(Aug. 4, 2016) “Things are moving in a positive direction to fill some of the vacancies here,” Berlin’s Economic and Community Development director, Ivy Wells said last Friday.
Two stores on Main Street recently closed unexpectedly, and another shop will move to Snow Hill early next year.
“There are several people who want to occupy either Leaky Pete’s or Cupcakes in Bloom,” Wells said. “It’s up to the property owner to decide who’s going to be the tenant, but it’s in the works. They won’t be vacant for much longer.”
Wells added that the owner of the former Cupcakes in Bloom shop on 120 North Main Street had applied for façade grants to improve the exterior of the building.
“The façade grant program is really catching on again,” she said. “The owner of Victorian Charm just applied for one to repaint [the store], Lisa Hall is going to apply for one for the butcher shop, and Troy Purnell is going to apply for one for Main Street Sweets.”
Hall’s new butcher shop, on 101 Williams Street, has suffered minor setbacks, but could be open during early August. She had hoped to open in July.
“They’re coming to pour my concrete [this week],” Hall said. “I’m painting the walls [and] painting the floor, and then I’ll be ready to set my equipment and pull an inspection. I’m shooting now for the second week of August [to open].”
She said the shop would initially carry beef, poultry, pork and specialty meats, including lamb. It will also carry homemade sausages and spice rubs.
Another space on Main Street, next to Rayne’s Reef, has been a construction site all summer.
Eventually, that space will become a new clothing store, Fathom, owned by Hunter Smith and Devon Bostic. The sisters also own and operate Sea La Vie in Berlin.
“I think it was just a combination of things,” Smith said of the delays. “As of now, we still don’t have a set date – it’s still in the air. Hopefully this fall it gets done at some point, but then I don’t know if it would open because we close in January.”
Smith said Sea La Vie closes in January and February and that Fathom would likely be closed in January.
While she is waiting for the new business to open, Smith said business at the other shop, on 11 Artisans Way downtown, is going well.
“It seems busier than last year,” she said. “There are still a lot of people who are new and who haven’t been here before, so that’s really exciting.”
Snow Hill natives Richard and Debbie Seaton recently announced they would move Toy Town to Snow Hill once their lease expires in April. Wells said that space would likely be filled “as soon as they leave.”
“Oh, I’m working on that,” she said, adding that it was possible another Main Street store could move into the 4,800 square-foot space, one of the largest in town. “That’s a possibility. The good news is that I’m not worried that it’s going to be vacant, because I have several people that are interested.”
Two stores on Main Street recently closed unexpectedly, and another shop will move to Snow Hill early next year.
“There are several people who want to occupy either Leaky Pete’s or Cupcakes in Bloom,” Wells said. “It’s up to the property owner to decide who’s going to be the tenant, but it’s in the works. They won’t be vacant for much longer.”
Wells added that the owner of the former Cupcakes in Bloom shop on 120 North Main Street had applied for façade grants to improve the exterior of the building.
“The façade grant program is really catching on again,” she said. “The owner of Victorian Charm just applied for one to repaint [the store], Lisa Hall is going to apply for one for the butcher shop, and Troy Purnell is going to apply for one for Main Street Sweets.”
Hall’s new butcher shop, on 101 Williams Street, has suffered minor setbacks, but could be open during early August. She had hoped to open in July.
“They’re coming to pour my concrete [this week],” Hall said. “I’m painting the walls [and] painting the floor, and then I’ll be ready to set my equipment and pull an inspection. I’m shooting now for the second week of August [to open].”
She said the shop would initially carry beef, poultry, pork and specialty meats, including lamb. It will also carry homemade sausages and spice rubs.
Another space on Main Street, next to Rayne’s Reef, has been a construction site all summer.
Eventually, that space will become a new clothing store, Fathom, owned by Hunter Smith and Devon Bostic. The sisters also own and operate Sea La Vie in Berlin.
“I think it was just a combination of things,” Smith said of the delays. “As of now, we still don’t have a set date – it’s still in the air. Hopefully this fall it gets done at some point, but then I don’t know if it would open because we close in January.”
Smith said Sea La Vie closes in January and February and that Fathom would likely be closed in January.
While she is waiting for the new business to open, Smith said business at the other shop, on 11 Artisans Way downtown, is going well.
“It seems busier than last year,” she said. “There are still a lot of people who are new and who haven’t been here before, so that’s really exciting.”
Snow Hill natives Richard and Debbie Seaton recently announced they would move Toy Town to Snow Hill once their lease expires in April. Wells said that space would likely be filled “as soon as they leave.”
“Oh, I’m working on that,” she said, adding that it was possible another Main Street store could move into the 4,800 square-foot space, one of the largest in town. “That’s a possibility. The good news is that I’m not worried that it’s going to be vacant, because I have several people that are interested.”