Tennessee couple brings convenience to 30A

Larry and Beje Beasley opened Seacrest Sundries to address a common need.

The couple from Henderson, Tenn., moved to Seacrest Beach in June along with their children Madison, 10, and Parker, 19.

Entering Seacrest Sundries you immediately feel the Southern charm the couple brings with them.

Larry, who has a background in engineering and program management, said that they have been coming to this area for years.

“We used to come down here for vacation and spring break,” he said.

Beasley said they moved here “because things were drying up back home.”

“We originally thought we would like to come down here and open up some sort of food kiosk,” Beasley said.

After moving though, Beasley and his wife realized that there was really nowhere to go on 30A where you could “just stop in and pick up a few essential items” without having to go on Hwy. 98.

The idea was born.

“We just want to be a family neighborhood grocery,” Beasley said.

Seacrest Sundries offers up a little bit of everything. They have canned goods, milk, toilet paper, toothbrushes, drinks, coffee, and many other convenient items you may find yourself running out of.

While neither Larry nor Beje have a background in the grocery business, they are not concerned.

“This is completely out of our comfort zone,” Beasley said. “But this is more fun than what we had been doing.”

Beasley said they are focused on “catering to the bikers and to the people passing by.”

“Most people who come in to pick something up usually end up taking a bunch of stuff home,” Beasley said.

Seacrest Sundries offers hot breakfast items, including sausage, egg and cheese biscuits, English muffins, and bagels all for the low price of $1.25. They even offer deli-style lunch options.

With fresh brewed coffee constantly available, it is no wonder why customers just sit down and cozy themselves up on one of the two sofas available and read the paper.

While they may not carry gourmet items, they can easily refer customers who ask for them to other local businesses.

“We really want to try and compliment the stores we have here like Wild Olives and Modica Market,” Beje said. “We don’t want to compete with them. We just want to be able to compliment them.”

The only disappointment so far for the Beasley’s is that they can’t find a wholesaler or distributor that will help them stock their store.

“They keep telling us that because of our size and our location that they can’t help us out,” Beasley said. “We had one to help get us open, but they cut us off after three deliveries.”

While they may have this minor setback, the Beasleys are not fazed.

“We know how we want to do things,” Beje said. “It is just going to come down to adding products for our customers.”

Seacrest Sundries is located in the Villages of South Walton and they are open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Their Web site is still under construction, but you can reach Seacrest Sundries at (850) 588-4860.