My Friday Afternoon Delight in Saluda, NC

After a full week of hard work in Spartanburg, I like to take Friday and sleep in a bit (usually til 8 or 8:30 a.m.), mull about the mountain house, complete some chores, make some lunch, then get out for a ride in the mountains!
Living in Western North Carolina, I am surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.  Also being a motorcycle enthusiast, our roads provide some of the best riding in the world to boot.

This is the road I live on. My house is just ahead on the right!

For the last several Fridays in a row, I have made one stop in particular in Saluda, NC to cap off my day.  Tucked in behind the former depot building of Saluda is a quaint gift shop called Duck Alley, owned by Patrick and Lisa Duck who hail from the bayous of Louisiana, and managed by Ashley Smyth of Hendersonville, NC.


Town of Saluda. Turn right at the green roof & Duck Alley is straight ahead in the back.

I met Pat and Lisa back in 2006 while roaming the winding roads of Tryon and Saluda in search of some secret fly fishing holes along the Pacolet River.  Back then, they lived in Mauldin, SC and commuted up the mountain every day.  At that time, I was living in Simpsonville, SC, which is a next door neighbor to Mauldin, both within Greenville County.  Having that common residence, we had a lot to talk about from the start!  Pat & Lisa were both quite fond of my son, Mikey, Jr., and would give him a special gift each time we came up to shop and visit.  We formed a great friendship from the beginning, and I have made it a point to stop every time I am riding through Saluda.


This pic was taken just after the new construction.

Two years ago, after growing weary of the daily 90 mile commute (45 miles one way) to and from Mauldin to Saluda, they decided to build a new shop just off the main drag of Saluda, complete with an apartment home above the shop.  Nearly doubling in size from the old location, they were able to add an outdoor garden shop as well and provide the most excellent gift shopping in Saluda!


Plenty of mountain goodness to choose from!

Last year saw the addition of an ice cream bar with about 3 dozen flavors of delicious Hershey's brand ice cream, and Community House coffee (a brand, they tell me, hails from Louisiana also!).  So a bonus to my visits now is having a few cups of coffee, and sometimes a waffle cone of ice cream, and hanging out with Pat, Lisa, and Ashley.


The latest addition - Hershey's Ice Cream!

We have great conversations and laughs, and I have even helped out a customer or two while I'm there.  I feel like an unofficial employee, having spent a good deal of time there, but it always brings me joy to connect with the visitors while lending a hand to my good friends.  I figure its the least I can do if I'm there taking up floor space, and meeting people and creating a welcoming environment is what I enjoy the most.

Grab a cup of Community House & buy a T-Shirt & some jewelry!

f you find yourself exploring the hamlets of The First Peaks of The Blue Ridge Mountains, then stop in at Saluda and check out Duck Alley!  Make sure to tell Lisa, Pat, and Ashley that Mike Driscoll sent ya!  If you happen to be driving through around 4:30 p.m. on a Friday afternoon, you'll be certain to find me there.