little blog on the prairie

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a chance to get down to the Tuscola Outlet Mall (formally known as the Tanger Outlet Center). I had heard great things about the newish Old Navy there and I wanted to check it out, and of course make a trip to Stride Rite now that I have a little walker. The Old Navy was as-advertised, with a much larger section devoted to babies than the Champaign store’s. It also seemed to be better staffed. And we did buy a pair of dressier shoes for Peanut at SR at a good price. The shoes are last year’s fashions, hence the discount, not like we care. And Carter’s was having one of its great 50 percent off sales (got to start on her fall wardrobe), how could I resist.

We also made a long-awaited trip to Flesor’s Candy Kitchen to eat lunch and check out the beautiful renovation. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Flesor’s, the story of two granddaughters restoring their grandfather’s soda fountain after it had been abandoned for 25 years was featured not too long ago on the CBS Evening News.  Of course, you can buy Flesor’s candy at the Lincoln Square Mall in Urbana. We didn’t go to the mother ship in Tuscola for the sweets, although the fudge samples were a nice added bonus. Even with two toddlers in tow, our lunch was a delightful experience. The staff was very accommodating of our group and was very attentive (although they do not have a changing table in the restroom, they were able to help us with a makeshift one.) Our salads were very tasty and Peanut thoroughly enjoyed her grilled cheese, scarfing down the whole sandwich. We topped it off with a hot-fudge sundae for the table. Yummy.

Flesor’s is located at 101 West Sale Street in Tuscola. The store is open most days between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., but lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Say hi to the sisters behind the counter.