot sheet. And, get down to the Manatee County Judicial Center on Thursday, when Judge Edward Nicholas is scheduled to hear Commissioner Harry Stoltzfus' motion to dismiss the recall petition against him. Divisie times on our little Island!

Who's going to get the FREE 2000th Cuban Toastie..?

Wow! Since we opened in February, we've sold over 1,500 of our Cuban Toasted Sandwiches. 1,597 to be exact. You must be lovin' it! To celebrate the success of our delicious Toastie, the person that orders the 2000th Cuban Sandwich, gets it absolutely FREE! But don't worry, it's a winning sandwich though, even if you pay for it!

Busy, Busy, Summer so Far!

We are still so busy which is fantastic news, particularly for this time of year! We're not only seeing a great number of visitors to Anna Maria Island who are popping in, but local residents who are re-discovering the store! Our sales and customer numbers are exceeding our predictions. Thank you so much to everyone for your support and your business. Here's to a continued successful summer!

Deli Specials THIS WEEK

Come and try one of our fabulous freshly prepared Deli sandwiches. Our specials this week are:
Cuban Toastie $6.99
Tuna Salad $4.99
Egg Salad $4.99
Chicken Salad $5.99

SPECIAL OFFER: Blue Moon 12 Pack $13.99

Cold beer on a hot day? Blue Moon 12 Pack is now $13.99 in store from $17.99. Come a grab some!

The GS Legendary Toasted Cuban Sandwich!

We are very proud of our Toasted Cuban Sandwich. It's famous in these here parts! If you haven't already, come and try one, we promise, you will not be disappointed.

Models for the Day!

We had great fun today as we all got our photographs taken by Bob at SRQ. They were very professional and managed to get some pretty good shots of us... would you agree? They have also taken some great shots of the General Store and some of our awesome customers. This is all for our website, so take a browse through and see who and what you can see!

Welcome to our Blog!

Welcome to our the Anna Maria General Store Blog, where we will share with you all our news and gossip and stories from daily life at the Store. So, keep an eye on here, if you've been in to see us recently, you might be featured! If you have any news you would like us to share too, let us know and we will be more than happy to post it on here. We look forward to sharing with you!