I love that I can write this review from my phone but I love even more the fact that this landmark local shop lives so close to my own home. If you've ever driven north on Scottsdale road just past Thomas, chances are you've glanced in the direction of Sphinx. If you're like me, you think to yourself, \"one of these days I really do have to check it out.\" Well I finally had the chance to visit and I'm just mad I didn't do it sooner. \n\nSphinx doesn't just have dates. In fact, they are a one stop shop for all things local: Tracy Dempsey original toffees and desserts, Spinato's famous pizza sauce, local beers and wines, local honeys and jams, local pastas and oils. You name it, they've got it and they've got it all in this intimidate shop. \n\nNow on to the dates. Have you had a date shake? Do yourself a favor and try this one. It is the creamiest most delicious concoction and don't be afraid of dates. They just provide this sweet taste to the shake. The same goes for the date bread. It tastes a little like banana bread and is amazing. They have rows of gift baskets to choose from that include dates and locally made products and you can also put together your own. It takes visiting this shop to really take everything in. \n\nA little history behind this small shop. This local place has been around since the early 1950s and has been selling date products to everyone from royalty to famous celebrities to locals and visitors alike. Not only do they have this shop but they also ship worldwide. During my visit, I learned about the history of dates in general in the Valley. I learned that we have a huge date history and that beautiful places like the Royal Palms in fact used to be date orchards. I also learned that the Brophy family were some of the first to plant these date orchards. While Sphinx didn't open until the early 1950's they actually started growing the dates in the 30's and it took that long for the dates to be ready to sell. Now I'm no date expert, but this is just what I learned. I'm a college history major so you can blame my inner history geek coming out!