Iconic Beach Store, A Louisiana Favorite, Announces Closure

A summertime tradition in Louisiana is to pack up the family in Breaux Bridge, Broussard, or Bogalusa and head east to much nicer sands of the beaches of Lower Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. For a lot of families here in Louisiana, it's "an every summer" kind of thing. Many families, such as mine, have traditions that include the all-too-familiar haunts of Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Perdido Key, and Pensacola Beach.

For a lot of us, our trip to the beach will include bringing a lot of good food from home. We will also spring for at least one overpriced and overcooked seafood platter. And we will visit a souvenir stand or shop to pick up a memento of our time away from work.

Well, if you're a frequent visitor to Orange Beach, Alabama, that's the city that occupies the land between Gulf Shores and the Florabama Lounge, then you probably know Al's 5&10. The store has been a fixture for guests and locals alike for the better part of 40 years. Al's 5&10 has announced they will be closing their doors.

The principles behind the store's operation made the announcement on their Facebook page yesterday and I must admit I am a little misty-eyed. The store was an iconic part of many summertime memories of Orange Beach over the years.

Al's was where you probably purchased a swimsuit, some Crocs, maybe a beach toy or two, and some all-important cleaning supplies for that mess you made in the condo at The Beach Club. Al's 5&10 was that kind of a place.

If you and your family stock up for your beach vacation at the Rouses Market on Perdido Key Boulevard, you probably have shopped at Al's. It's all a part of the nice-sized shopping complex we tourists usually hit within three hours of getting our condo keys.

It wasn't the flashiest of the all too many gift and souvenir stores but it was genuine. The staff was always friendly and the store usually had whatever we needed. It will be sad to visit Orange Beach next summer and not stop at Al's.

Based on reports the store will be open for "about another month" but no specific timetable for the closure was noted. And since we are already in a nostalgic mood. How many of these do you recall?