Old Stores

Los Cubanitos, the Cuban dudes, is a marine hardware store known to locals as Cuban Joe's and despite the arrival across the street, a good few years ago, of the predatory West Marine chain, these guys are still here.



They've been here a while and they aren't going it seems, and if you don't believe me check out their signs, worn by the passage of a lot of time.



The child seat in the electric car surprised me for some reason. Very modern I'm sure.



That's West Marine on the edge of the picture, but I was actually noticing the Fast Buck Freddie's sign, the annex of the main store on Duval Street.



I used to work here years ago shipping and receiving in the warehouse. I spent hours sitting sweating in the shade watching the Conch Trains go by and smelling the fried fish from BO's Fish wagon across the street.



Kermit's Key Lime shop has made headlines over the years as the quintessential Key West shoppe. I caught Kermit in a pensive moment behind his store. I wonder if he gets sick of green and yellow all the damned time.



The other weird food place, the Peanut Butter restaurant on Duval Street closed after a few months, which couldn't be a surprise as they never seemed to charge much for their weird food offerings. Then there is Schooner Wharf, known erroneously to enthusiastic visitors as Schooner's Wharf. It's been here forever and seems likely to stay, as do many of their patrons.



And why wouldn't they, to stay and watch the charming wild chickens of Key West.



A last little piece of Old Key West they say. Maybe, but its not the only one.


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