Inside the Paula Deen Store: Butter, T-Shirts, and a Media Empire

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Next door to The Lady & Sons, television chef superstar Paula Deen's legendary three-story, always fully-booked restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, is a quiet, unassuming storefront.

Behind its double doors and frosted glass windows etched "Paula Deen Store" lies two floors of Deen-branded merchandise—from pots and pans to rolling pins, ping-pong paddle-shaped fans emblazoned with "Hey Ya'll" (Deen's battle cry), aprons, baking mixes, foodstuffs, mugs, T-shirts, and walls of magazines. Deen is, after all, a one-woman media empire.

There's no friendlier staff in the world. Prices run about $8 for a branded mug and $1.99 for a handheld fan, under-$20 for a T-shirt and a few bucks for a cold beverage. Biscuit and bake mixes are between $7 and $10 and you can even buy Deen's signature sparkly reading spectacles for under $30.

Don't miss a meal at The Lady & Sons next door—no reservations can be made for parties under 10, but the staff start taking names at 9:30 every morning (people start lining up around 8:30—by 9 a.m. on a Sunday, the line already stretches down the block). Sunday buffet brunch is our favorite—note that despite the brunch moniker, there isn't much breakfast to be had, it's mostly southern favorites like collard greens, fried chicken, ribs, and creamed corn—and the gooey cake is a must-have dessert (plus: you can buy an entire pan of gooey cake to bring home!).
· Paula Deen [Official Site]
· All Savannah, GA, coverage [Racked]