The Main Olive

April 26, 2021

The Main Olive is a unique and affordable gourmet foods store located in Historic Downtown Oxford, AL. They offer many varieties of natural and flavor-infused olive oils, vinegars, pastas, spices, jams, jellies, local honey, BBQ sauces, salsas and so much more! Locally made art, kitchen accessories and gift baskets make perfect gifts for upcoming Mother’s and Father’s Day!

They also provide educational info and seminars about the health benefits and many uses of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Co-Owner Karen Grammer took the time to speak with me about what makes The Main Olive unique to our community!

Tammy (T): How did The Main Olive begin?
Karen (K): Some childhood friends of mine, she and her husband got the idea and built it from scratch and started it in 2016. When life took them elsewhere, we purchased it in the summer of 2019.
T: Tell me more about all the stuff you sell and where you get your products.
K: We have oils, vinegars, and gourmet items you can come in and taste. We feature a lot of local artists and makers and crafters as well. We try to stay local or regional for a lot of our items, other than the oils and vinegars. Since they come from all over the world, we like to focus on stuff that’s Southern and Alabama and Calhoun County. The jams and jellies and things come from Georgia. We have Granny Simmer from Southside, we have a local author, he was a music minister and he wrote a book. We carry art from a local artist here in Oxford, and Georgia as well. We feature wood work from Ranburne, we have other aprons and things that are made locally. We have cards that are sketches of Oxford Lake. We carry Eastaboga Bee and all of their products. We like to feature as much local product as possible.
T: How do you find the local vendors that you partner with?
K: Honestly, we just kind of stumble upon them! We have a small space so we have to be super selective. A lot of products, we just found them and enjoyed their product so we invited them in. Some are actually our customers! One local lady makes these wonderful olive oil trays and she now has the ability to burn logos in them. She came in shopping one day and showed me because she was really excited about it. I said that is awesome and we have to have it! A lot of it just happens organically for us.
T: What kind of events do you offer in the store?
K: We do Painting with Joy, she is a local artist here in Oxford. She is an instructor and it’s very easy and laidback if you’re a beginner or intermediate. She makes it fun and you don’t feel overwhelmed, it’s just a really fun experience! We offer tastings in the middle of the class too. We also offer the space for small gatherings like bridal showers or baby showers. We’ve had Tupperware and Pampered Chef set up here. So if you’re someone who sells and wants to have an event, we can have a space set up. We are at Market on Main just down the street, every Saturday from 8 to noon. We are venturing back out as events start popping back up from the past year. We will be at other events outside of the area as well.
T: Where can people go to find out more about the store, in person and online?
K: The store is located at 508 Main Street in Historic Downtown Oxford. The number is 256-444-8498. We have a Facebook page, Instagram, Pinterest, and we just got TikTok! We have a website where we have a lot of information and educational items and you can also browse our inventory. You can always email us or call us.
T: Anything else you’d like to share?
K: We’re really grateful and appreciative to be here. We love Oxford, we love downtown and the more work that is being done down here in Historic Downtown just brings more to the area. I really enjoy the downtown feel, we’re part of a bigger city, but you don’t feel like it when you’re down here. It brings back nostalgia for me, because I’ve always loved a small town feel in a large town.