afternoon delight: artisan cheese company.

one of my favorite things about my job is hearing about new shops and things to do. someone is always telling someone else in my office about the clothing store that's opening around the corner or the museum exhibition that's a must-see. it's fun, and for someone who always likes to know what's going on, like me, it certainly satisfies my nosy tendencies.

a tip from a colleague was the case with artisan cheese company, which just opened on main street in downtown sarasota and which my coworker and i wandered into yesterday afternoon. i'm a sucker for lots of light and clean lines and pretty packaging, which this store has in spades -- plus, of course, it's a purveyor of gourmet cheese, specialty honey, handcrafted cutting boards and various charcuterie, which is never a bad thing. my wallet thanks me for not bringing home a delicious, stinky round of cowgirl creamery fromage (i settled for a petite jar of honey and a chocolate-covered pretzel rods from a local chocolatier), but my tastebuds are telling me i'll soon be back.

other notes: the store serves coffee beginning at 6 a.m., has a sandwich of the day (monday's was fontina, prosciutto and jam) and will prepare cheese platters for parties and other gatherings. lately i've been really into giving special little items as gifts -- a succulent in a pretty pot, a beautiful bar of soap -- and artisan cheese company totally fits into that mindset.

yay for sarasota.

photos by me, taken with instagram