(Sept. 7, 2017) After a two-decade run in downtown Berlin, TaDa will close its shop doors for good in October.
The business will reopen as Bruder Home, a sister store to Bruder Hill, later that month.
TaDa, run by Patty Falck and her daughter, Blair Parsons, opened during Thanksgiving weekend, 1996.
“In early November of that year, my mom told my dad, Steve, that she had some good news and some bad news. Good news is that she was opening a store in Berlin to feature her artwork and hand-painted glassware. The bad news is that she wanted to use the front of his custom home-building office on Williams Street as her storefront,” Parsons said. “She eventually expanded past the front room, he moved his office across the street and 13 years later we moved TaDa to its current location on Main Street.”
Parsons opened her own store, Blair Elizabeth, in 2007 in Rehoboth. She said a series of events brought her back to Berlin two years later.
“My father was diagnosed with multiple system atrophy, TaDa’s lease on Williams Street was up for renewal, and the 18 North Main Street space became available,” she said. “I decided to leave Rehoboth to take over TaDa and move the store to Main Street.
“I think I brought a younger, more modern taste to TaDa, while taking some of the pressure off of my mom so she could care for my dad,” Parsons continued. “My sister is a full-time teacher, but she has always had a hand in helping my mom restore furniture and build frames for her artwork.”
She said the decision to sell stemmed from a conversation Falck had with Shelly Bruder, owner of Bruder Hill, last June.
Larnet St. Amant, executive director of the Berlin Chamber of Commerce, helps to run Bruder Hill and is expected to be a large part of Bruder Home.
“We weren’t really looking to sell TaDa,” Parsons said. “We love being a part of Berlin and have enjoyed helping it grow into what it is today.
“This past June my mom and Shelly were chatting about the store and my mom mentioned that it would be great if someone came along that could take over the store and keep her artwork and so much of what TaDa is known for, so that we could have more time to focus on our creative pursuits,” she added. “They quickly realized that Shelly would be the perfect person to do that and called me with the idea. I was thrilled.”
In addition to running TaDa, Parsons and her husband, Joseph, run Steamers, a carryout crab and seafood market in Millville, Delaware.
“I spend most of my summer split between the two businesses and my other position as a sales representative for Nora Fleming, a gift-line in the mid-Atlantic area,” Parsons said. “As much as I love owning and running TaDa, I realized that three full time jobs was wearing on me. Shelly and Larnet are so talented and energetic, it was an easy decision to pass on our legacy to them. I can’t wait to see how they turn TaDa into Bruder Home and make it their own.”
Parsons said she would miss the customers at TaDa, as well as the neighboring shop owners, many of whom have become like family.
“I love Berlin and everything about being a business owner there,” she said. “There is something magical about the way everyone works together in town, and I am very proud to have been a part of such a wonderful community.”
She remembers sneaking off this summer to Island Creamery with Emily Cook Vocke, owner of Heart of Gold Kids.
“We were standing out in front of TaDa, talking to Devon and Hunter from Fathom about things in the town, and how delicious the ice cream was, when a friend of ours walked up,” Parsons said. “She said it must be so fun to work surrounded by all of these great people and to get to hang out on the sidewalk and chat. Anyone who is lucky enough to be a part of the community of business owners in Berlin knows how special that feeling is and that is what I will miss the most.”
Parsons said she would take off some time during the transition, but that she and her mom had plenty of ideas for continued collaboration.
“My mom and I have heard for years from customers that they wish their houses could look like TaDa. We are very excited to say that’s possible now with the launch of TaDa Interiors,” she said. “My dad had a custom home-building company and before starting the store, my mom’s background was interior design and they often collaborated on projects.
“I know she’s looking forward to focusing on her painting and returning to her interior design roots by offering design services to clients in the coastal area,” Parsons continued. “I am looking forward to working with her and spending more time with my husband at Steamers, and I can’t wait to see where this takes us all in the future.”
Bruder said many of the items offered at TaDa would carry over to Bruder Home, including Falck’s artwork.
She said the store would close on Oct. 15 and that she hoped to have it up and running, rebranded, within a week.
“It’s going to be turnkey,” she said. “We’re purchasing all their shelving and display stuff, so we’ll pretty much be going in and opening the doors.”
Bruder said a grand opening with new items would likely be held next April.
“We’re very excited and I’m happy that they talked to me about doing it,” she said. “Larnet is excited and we both came from a gift background – we both worked for Flowers by Alison [in West Ocean City] for years.”
After running Bruder Hill on Commerce Street for 15 years, she’s also looking forward to the move to Main Street.
“Even yesterday someone came in and said, ‘we’ve been coming here for years and didn’t know you were here,’” Bruder said. “We’ll be sending a ton of people [to the store]. We plan to really cross-market.”
For more information on Bruder Hill, visit www.facebook.com
/bruderhill.
The business will reopen as Bruder Home, a sister store to Bruder Hill, later that month.
TaDa, run by Patty Falck and her daughter, Blair Parsons, opened during Thanksgiving weekend, 1996.
“In early November of that year, my mom told my dad, Steve, that she had some good news and some bad news. Good news is that she was opening a store in Berlin to feature her artwork and hand-painted glassware. The bad news is that she wanted to use the front of his custom home-building office on Williams Street as her storefront,” Parsons said. “She eventually expanded past the front room, he moved his office across the street and 13 years later we moved TaDa to its current location on Main Street.”
Parsons opened her own store, Blair Elizabeth, in 2007 in Rehoboth. She said a series of events brought her back to Berlin two years later.
“My father was diagnosed with multiple system atrophy, TaDa’s lease on Williams Street was up for renewal, and the 18 North Main Street space became available,” she said. “I decided to leave Rehoboth to take over TaDa and move the store to Main Street.
“I think I brought a younger, more modern taste to TaDa, while taking some of the pressure off of my mom so she could care for my dad,” Parsons continued. “My sister is a full-time teacher, but she has always had a hand in helping my mom restore furniture and build frames for her artwork.”
She said the decision to sell stemmed from a conversation Falck had with Shelly Bruder, owner of Bruder Hill, last June.
Larnet St. Amant, executive director of the Berlin Chamber of Commerce, helps to run Bruder Hill and is expected to be a large part of Bruder Home.
“We weren’t really looking to sell TaDa,” Parsons said. “We love being a part of Berlin and have enjoyed helping it grow into what it is today.
“This past June my mom and Shelly were chatting about the store and my mom mentioned that it would be great if someone came along that could take over the store and keep her artwork and so much of what TaDa is known for, so that we could have more time to focus on our creative pursuits,” she added. “They quickly realized that Shelly would be the perfect person to do that and called me with the idea. I was thrilled.”
In addition to running TaDa, Parsons and her husband, Joseph, run Steamers, a carryout crab and seafood market in Millville, Delaware.
“I spend most of my summer split between the two businesses and my other position as a sales representative for Nora Fleming, a gift-line in the mid-Atlantic area,” Parsons said. “As much as I love owning and running TaDa, I realized that three full time jobs was wearing on me. Shelly and Larnet are so talented and energetic, it was an easy decision to pass on our legacy to them. I can’t wait to see how they turn TaDa into Bruder Home and make it their own.”
Parsons said she would miss the customers at TaDa, as well as the neighboring shop owners, many of whom have become like family.
“I love Berlin and everything about being a business owner there,” she said. “There is something magical about the way everyone works together in town, and I am very proud to have been a part of such a wonderful community.”
She remembers sneaking off this summer to Island Creamery with Emily Cook Vocke, owner of Heart of Gold Kids.
“We were standing out in front of TaDa, talking to Devon and Hunter from Fathom about things in the town, and how delicious the ice cream was, when a friend of ours walked up,” Parsons said. “She said it must be so fun to work surrounded by all of these great people and to get to hang out on the sidewalk and chat. Anyone who is lucky enough to be a part of the community of business owners in Berlin knows how special that feeling is and that is what I will miss the most.”
Parsons said she would take off some time during the transition, but that she and her mom had plenty of ideas for continued collaboration.
“My mom and I have heard for years from customers that they wish their houses could look like TaDa. We are very excited to say that’s possible now with the launch of TaDa Interiors,” she said. “My dad had a custom home-building company and before starting the store, my mom’s background was interior design and they often collaborated on projects.
“I know she’s looking forward to focusing on her painting and returning to her interior design roots by offering design services to clients in the coastal area,” Parsons continued. “I am looking forward to working with her and spending more time with my husband at Steamers, and I can’t wait to see where this takes us all in the future.”
Bruder said many of the items offered at TaDa would carry over to Bruder Home, including Falck’s artwork.
She said the store would close on Oct. 15 and that she hoped to have it up and running, rebranded, within a week.
“It’s going to be turnkey,” she said. “We’re purchasing all their shelving and display stuff, so we’ll pretty much be going in and opening the doors.”
Bruder said a grand opening with new items would likely be held next April.
“We’re very excited and I’m happy that they talked to me about doing it,” she said. “Larnet is excited and we both came from a gift background – we both worked for Flowers by Alison [in West Ocean City] for years.”
After running Bruder Hill on Commerce Street for 15 years, she’s also looking forward to the move to Main Street.
“Even yesterday someone came in and said, ‘we’ve been coming here for years and didn’t know you were here,’” Bruder said. “We’ll be sending a ton of people [to the store]. We plan to really cross-market.”
For more information on Bruder Hill, visit www.facebook.com
/bruderhill.