Ocean City Today
BUSINESS PAGE 44
www.oceancitytoday.net
DECEMBER 28, 2012
This year, new retail shops and restaurants opened in Ocean City and throughout Worcester County, while others, unfortunately, called it quits. Others celebrated anniversaries while even more renovated and made changes within. These are some of the year’s top stories: LISA CAPITELLI ■ Assistant Editor
WEST OCEAN CITY: ■ Treasures By The Sea, located in the Decatur Business Center off Route 611, celebrated its grand opening Feb. 19. Owner Rachael Almony rents booth space to vendors who offer a variety of new and gently used merchandise, including clothing, jewelry, furniture, kitchenware, home decor, antiques and artwork. ■ Construction of a building on the Route 50 property Fashions For Less calls “home” wrapped up in January and the store opened Feb. 17. Hard to miss from Route 50 because of its eye-catching bright pink color, Fashions For Less is about 500 square feet of merchandise, which include rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, scarves, belts, sunglasses, among other items. When owner Donald McLane opened the Route 50 store, he had intentions for a second location in Ocean City. The Boardwalk was an ideal spot for the store. He noticed a “for rent” sign in one of the store windows in the Inlet Village, at the southern end of the Boardwalk. The family-run, 600 square-foot store opened on May 1. ■ Dani and Ryan Pogge opened Bungalow Seven on Route 50 near the Ocean City Park & Ride on March 10. The couple took over the former Boog’s BBQ & Drive-Thru building and tore it down in May 2011. Construction of a new building began in June. She traveled all over the country looking for women’s, men’s and junior’s fashion, clothing, accessories and other products. A room is dedicated to building skateboards. ■ Fin City Brewery, which operates on the second floor of Hooper’s, located at the foot of the Route 50 bridge, began brewing beer onsite in April. Vince Wright is the brewmaster. The five-barrel system can be seen from the dining area. Hooper’s hosted a party May 11, to showcase Fin City Brewery’s beers. ■ A Summer Savings Bash took place May 25-27, to celebrate the grand opening of the new Tanger Outlets (formerly Ocean City Factory Outlets) and introduce the community to the shopping center’s makeover. The company acquired the nearly 200,000-square-foot property in January. Renamed “Tanger Outlets Ocean City,” the group immediately began a $3 million cosmetic renovation project. Some stores have been expanded and others added. ■ Construction of a nearly 4,500-square-foot building in the Seaside Village Shopping Center, next to Applebee’s, began in mid-February. A new West Ocean City Chick-fil-A restaurant opened June 7. Also within the shopping center, an 8,000square-foot building in the Seaside Village Shopping Center houses Mattress Warehouse, which opened in June, and Chipotle Mexican Grill, which opened July 10. ■ Terri Parsley opened Salon by the Bay, in Assateague Square on Route 611, in April and celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and party June 22. She took over the space in January and renovated the area. Salon by the Bay offers pedicures, manicures, waxing, facials, chair massages and airbrush spray tanning as well as hair services
for men, women and children. ■ Hooters of Ocean City has been serving its famous wings to customers on 123rd Street since the mid-90s. In June 2010, the business opened a restaurant on the Boardwalk at Fifth Street and on June 14, opened a third location in West Ocean City. The vacant building on Route 50 and Keyser Point Road, formerly home to a Dough Roller and most recently Osborn’s Westside Grille, is approximately 6,000 square feet. The interior was remodeled and space for a merchandise shop was constructed. ■ Larry Friedman has specialized in fine sporting firearms for more that 25 years. He acquired a vacant unit in the Teal Marsh Shopping Center in October. He built cabinets to showcase his shotguns, handguns and rifles, painted and installed hardwood floors and opened Larry’s Trading Post on Feb. 29. Friedman is an authorized Beretta dealer and also sells guns manufactured by Perazzi, SKB, Zoli, Colt, S&W and Sig Sauer. ■ Locals Beer & Wine store at Route 50 and Jerry Mack Road in the Royal Plus Business Center features approximately 325 different kinds of wine, from very dry to sweet dessert blends and more than 45 beers. General Manager Greg Fields, who has more than 20 years experience in the bar, restaurant and retail industries, opened the store June 15. The space, which was previously used by Royal Plus for storage, was transformed into a beer and wine store in less than one month. ■ Each year, Sunset Grille in West Ocean City receives some sort of upgrade or improvement. This year, the restaurant doubled in size with the addition of “The Bridge” rooftop bar and first-floor dining area. The original Caribbean island-themed restaurant, which opened in 2004, is 90 feet long and the addition measures 92 feet. The upstairs “bridge” features seating for approximately 90 guests. It opened just in time for the July 4 weekend. ■ Mark Carroll and his wife, Rachel, opened Beach Adventure Rentals in mid-July. Located in the Teal Marsh Shopping Center, the rental business offers Jeep Wranglers that are already tagged and equipped to drive onto the Assateague Island National Seashore’s Over Sand Vehicle area. ■ Ron Gossard thought about opening a shop, featuring stand up paddleboards and accessories, but it wasn’t until he met Sandy and Beth Deeley that his dream became a reality. They opened Walk on Water Stand Up Paddle Company in Assateague Square, off Route 611, July 4. ■ Angie Gillis worked as an interior designer and decorator for more than 20 years. As the economy took a downturn, she closed her interior design studio and created a business plan for Encore Events. A ribbon-cutting for the business venture was Oct. 6, at her studio, located in the Decatur Business Center. Encore Events, a division of A Change of Space Design Studio, Inc., specializes in “unique creations using natural elements” for a variety of occasions, from weddings to birthdays, baby showers and dinner parties. ■ Kathy Slaughter wants clients’ four-legged friends to feel relaxed and comfortable during
their grooming session at her new business, OC Pet Spa, off Route 611 in the Assateague Square Center. She opened Oct. 5. A bath, ear cleaning, teeth brushing, haircut and blow dry, are among the services provided through the full-service treatment. A do-it-yourself station is also open for clients to wash their own pets. ■ Around Sound Music, in the Decatur Business Center on Route 611, just offered private and group vocal and instrumental lessons when owners Lori Thompson and Gina Servant opened last summer. Currently, 45 students are taking lessons at the studio. Several of the students have formed a band, under the direction of Thompson. In early September, Around Sound Music expanded into the unit next door. Around Sound Music has expanded it offerings, now providing art and drama/theater classes as well as special activities and open mic nights. Rentals of new and used instruments is still available. ■ Razzio’s Italian Deli and Market, located on Route 611 and Sunset Avenue in West Ocean City opened Nov. 2. Freshly made pasta dishes, Italian subs, pizza, paninis and desserts are just some of the items available. Many of the entrees are made with a family recipe marinara sauce, which may also be purchased in jars. Pre-made and packaged meals and desserts are stocked in the refrigerator so customers can “grab and go.” Razzio’s market features hard-to-find items imported from Italy. Razzio’s, owned by Victoria Simmons, only offers carry-out at this time. ■ Station 7 Restaurant opened Nov. 29, in the building formerly home to 707 Sports Bar & Grill, on Route 707 in West Ocean City. Owner Todd Wampler, who partnered with Ben Cooper, Mark Sens and Rob “Doc” DuVall in the business venture, took over the space Feb. 1. Renovations began immediately. The theme of the West Ocean City location is the same as Wampler’s other two Station 7 restaurants: an homage to fire companies.
OCEAN CITY: ■ South Moon Under’s first store, a small surf shack, opened in the summer of 1968 in Ocean City and since then, the company has steadily continued to expand, opening its 18th store in early October. “We were originally a full-on surf shop with swimwear and some clothing,” owner Frank Gunion said of the first South Moon Under, which was located in the 33rd Street area. “Today, we are a contemporary clothing store for men and women. While we still have some surf lines, we are clearly oriented to contemporary men’s and women’s clothing. Also, [we] have lots of shoes, swimwear, jewelry and items for the house.” South Moon Under stores can be found in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. New stores are planned in New Jersey and Virginia in 2013. ■ The Art League of Ocean City has been in its temporary headquarters since Jan. 16, in the former Susquehanna Bank building on 94th Street located in the Super Fresh parking lot. The ALOC had called a 1,200-square-foot building off
94th Street home since 1984, but it outgrew that space and the facility closed the week before Christmas 2011. Just yards away, the former Susquehanna Bank building, at approximately 2,200 square feet, had been empty for about two years. On April 15, there was a groundbreaking at the future home of the Ocean City Center for the Arts. The old building was torn down about a week later. The ALOC offers classes, programs and showcased exhibits in the temporary building until construction of the new, 7,500-square-foot arts Center for the Arts is completed. Rina Thaler is the newly appointed executive director of the Ocean City Center for the Arts. ■ After 25 years of serving customers in a quaint and cozy building near the inlet, Adolfo’s Restaurant owners Kimberly and David Griffin moved their business a bit farther north into the Boardwalk’s Beach Plaza Hotel on 13th Street. The restaurant reopened April 4. On March 24, the final night in its former home — a building constructed in 1881 — many loyal, longtime customers stopped by for dinner and cocktails. ■ Since opening more than 50 years ago, The Embers has “built up, out, every direction” to accommodate changing times and growing popularity. Now, with a canal on one side and Coastal Highway on another, it seems the 24th Street restaurant has limited space to expand. But the Taustin family developed the perfect resolution to prevent the resort landmark from becoming stagnant: expand the property. Blu restaurant opened in time for the influx of seasonal visitors. The crab house restaurant, is adjacent to The Embers, and specializes in Maryland blue crabs, but also features light fare and dinner entrees as well as a raw bar. ■ Jeff Burton designed the menu for Taphouse Bar & Grille, which he and wife, Juli, opened May 27, 2011, in the Paradise Plaza Inn on Ninth Street and the Boardwalk, around the more than 20 beers offered in the restaurant. Now, as the general manager and executive chef of the 45th Street Taphouse Bar & Grille, Burton, who is passionate about his food, again used beer to create the new restaurant’s fare. Thirty-six beers are on tap at the 45th Street location. Several shops in the 45th Street Village were torn down to the foundation frames and the restaurant was constructed. The 45th Street Taphouse opened March 16. To the right is OC Steamers, a seafood restaurant. The building to the left of the Taphouse houses a beer and wine market. Both opened during the summer. ■ Prior to purchasing the Second Street and Philadelphia Avenue property on Jan. 4, Wally Saleh contacted the Dollar Store company, based in Las Vegas, about a franchise opportunity. After a fresh coat of paint, new flooring and electric and construction of isles and shelves to hold the more that 30,000 items, the 3,200-square-foot OC Dollar Store opened March 6. An assortment of merchandise, including toys, party goods, groceries, snacks, pet supplies, kitchenware items, cleaning and automotive products, all of which costs just $1, is available. ■ The new Peebles store in the Gold Coast Mall on 115th Street opened April 18. The depart-