Tropical Fruit Shop, a Palm Beach mainstay, does brisk business from Sprinkles

Stephanie Bojokles' phone rarely stops ringing this time of year.

The longtime owner of Tropical Fruit Shop in Palm Beach has generations of customers who come back every holiday season seeking one thing: fresh, juicy Florida fruit to ship to friends, loved ones and clients.

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"It's an absolute blast," she said of her business, which is 109 years old, with nearly 30 of those years under Bojokles' leadership. "You get to know all the families, meet their kids."

Tropical Fruit Shop for 101 years operated out of the same storefront on Royal Poinciana Way. In 2015, Bojokles closed her store and moved into Sprinkles Ice Cream at 279 Royal Poinciana Way.

From her desk just inside Sprinkles' front door, Bojokles is a holiday citrus commander. She does brisk business every day, from about 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. After hours, she continues to work from home, she said.

The gift boxes she ships from her desk and her website, tropicalfruitshop.com, include navel oranges, ruby red and white grapefruit, scarlet red navel oranges and candied fruit, plus treats like pecan rolls, yogurt covered pretzels, jams, honey and orange marmalade.

This year has been particularly good for Florida's citrus industry, she said. "No hurricanes hit the groves this year," Bojokles said. "The groves are all doing happy dances."

The resulting fruit is "outstanding," she said.

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Particularly the popular honeybell oranges.

The honeybells that will arrive in January are going to be beautiful, Bojokles said, adding that growers and packers with whom she's talked are very excited about this year's crop.

While the honeybells won't be delivered until January, Tropical Fruit Shop sends a postcard to the gift's recipient letting them know they soon will receive the juicy oranges. Often, people receiving the oranges may be traveling for the holidays. The postcard also creates an additional touchpoint for clients who may be out of the office in December, getting the sender's name in front of them more than once. "Whoever thought of that system gets a gold star," Bojokles said.

Another big seller this year: The Sol Zest-Orris, a virtually seedless, extra-juicy fruit that is easy to peel. "They're giving the navels a run for their money," Bojokles said.

From her corner by Sprinkles' front window, Bojokles has a front-row seat for Palm Beach's holiday festivities. "I don't miss a lick of what's going on outside," she said. "It's really great. It really is."

During the day, people bustle by along Royal Poinciana Way. At night, the trees are illuminated with thousands of lights. "It's just beautiful," Bojokles said.

She's been a fan of Palm Beach for years, before she moved to the island from Washington, D.C., where she worked for builders and developers.

She and a group of friends all moved to Palm Beach about the same time. "Why do you need to wait to retire to enjoy paradise?" she said of her decision, which was made during a particularly rough winter storm.

After moving to Palm Beach, Bojokles quickly made friends. It was a friend, the late Frank Coniglio, who introduced her to the opportunity to take the reins of Tropical Fruit Shop. She was helping him find a location in West Palm Beach for his family's E.R. Bradley's restaurant. Everything came together, and she made the career change.

"I didn't even know how to work the cash register," she said, laughing.

Over the years, her fruit, juices and odds and ends drew celebrities and socialites to her store.

Bojokles also has a loyal following of fans who rave about her Key lime pie, which she makes using a recipe that comes from the Cracked Conch Cafe in Marathon. The owners are friends, Bojokles said. She keeps a running list of customers' orders and when they will come to Sprinkles to pick up their distinctly Florida holiday dessert.

Since buying the business in 1995, Bojokles has prided herself in her customer service, which has won her recognition from local business chambers in addition to her legions of loyal customers.

Bojokles also built a network of dedicated former staff members. Asked about the most satisfying part of her job, she pointed to a recent announcement from a former employee, Nick Young, who just received his doctorate in education.

Young was featured in The Palm Beach Post in 2012 when he graduated from Florida A&M University, his story notable for his incredible beginning: He was found as a newborn baby, covered in fire ants by a passerby after he had been abandoned in an orange grove.

When Young graduated from Florida A&M, the Tropical Fruit Shop put a jar on the counter to collect donations to help Young pay for graduate school. Bojokles said everyone in Palm Beach knew Young's father, Carl Young, who was known as "Mr. Carl" and who drove one of the town's garbage trucks.

"He's Dr. Nick now," she said, beaming. "That's the best part. The customers, and the people who worked here. They're the best."

Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach mainstay Tropical Fruit Shop doing brisk holiday business