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Stock up on fresh produce, eggs and nostalgia at the new Village General Store in Cocoa

Michelle Frey and Dave Levenson, owners of the new Village General Store in Cocoa Village, never intended to get into the retail business.

As professional meeting planners, they traveled the world, stopping at home in Brevard County long enough to unpack, repack, and hang out for a bit at the Wine Lady, a wine shop across Belair Courtyard from a shoe store. 

Then COVID-19 halted their industry, and weeks of not working stretched into months. 

"We found ourselves with nothing to do," said Frey.. 

The general store started out as just talk. 

"We would be at the wine lady and need an onion to make dinner," she said. 

Not wanting to stop at a supermarket, Frey longed for a place to pop in and grab a few provisions, someplace small and local, a general store.

Then the shoe store closed.

"Much like most of our careers, we've just tripped and fallen into something," Frey said.

The Village General Store entered its soft opening phase in mid-December and officially opened right before the new year. The 1,100-square-foot space is packed with everything from organic fruit and vegetables to locally made blankets and jewelry. 

Need one farm fresh egg? You can get it for 50 cents, along with a MyMini Egg Cooker in which to boil it. 

When traveling, Frey and Levenson were drawn to businesses where locals spent time, places where you could grab a cup of coffee or get directions to the closest book store. They tried to recreate that place in the Village General Store.

Frey looks around her and smiles. It's exactly the nostalgic, hometown general store she'd imagined. 

"I still walk in the store every day and think, 'Who did this?'" she said with a sense of wonder. 

The products they sell are carefully curated. They went to the Lake Meadow Naturals Egg Farm in Ocoee and met the owner before deciding to stock eggs and meat from there.

"I'm happy to sell his products because I eat them," she said.

Frey knows the artisan who makes the blankets she sells. And the MyMini Egg Cooker? She uses one to cook the eggs for store's egg salad sandwiches.

They hope to attract people living in nearby condos, boaters and general foot traffic in the Village.

After so many years spent traveling, the couple are excited about becoming part of the Cocoa Village community. They've discovered a close-knit group among the other tenants of Belair Courtyard, which is anchored by the high-end restaurant Cafe Margaux.

They sell some wine in the store, but if anyone is looking for something of better quality, they don't hesitate to send them across the way to the Wine Lady, where owner Kim Bachand has become a close friend.