Miss Lucille’s Gossip Parlor: Talk of the Town, and Other Things
By Bruce Collier August 12, 2004 Issue

“Miss Lucille’s Gossip Parlor. Can We Talk?”

This is the standard telephone greeting you will get if you call Miss Lucille’s Gossip Parlor. Most of the small mob of customers that were there on a recent weekday afternoon appeared to have just dropped in. Co-owner Bill Fraine, a.k.a. Speed Gabber, and assistant Bette Wagner had their hands full for some time pouring coffee, serving ice cream and pastries, blending smoothies and shakes, and greeting friends. Wagner is a long time employee of Miss Lucille’s, a holdover from its former ownership: “I came with the drapes.” She is only one of several shifts of employees. “I’m the more decrepit,” she says.

Bill and spouse Dawn Fraine bought the business on June 3 of this year. A Boston native, Bill spent 25 years traveling the world for FedEx. He and Miami-born Dawn were living in Memphis. After several years of visiting Destin, Seaside, and Grayton Beach, the two decided that they both missed the water, and that they both needed a more relaxed lifestyle. “We have two older kids, and we’d just adopted two young girls. We wanted to spend time with our family. We thought about it, prayed about it. Then I saw an ad for a ‘coffee place on 30A,’ and I knew it was Miss Lucille’s.”

The Fraines were aware of the place’s repute from comments read in hotel guest books and from local buzz. “The name kept coming up. So we made a split-second decision.” The only piece of advice they received at the beginning was “don’t change anything.”

Miss Lucille’s is not a large place, but the L-shaped space is used to maximum advantage. Whether you enter the bright yellow building from the Gulf Place side, or the 30A entrance, the sights and scents are colorful and varied. Couches, tables and chairs are placed along walls, the floors are littered with children’s toys and games, books and magazines are scattered here and there. The walls are covered with original artwork, posters, menus, wine lists, and photographs of friends and visitors. Your nose gets a combined hit of coffee, chocolate, ice cream, pastries, cheesecake, candy, and even grilled sandwiches.

Miss Lucille’s is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Daytime customers are mainly young people and families from the nearby beach. Nights bring more families and larger groups, with desserts the most popular item ordered. One could eat breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner here. With a book and maybe a chess partner you’d never have to stir from your seat. For those who have to do some work, Miss Lucille’s is also a wireless Internet “hot spot.” Two Internet terminals also give passersby a chance to check their e-mail and cruise. Above all, Miss Lucille’s is, in Fraine’s words, “an indulgence factory.”

“We give very generous portions of everything, more than people expect. Everything is top quality. This is not about low fat, sugar free, etc.” Coffee and ice cream account for 40 percent of sales. In addition to selling sweets and savories to eat and drink, Miss Lucille’s sells beer and wine to consume on the premises or to go. Non-edible items include caps, T-shirts, cards, and sassy cocktail napkins. The Fraines have put Miss Lucille’s on the Internet, and will very soon be selling items online.Also in the works are plans to open a Gossip Parlor in Rosemary Beach, and even a possible franchise with licensed merchandise. “Retail is going through the roof,” says Fraine.

Strolling around his domain, Fraine asks three little girls to don hats—there are assorted costume pieces strewn about—and pose for the camera on a couch. “This is a place where parents can bring their kids and relax while they play.” Customers come from all over the southeast, and many are old friends. “People love the look and feel of the place,” says Fraine. “We’re the busiest thing here.”

Miss Lucille’s Gossip Parlor is located in Gulf Place, at 45 Town Center Loop in Santa Rosa Beach. For information, gossip, or just to warn them that you’re coming, call 267-BLAB (2522). You can also find Miss Lucille online at www.TheGossipParlor.com.

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