Josh. Oh my goodness and merciful heavens to Betsy. I finally made my pilgrimage to the Homer Soda Company. It’s this tiny little store out in the middle of nowhere, specializing in off-brand and hard-to-find glass bottle sodas. It was as though my whole life up to that point had been a sad, arduous journey, and at long last I was home.
When I first walked in there was a family at the register, buying two cases of some root beer I’d never heard of. Then a group of old ladies came in, asking the owner if she had any of the honey-lime ginger ale left. Meanwhile here’s me, basically giggling and skipping up and down the aisles. A mom came in with her daughter and they sat at one of the little tables at the front of the store, drinking a chocolate cola and a Triple XXX Root Beer.
Josh do you get what I am saying? No one was drinking Coke or Mountain Dew! Everyone there was perfectly comfortable –even disposed towards– the underdog, the indie beverages. We were all drawn there not by expensive marketing campaigns and ridiculous rebranding schemes, but by thirst, and by the desire for something different. It was exactly how I wish life always was.
Obviously I purchased more than a few things there, and will keep you appraised of my progress through these finds. Plus don’t worry, I sent you a care package!
I cannot wait to go back. I want to be there even now, once again amongst my people. Amongst our people.
There are a few of us underdog beverage fans here in Charleston (we’re a scrappy, yet optimistic group) and I am thinking about a meet-up in Homer … do they host parties?
Christy– I do not know, but that is an interesting idea. I will ask next time I’m there.
Holy cow that store looks great! Some serious selection going on. I’m planning a trip to Indy and I think I might just push on through to Illinois and stop in.
This place is great! We made a special trip to Homer after reading about it, and left with more than a case of cane sugar sodas. When we arrived, we were greeted by one of the owners, who offered us a sample of a decidedly skittle tasting (two reds and a green, according to a soda sipping guy hanging out in front of the shop) soda she’d just opened and invited us in for a tour.
I was totally excited to find that they had both Mexican and Passover Coke (which they gave me a FREE sample of, upon mentioning K4T). We’ll definitely be making more trips to Homer this Summer.
@Jay: Awesome! Yes the owner is super cool. She gave me a free sample of a new cola that I am excited to try. I’ll probably be there at least once a month for the rest of my life.
… Okay, this is surreal. Homer, Ill. is where my great-grandma lives, and my mom’s family often speaks wistfully of this place.