VIENNA — The story of the economic recovery is bound to be a local one. As buying local is moving from quasi-fad to wise economic choice, small businesses all over the peninsula are rethinking the way they do business. Or rather, not so much the way but the attitude with which they proceed. Small businesses,… Read more »

WEST OCEAN CITY — As it turned out, Carl Glenn didn’t have to have Denise Venable killed, which was probably best for all involved. Glenn had developed the recipe that had made Smoker’s BBQ Pit famous and, like most experienced cooks with their own way of doing things, sometimes joked about having to kill anyone… Read more »

OCEAN CITY — In a town where there are plenty of opportunities for thrill-ride entertainment, a business has to be willing to rethink everything they know about adventure rides in order to remain at the forefront of the experience-ride pack.  Which is why it’s no surprise that the folks at Jolly Roger Amusements have added… Read more »

BERLIN — When John and Judy Fisher opened j.j. Fish Studio and Fine Craft Gallery 10 years ago, it was much more studio and fine craft gallery. In fact, initially the plan was to use the space as a way to show both John’s and Judy’s work while allowing them a place to produce for… Read more »

BERLIN — It was no accident that sisters Blair Parsons and Brooke Falck kept brown paper over the windows as they prepared to open TaDa Home. Not only did the sisters have a particular kind of anticipation to live up to, they also had confidence the store would exceed expectations. Pulling the paper down created… Read more »

BERLIN — If you haven’t been able to make it to one of Rita’s World of Beer, Wine, and Spirits’ weekly Friday wine tastings, no worries. Owner Rita O’Neill has arranged it so that whenever she’s open, there’s a tasting going on. O’Neill recently purchased a Wine Station by Napa Technologies that allows her to… Read more »

BERLIN — Leslie Carson claims to be the most fortunate customer ever to set foot in one of Wes Miles’ shops. Miles has been in the trading business for decades and has operated shops selling the antiques and oddities he’s acquired on planet wide expeditions from Baltimore to Bali in Trading Companies he’s had in… Read more »

BERLIN — After two years of ups and downs, Peggy Hagy and her son Jason have learned a little about running a coffee house but a lot about their customer base. Last week as the Berlin Coffee House prepared to celebrate its second anniversary and to begin its third tourist season, the Jason reflected on… Read more »

BERLIN – It’s been a whirlwind year for the ladies at the Baked Dessert Cafe but down economy or no they’ve become successful by being responsive to their customer base and learning to do what they do well better while discarding missteps as soon as they’ve been identified. Setting aside the quality of their cookies,… Read more »

WEST OCEAN CITY – Jack Shapiro got into the furniture business almost by accident. The Compass Resort Real Estate broker made a policy of not letting the best pieces go when he cleaned out a recently vacated house or traded out pieces for a home staging. “Eventually my mother’s garage was full so I opened… Read more »