JPG Magazine: Stories: Photo Essay: Expressions

Expressions

By Glenn Buzbee

16 April 2008

Bradenton, Florida, is a bit off the beaten track. Just south of Tampa, along the Gulf Coast and the Tamiami Trail, it sits astride the Manatee River. Retirees and others migrate here from far-away places, with accents of every kind -- Michigan, Mexico, New York, Germany, England, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Indiana, Jamaica, Eastern Europe and more. These all mingle with the existing population and form quite an interesting mix of backgrounds and traditions. Bradenton is South, but culturally is hardly Southern.

These particular faces populate a very interesting maritime salvage shop in an area known as Cortez. Cortez is a working fishing village located on the southwest corner of Bradenton, just east of the bay and one of the Anna Maria Island bridges. This shop is called The Sea Hagg; it sells all sorts of garden, nautical, and household salvage items (like old shutters, bird baths, boat oars, garden statuary, antique bottles, old fish nets and signs, sea shells, driftwood, odd glass and brass items, coins and some jewelry). Going there is like walking into a magical place, with every kind of weird or familiar thing, just waiting to be discovered. And possibly bought for a price.

When we have out of town visitors, we make it a point to take them here. No one leaves The Sea Hagg without taking a feeling of delight with them, a memory, and possibly a souvenir or two.