Upstairs, Downstairs in Seaside, Florida

Seaside is the picture-perfect little SoWal beach town where you can reach every shop and restaurant by foot or bike.

It is known as the epicenter of New Urbanism, with careful planning, picturesque homes, and unique beach pavilions. A South Walton place that delivers on the promise of a simple, beautiful life.

Seaside has one of the busiest buildings in all of SoWal. Head over to 89 Central Square and find two of the best local shops in town: Central Square Records (Upstairs) and Sundog Books (Downstairs).

Upstairs at Central Square Records

Climb the stairs and head back in time to the days of buying music and chatting with strangers about their latest find. It’s a lot more social than browsing through iTunes and you may find your new favorite band living in one of the many bins of newly pressed and used vinyl.

No record player? No problem. They have them for sale or you can still buy the newest release CD among other cool finds – t shirts, concert posters, penny skateboards to name a few. You will leave this shop feeling excited for your new tunes and itching to go back.

Downstairs at Sundog Books

Step in to the throwback store and breathe in the words. In the days of online books and megastores, it is a pleasure to peruse the packed shelves where your next good read is waiting along with 10 other books you must buy to stack on your bedside table. Having worked at Sundog for about a year I know this feeling all too well. The Staff Favorites bookshelf is a great spot to start your search and is where my to-be-read pile gets most of its height.

Make sure you have plenty of time to browse the many sections – cookbooks, chick lit, southern authors, architecture, and local books. The childrens’ section may be the most fun to pick through.

I guess you could say Sundog Books and Central Square Records are two separate shops with a simpatico relationship. Rain or shine, the two shops are a great place to spend some time while in Seaside.