Lights, Camera, Napkin, Action

After many many years of residence in the ugly concrete bldg a little N and on the west side of #371 N out of Brainerd, Morey's(nee Fish House) is now a little bit N of the old location in a new shopping center. The blue of the old bldg preceded a similar blue of the new Guthrie Theater by many yrs. It was definitely one of the ugliest retail bldgs in the Brainerd Lakes area on the outside, but Steve and Ellen did a lot with what they had to work with. I had developed a special affection for it as one does w/ a dog that is so ugly it is cute. Inside was a different story. It was like stepping into a different world with a smell of salt air and fresh fish as if you were in Seattle or New Orleans or another exotic and fishy locale.

Under their direction it had evolved into a bustling fish and seafood market that was surrounded by the window and wallside tables of a busy market cafe. It was like it had ADD in good way with so many things going on at once. There was always too much to look at - from the fresh and smoked fishes and shellfish to the variety of deli salads and fishy concoctions to a symphomic collection of domestic and imported cheeses, sauces and condiments and crackers, breads, cookware knick knack and bric-a-brac, cards, silly gifts, books, magazines( if Shinders had a fish mkt...)....with a staff that was for the most part knowledgeable and majoring in multi tasking. And always busy with customers - multi tasking too - grabbing a quick lunch, picking up something for dinner, making impulse purchases because you couldn't not....something for the wife, the grandchild, a friend..." look what I found at Morey's...".

It was like being at the theater and you were in the play and the playwrite was Tennessee Williams or Shakespeare...like being in a Robert Altman movie. And your cup was filled to it's brim.

The new place. Gone is the cafe, the deli, and more...it feels like you got there just after the performance...something is missing. I still spent an hour browsing and perusing and could have spent more...and left w/ crackers, the always very good signature smoked salmon,fresh and creamy and wonderful camembert from France, shared some in the truck w/ my pup...got great help, sampled everything I asked about...friendly knowledgeable staff, some of the old feel, now in a trendy and pretty bldg, but I kept waiting for something more, for the play to start, the performance to begin.

After yrs of being in business myself I could figure out only one reason why I was in business - to serve the customer and to give him what he wanted. I know that they could cram an eat in deli counter there. Let's all go there and demand it, to see if Steve and Ellen will respond, to give us what we want. More time and eat in food at Morey's.