"The corner I operated on down south had the same type of stigma — location, location, location," said Shadle, a spokesperson for Aurora Novel Ventures, owner of the 1.75-acre corner parcel. "It's a very magical formula in terms of sales."

Among this property's benefits, Shadle lists its midway point between two Homer grocery stores, a nearby gas station and the proximity to the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center and an auto parts business across the street.

"I know the Spit is good for tourist traffic, but this is good for both tourist and local traffic," he said. "Everybody has to go past this spot."

Willing to share the magic, Shadle invited Fat Boys Fruit and Try My Thai to take advantage of the corner location. Each business is operating with an itinerant merchant permit, according to the Homer Police Department.

"I've been wanting to do this for about 30 years, but the logistics of bringing fruit (to Alaska) are a nightmare," said Wayne Strauch of Silverton, Ore., and owner of Fat Boys, a string of four fruit stands located in Palmer, Anchorage, Soldotna and Homer.

It's no small assignment to provide fruit picked at just the right time so its flavor peaks at the same time it reaches the public and to bridge the thousands of miles separating Oregon and Washington growers from Homer consumers. The corner location has put Fat Boys in the fruit-eating public's eye, making the risk worthwhile.

Three times a week, Strauch has three tons of fresh fruit — apricots, nectarines, peaches, blueberries, Rainier cherries and Bing cherries — brought to the state by truck. Shipping is costly, about $1 per pound, which drives prices up, but Homer sales are topping other Fat Boys' locations.

"Of all the fruit stands, Homer is the best one," Strauch said. The stand is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. "The people are pretty excited to have something good to eat."

It is doing so well, in fact, that Strauch is putting down roots on the southern Kenai Peninsula.

"Now, instead of buying a lot in Soldotna and building a cabin, I'm here," he said. "This is a pretty cool place."

In addition to the ripe-picked fruit, the aroma of Thai food is attracting locals and visitors to Try My Thai, owned and operated by Bill and Atchana Haines. A menu is posted next to the walk-up order window, with daily specials noted. Customers line up for take-out meals, and a covered seating area allows for on-site dining between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Sunday through Friday.

"My mother has been a (state Department of Environmental Conservation) agent in Alaska for 15 years, so I'm into cleanliness and tidiness," Shadle said. "The first thing I did when I saw the Thai guy was look inside his facility. What I noticed was how spotless and 100 percent-DEC approved-looking it was."

Shadle came to Alaska in 1984 to commercial fish in the Kodiak area and was attracted to Homer because of the price for fish available at Homer's docks. He moved here in 1999.

Shadle's vision for the Main Street and Sterling Highway corner includes a year-round "Homerish-looking business center" with a covered boardwalk and ample parking. He views the spot as a natural location for artists and crafts people, but recognizes that open-air businesses are limited by the property's location within Homer's central business district. More food vendors are a possibility and a coffee business would be a good fit, Schadle said. And for now, he doesn't charge rent for the businesses using the property.

"I'm doing this because I think it is good for the town," Shadle said.