Goods & Curiosities — Local services in Essex

A close friend of mine, who recently purchased a business in Essex, recommended I visit the Griswold Inn Store to find birthday gifts. I was excited to stop by and hoped to pick out something special and local.

Unfortunately, my experience fell short. From the moment I entered, the staff did not greet me, even though they welcomed other shoppers who came in after me. I took my time browsing and carefully selecting items, often juggling more than I could comfortably hold, yet no one offered assistance or suggested I place things at the counter. At one point, a staff member was directly behind me rearranging items but still did not acknowledge me. The atmosphere felt uncomfortable, and as I left, I overheard a staff comment that was unprofessional and left me feeling unwelcome.

That said, this experience is not representative of Essex as a whole. Shortly after, I visited Essex Duck Store, where I was warmly greeted and received excellent customer service, as well as Chocolate Geeks and Sweet P’s Ice Cream, where I was treated with kindness and genuine hospitality. These businesses reminded me of the warmth and charm that Essex is truly known for.

In short, while the Griswold Inn Store was disappointing, I encourage visitors not to let this discourage them from exploring Essex. The town has many wonderful shops that embody the friendliness and quality you’d expect from such a...

There is such an awesome and unique selection of gifts available at this store. A lot of seaside towns and cities with tourism/visitors have gift shops that sell a lot of the same types of items; however, this store offers gifts made by local artists, many of which have a unique and/or quirky style to them. I also love that they carry Richard Gorey books! It's something I have never come across in a gift store. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The items at the store are not cheap but they are very well made and worth the purchase/price :). I will say that most items in the store are very reasonably priced for their quality. I hope anyone stopping in Essex takes a moment to check out this quaint...

Shocked by all the 5 star reviews. My friends and I stopped in after eating at the restaurant across the street and none of us were greeted or acknowledged once. There were 2 girls working and 6 of us. They literally said not one word or had one smile to give. I merchandise and manage a small store and was unimpressed by the customer service in a store charging 18-20 dollars for a deck of cards. Merchandising was impeccable and a nice selection of products but zero and I mean zero customer service from either lady...