Rouses, a Lousiana-based grocery, opened its Spanish Fort location on Feb. 22 to a packed house.
Many residents of Spanish Fort had been forced to shop in Daphne or at the Publix near the Eastern Shore Centre since Bruno's closed its doors in November at the Hwy. 225 & 31 intersection.
Throughout the weekend, Rouses parking lot was full to overflowing as Eastern Shore residents streamed in to see what the newcomer grocery to Baldwin County would offer. They found plenty of the usual, but many offerings with a decidedly Louisiana twist, from hot French bread, to steamed crawfish to ready-made gumbo or shrimp & corn chowder.
Just having milk and bananas nearby was a nice thing, too.