The Gluten Free Place

I was fortunate enough to spend four days in Newport and my hotel was fairly close to The Gluten Free Place. What a fabulous find!
My first trip into the store, I was a wee bit nervous and excited. I wasn't sure that a store that sold only gluten free products even existed. Was this a dream? False advertisement? A gimmick to lure people in?
Nope, it is true to its name.
I quickly browsed the packaged goods, checked out the freezer items and hurriedly headed toward the bakery display.
Yikes! Immediately someone asked me if I wanted to try one of the free samples. I detest that stuff, free samples. I don't believe food should be eaten in front of strangers and my palate is slow to register and I require 30-60 minutes to decide whether something new is tolerable and liked or disliked. Yes, I Do have Aspergers, thank you very much.
Mine eyes glazed over, as my mouth watered over previously forbidden foods such as cinnamon rolls, carrot cake with frosting, cookies, cupcakes and scones. Oy, such a selection! I knew I needed to start small and just pick a couple items, so I settled on a blueberry scone and a cinnamon roll.
As I headed to the checkout, the female clerk pulled out a vacationers map of Newport and she proceeded to mark all the restaurants that offered gluten free food. My head was a bit overwhelmed and the oddest of thoughts surfaced....
Is it okay for me to be able to eat good food that doesn't make me sick? Do I deserve a selection and variety of healthy, tasty meals? Yeah, that...unusual.
  Methinks I'll need to further examine these queries as these issues obviously date far back to my upbringing and the months of starvation I endured. It felt so odd, questioning whether I was worthy and deserving of good things to eat.
But I digress...I adored The Gluten Free Place! Not only do they have a large selection of packaged goods, frozen foods and bakery items, in addition the staff members I spoke with were so friendly and helpful. I had questions regarding where to find certain places and queries about the weather and life in Newport which were cheerfully answered.
Yes! The employees seemed to genuinely enjoy their work, workplace and hometown. The stories of how they ended up transplanted in Oregon were a hoot!
  I shopped there every single day I was in town. Gotta love the day old, half price cinnamon rolls which were my favorite. The blueberry scone had a fresh and lovely taste. The carrot cake with frosting, omg, was fantastic except for the raisins. I don't like the texture of raisins so I had to pick them out. I also ordered a cheese pizza which had a nice homestyle tasting crust, not like the Michigan cardboard crust.
I must chalk up The Gluten Free Place as my greatest store find on my recent 10 day vacation in Oregon! Hats off to the owners, bakers, and staff for making this store a cozy, comfortable and tasty place to visit!!!!