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Thursday, January 5, 2012 — The Berlin Citizen
Business report
2011 full of surprises, disappointments, progress By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen
Business, in 2011, was all over the place. While that’s the case many years, the last few cycles have been especially volatile. Establishments came, and sometimes went. The year ended with the news that the Berlin Chamber of Commerce had suspended its operations, a sobering reality signaling that it will take a while for
the economy to make a significant rebound. The following story looks at a few of the business changes Berlin saw over the past few months, but it’s not comprehensive by any means. And not all of these examples are precisely in the business realm, some fall into categories of things that make a community vibrant and therefore attractive to business. Even items that relate to safety and community
Veterans Memorial Park is part of the town’s redevelopment plan for its central business district.
well-being have a business aspect to them. And although people are cautiously watching to see the recovery gain strength, Mayor Adam Salina has hinted, more than once, that good news is on the horizon. One big business change, in 2011, came on the Berlin Turnpike where a longstanding dispute between
Budget cuts caused the state fish hatchery on the Chamberlain Highway to close.
the town and the owners of VIP adult stores came to an end. The court case involving the property was dropped after owners of the former furniture store switched up plans and decided to open Chef ’s Emporium, a high-end kitchen and cooking supply specialty store. Also on the turnpike, at Brickyard Plaza, SYMS
clothing store partnered with Filene’s Basement in a marriage that promised to bring good things to the retail scene. However, within the year, the two companies had filed for bankruptcy and the stores put out the “going out of business” sale signs. Next door, another major re-
See Business, page 10
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