A shop worth noting in Nobleton
Nobleton – The little white shop near the Withlacoochee River has an eclectic assortment of old and new; much like the stories it has to tell. Its Lake Lindsey Road location has been a local landmark since the 1920s.
River Oaks Landing Antiques and Gifts owners David and Patti Charnecki show photos of the building when it was a Gulf gas station and when it was River Oaks Market – a post office and general store where locals and vacationers got groceries, gas, hunting licenses and a potpourri of sundries.
“Miss Ada the postmistress, now in her 90s, still lives down the road,” Patti said. “The most exciting thing about operating our shop is the people who come by and remember it as the general store. It’s charming and business is good. Word of mouth is what it’s all about.”
Patti calls it “The Little Shop That Could.” She and Dave bought the property in February 2001, intending to open as soon as permits were obtained, restorations made and inspections completed.
“It didn’t happen that way,” Patti explained. “But I believe things happen when they’re supposed to. Every day is a blessing.”
It took eight years, four months and seven days. Fuel contamination from the former gas station was the primary delay. The Charneckis say they documented “thousands of pages of reports, phone calls, email and letters from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.”
With depleted savings, they opened River Oaks Landing July 4, 2009; an ironic date for Patti whose first shop, “Patti’s Potpourri,” opened in New Jersey on July 4, 1969.
The little emporium looks inviting from the road. Potted perennials garnish an antique bicycle-shaped planter, resting front and center against the white picket fence.
