Nostalgia bathes everything in shades of gold, which is why many financial advisors suggest investing in discarded love letters and fondly remembered bureaus. Envision a richer past with today’s Groupon: for $6, you get $12 worth of soup, sandwiches, and antique collectibles at Strawloo in Avon.
Strawloo's 4,000-square-foot showroom pays homage to a bygone era with its antique furniture and vintage collectibles, and its in-house café—Mama Gilmore's Bistro—serves up hearty house-made fare to patrons before they browse the timeworn objects. Every day, chefs at the café simmer soups brimming with fresh ingredients ($2.75 for small) to pair with café sandwiches with rye or whole-grain foundations and spiral ham, turkey, or albacore tuna toppings ($4.75). Grilled kaiser rolls bookend quarter-pound Angus burgers ($4), and ciabatta-bread paninis and tomato or spinach wraps encapsulate fresh meats, cheeses, and fixings ($5.75). The on-site ice-cream shop with 24 flavors of Hershey's ice cream and 26 smoothie flavors serves treats sweeter than a chocolate-covered Girl Scout.
After dining on delectable eats, patrons can browse Strawloo's rotating inventory of knick-knacks. Though stock frequently changes, some recent items have included a mahogany claw desk ($95), vintage tobacco pipes ($5–$9), and a Columbia Kilosphere record player, which spins discs for melodious sounds or for playing catch with the dog.