Comptroller Brooke Lierman visits with Innkeeper Maya Tomasello at The Inn Berlin during a walking tour of Berlin.

By Cindy Hoffman, Staff Writer

(June 29, 2023) Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman took time out of the Maryland Municipal League conference in Ocean City to visit Mayor Zach Tyndall and get a tour of Berlin on Monday.

Lierman, who is from Baltimore City, had never visited Berlin before, so when Tyndall offered to give her a tour of Berlin, she took him up on it.

The tour started at the Mermaid Museum, owned by Alyssa Maloof, one of many women-owned businesses in town. Lierman was welcomed by a few local mermaids and perused the collection of mermaid myth, art, and memorabilia.

Next, Tyndall took her to Main Street, where a stretch of storefront has been under construction. Chris Larmore, the project manager, greeted Lierman and Tyndall and invited them in to see the construction.

Larmore said the property consists of 10,000 square feet and will include four store fronts and nine apartments on the second floor. The business space has already been fully rented.

Larmore said tax credits helped with the project, which is owned by Blue Water Development.

“The commercial properties should be complete by the end of next week,” Larmore said.

The next stop was the Island Creamery, where Tyndall and Lierman sampled what some people consider the best ice cream in the country.

This fact will be confirmed when USA Today releases the results of their survey on July 7. Island Creamery has been constantly running at first or second place throughout the contest.

Lierman had the chance to meet Jen Sorrell, a member of the family that owns Island Creamery. Sorrell manages the Berlin and Salisbury stores.

Their final stop was The Inn Berlin on Harrison Avenue. Innkeeper Maya Tomasello greeted Lierman and Tyndall and gave them a tour of the centuries old house, now a bed and breakfast.

Tomasello was happy to meet Lierman. “I send her a [tax] check every month. She should see the small businesses that make up the state of Maryland.”

“I feel like I am back in Cape Cod,” Lierman said.

Tomasello talked to Lierman about her gluten-free kitchen.

“Her business drives a different type of commerce to Berlin,” Tyndall said.

While the inn caters only to guests currently, Tomasello hopes to open up one night a week for public dining in the future.

At the end of the tour, Lierman said she was here to help local businesses.

“It’s important to build relationships. That way they feel like they can ask for help when they need it,” she said.