The previous reviewer (Angela S.) really nailed it. Granite Life is great! We were on a mission…read morefrom my grandmother to find a rock. She's very picky--you'd think that a rock wouldn't be hard to find in the Granite State, but she had stipulations. Plus, it had just snowed about 3 feet, so any rocks that might around sure weren't visible.
So, we called around to a few places to ask about rocks. We got a lot of puzzled looks (through the phone), until we reached George. He said, "Well... sure we have rocks. Are you staying Steele Hill Resort?" We were. "Okay, come by tomorrow, and I'll have a couple rocks for you." So, we went. The shop was clearly closed for the winter season, but we called George and he can down from his home (on the same property) and gave us a selection of rocks from the boundary wall of his property. We tried to give him some money, but he refused. We told him thanks and that we would have to come back sometime to check out his shop. He asked if we wanted to check out the candy, and we said, okay, if not too much trouble.
Nothing was too much trouble for George. He opened up the shop, told us about how it was a labor of love for him and his family, lots of local goods, including maple syrup from the farm up the street. And fudge, all sorts of different, delicious fudge. They also had plenty of novelty gifts, hand-screened sweatshirts and t-shirts, and a little coffee nook overlooking the fields and lake in the distance (can't remember if we could see the lake--but it was there!). Needless to say, we couldn't help ourselves from picking up a few souvenirs and happily supporting a local business and businessman who obviously cared about his customers and how he treats them.
We can't say enough nice things about Granite Life--friendly, convenient if you're in the area, wide selection of souvenirs with local flare, and just a generally good vibe to take home with you. Highly, highly recommended.
Oh, and Gramma liked the rock--not too flashy, but she loved the story and the history of it. Mostly, she liked that we made the effort to find what she wanted--thanks, George.