Madison experience leads to opening of new general store
Emily Pote spent a large portion of her life in Madison County and credits her time learning from great teachers and mentors at Rosa Scott and Madison Central as inspiration to open her own store, Beans & Bananas, in Jackson’s Belhaven neighborhood.
Pote, who founded and owns Beans & Bananas, said she moved to Madison when she was 10 years old and got a taste of how a great community operated when she walked to school with her family and classmates. She graduated from Madison Central in 2005.
“We moved to Madison when I was 10 and we lived in a neighborhood right near Madison Avenue,” Pote said. “We’d all walk together to school, and that was my first taste of what a community could look like. I went to Rosa Scott when it was a middle school, and to Madison Central, and found a great community there.”
As Pote started looking at colleges, she wanted to invest in Mississippi and saw what good teachers and mentors could do for students.
“I wanted to do the same thing for my community in Mississippi,” Pote said. It’s the people I met in Madison that made want to stay and put my roots down. I’ve been doing that in a lot of different ways, and Beans & Bananas is a culmination of those things. Mississippi is a great place and you don’t have to move to find great things.”
Beans & Bananas is Jackson’s newest general store and market, which opened to the public this past weekend. The store sells everything a person would need, from snacks to deli, and even toys and home goods.
The store celebrated its grand opening at the Belhaven Town Center on Jan. 6 and hosted a weekend full of events. It is the newest addition to the popular new development in Belhaven, which includes businesses such as Fertile Ground Beer Co. and Mayday Ice Cream.
Pote said whether someone is looking for grab-and-go food to enjoy at the Town Center or wanting to stock up on groceries, toys, or decor, the store has been very intentional in choosing the most high-quality brands to carry on their shelves.
“We have worked so hard to make sure that we are a store that truly has something for everyone in Jackson,” she said.
Pote said she enjoys the wide range of customers who visit the store, whether they are buying groceries or stopping by to purchase a gift.
“We hope this is a place our community gets used to coming to once or twice a week to shop for organic groceries, gifts, and more,” she said. “We want this to be a place you want to be and somewhere that you do more than just spend money.”
Beans & Bananas kicked off their grand opening on Jan. 6 with patrons receiving 10 percent off products from neighboring businesses like Fertile Ground Beer Co. and Mayday Ice Cream if they spent $30 or more at Beans and Bananas.
On Jan. 7, Adam Trest, who illustrated Erin Napier’s “The Lantern House,” led a Singing and Storytime event, and on Jan. 8, the store held a Sip and Shop event that came with a complimentary glass of wine.
“We’re so proud to plant our roots here in Belhaven,” Pote said. “It is such a beautiful and historic neighborhood that means so much to Jackson. We hope you will come join us as we celebrate opening our doors after months of hard work. We really feel we’ve created something special for our city.”
To learn more about Beans & Bananas, call them (601) 259-1799, visit their website at www.beansandbananas.com, or follow their Facebook and Instagram pages.