Went to a new cheese shop in Santa Barbara

[Tropit]

I had an appointment in SB yesterday, so I thought I'd go to town early and hit the new cheese shop: C'est Cheese.  The place was adorable!  The cheeses were heavenly!  There were many of the acclaimed cheeses there s/a Humbolt Fog, Tomme de Savoie, a real (not to mention, BIG) Stilton...they came from all around the world.

The "apprentice" was helping me pick out some goodies, (a 4 yr. old Gouda OMG, a very goatie crottin, and a young, semi-ripe, ash covered goat,) while the owner was talking shop with a wine broker that had stopped in.  Eavesdropping, I realized that the owner was very worried about the economy and I could tell that she was struggling to keep her shop open.  I felt so sorry for her.  You could tell that she loved her cheeses and this was a life long dream for her.  It made me realize that my own daydreaming about opening up a shop should remain just that...at least for now.  I'll just have to go back there on a regular basis and to do my best to help keep her afloat.

[DeejayDebi]

That's sad. I have a lcoal brew shop having the same troubles so even though I can buy some of my cultures and rennets online for 1/2 the price I go there to buy them.

[Cheese Head]

Tropit, good for you, thanks for story, this global recession is tough on everyone, especially those retailing luxury vs WalMart goods.