"This isn't just another restaurant."
Before the boil, there was the shop. Our family opened Things & Tings on Saint Johns Avenue — a little corner of Palatka where everyday living meets island flavor: home goods, island fashion, spices, wines, and a juice bar with a smile. It became more than a store. It became a gathering place.
But there was always one more dream on the list: a table of our own. On June 24, 2026, we bought the building at 909 SR 19 N — our very first restaurant — and got to work. We painted coral murals on the walls, built the bar plank by plank, and hung a neon crab out front.
Crabby Ben's is what happens when island spirit meets a Southern seafood boil: crab by the tray, oysters three ways, cold drinks, loud tables, and nobody in a hurry to leave. Same family. Same vibes. Bigger pot.
