Sisters Deborah Passwaters and Larnet St. Amant hosted a ribbon cutting of their new shop, British Rose in Berlin.

By Cindy Hoffman, Staff Writer

(October 5, 2023) It’s Thursday, so head on down to Berlin to enjoy some British charm as sisters Debra Passwaters and Larnet St. Amant cut the ribbon on their new store, British Rose at 18 N. Main Street at 5:30 p.m.

There will be refreshments for all who join the sisters in celebrating the official opening of their store. Gift basket prizes will be awarded to some lucky guests.

The sisters took over Bruder Homes from Shelly Bruder in March. Bruder handed over the keys to her kingdom and the sisters did not miss a beat.

“We never closed. We stayed open and did a slow transition,” St. Amant said.

Both St. Amant and Passwaters worked at the Bruder House store and were thrilled to have the opportunity to purchase it and make it their own.

“Now the store reflects our personalities.”

While they were born and raised on the Eastern Shore in Federalsburg, their mother is from England.

When they were sitting around the kitchen table at home, trying to come up with a name for their new shop, it seemed natural to honor their mother, Janet Rose. They also factored in that the rose is the national flower of England.  So, to pay respects to their mother and her country, they chose British Rose.

The store windows and decor honor the United Kingdom with the ever present Union Jack on pillows and banners throughout. They also have a variety of British foods and items from England.

Of course, they still reflect their Eastern Shore location with lots of beachy decor items and a back room full of fantastic wooden sculptures out of driftwood that would look perfect on a wall in a beach house.

They carry 10 local artists including woodworkers, photographers, and other high end crafters.

St. Amant said they try to carry items their guests will not find anywhere else.

Their inventory changes monthly and they love to hear from their customers on what they would like to see in the store.

“This has been a dream,” said St. Amant, who worked at Flowers by Alison when she was in high school and knew since then that she wanted to open a gift shop.

“The community has embraced us, all the merchants and staff in town.”

“This community is our life.  We have raised our families here and invested in the community.  We love to give back. And it all comes back ten fold.”

British Rose is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The store will have extended business hours over the holidays.