Business

BERLIN — Tex-Mex & Beyond hit the “restart” button, with a May 11 re-grand opening of the renovated boarding house at 119 Main St. Tara Wancowicz has been managing the restaurant since it opened on Labor Day 2012. She said the reason for the re-grand opening was to introduce Chef Jason Purkey to the community. Purkey does everything from prep to presentation, according to Wancowicz. “He even makes the homemade desserts,” she said. Dessert offerings include banana bread pudding, coconut crème pie, flan, strawberry shortcake and tres leches, she said. The menu includes a wide selection of favorites for Mexican cuisine lovers. It includes staples such chili relleno, burritos, empanadas, nachos rancheros, quesadillas, handcrafted tamales, and tortilla soup. Just the right prescription for a set of taste buds needing a spicy and affordable indulgence. But Wancowicz said one misconception the owner sought to avoid, with the name of the eatery, was t...

OCEAN PINES — Shooter’s Sports Pub on Racetrack Road opened just in time for Kentucky Derby weekend last Friday. The venture attracted 200 customers in its maiden run and is the brainchild of pub owners Charles Blake, Chris Ward and Vincent Wood, who have freshened up the former Steer Inn site with boldly painted walls and ceiling to lighten up the “man cave” for guys and gals. With the billiards and electronic sports games, the pub looks like a comfortable Friday night hangout spot. Wood is a lab technician, who makes animal vaccines and has 20 years of restaurant experience, having worked at the Royal Exchange in Salisbury, Waterman’s Cove and the Marina Deck. Blake, who owns B&B Security, also worked at the Marina Deck. Ward, who is a videographer at Seacrets, is the newest member of the trio. The décor is definitely shooting for a sports bar feel, with team and bar memorabilia on the walls, windows and light fixtures and football grid carp...

DAGSBORO, Del. — If only Frank Capra was still around, he’d probably appreciate the irony of his films being used for Joanne Howe’s “Save the Place” campaign to fund a needed upgrade to digital movie projector technology for her 65-year-old Clayton Theatre. Howe, who bought the movie theater with her husband in 2000, is still showing first run movies like “Les Miserables” in 35 mm celluloid film on the original MotioGraph projector that came with the building, which was built in 1948. But MotioGraph went out of business because its products never broke down, she said. Fast forward to the new era of cinema, where imaging in general is now going digital. “We knew it was coming,” she said, with film manufacturers Kodak in bankruptcy and Fuji no longer making film stock. But the sudden decision of major studios last year to save millions by no longer printing film in the 35 mm format has forced Howe to accelerate her conversion to ...

BERLIN — When the town of Berlin expanded its water and sewer connections to Route 113 through annexation two years ago, John Derrickson saw it as an opportunity to use the former Sherwood Ford building he has owned since 2002. The building at 9040 Worcester Highway had been sitting vacant next to his John’s Autobody Repair and Towing service. But in late February, Derrickson will open his second “Sunshine Laundry” with state-of-the-art washers and dryers in a newly renovated facility with 24-hour high-tech surveillance. He is planning to have a grand opening for the laundromat, which is on the south side of the building. The paint is still drying and the lights were being turned on the day Bayside Gazette visited, but the first thing you notice is the upscale décor with its warm colors, café tables and potted plants. Beach-themed murals by local artists Eric Huntington, Pam Mason and Kathy Denk, along with whimsical signs throughout, give a w...

Berlin – For shoppers looking for something unique, there is a wide selection of items that can be found only in the varied shops of downtown Berlin.  Beginning at the north end of town, Toy Town Antiques on North Main Street has a floor filled with classic items from all eras. There are classic pub games such as a pinball table and quarter shooting gallery game along with Byer's Choice hand-made figurines from Pennsylvania, which are new but look vintage. Coconut Bay Trading Company on William St. is also packed with antiques, some even centuries old. "Everything here is unique," co-owner Leslie Carson said. Some rare items include 19th century Russian Orthodox icons of Madonna and Child, Buddhist statues and a half-hull of a ship built in Maine in the late 1800s called Cyrus Wakefield. Other choices for those looking for vintage is Town Center Antiques, which has two locations, one on North Main Street and a second on Pitt Street. Both are filled with a varie...

BERLIN — Knitting and crocheting enthusiasts now have access to a bountiful selection of vibrant and varied yarn and accessories since A Little Bit Sheepish on South Main Street in downtown Berlin officially opened its doors yesterday, Nov. 14. “Opening a yarn shop is something I've always wanted to do,” said owner of the independent shop, Brenda Trice. Trice said he has spent her entire adult life invested in the world of knitting and crocheting, a hobby that has led to her becoming an expert on the assorted materials and techniques associated with the craft. Hundreds of diverse bundles of yarn made with numerous colors and fabrics are stocked, giving customers a seemingly endless possibility of designs, whether the product of their work is a simple blanket, a hat or an entire wardrobe. “I have always loved the different colors and textures,” Trice said. Much of the yarn is produced by companies in the United States. This would include lace...

 BERLIN – Murder mystery dinners with a humorous twist have been presented at The Globe on Broad Street in downtown Berlin for years, and its core group of about a dozen local actors have grown so close, each entertainer bounces off of the another effortlessly to provide the audience with a fun, interactive and "PG" rated evening. "We're all kind of a big family," said Tony Matrona, member of “Murder for Hire,” the acting group that comes to The Globe at least once a month to perform a two-hour murder mystery dinner in its upstairs dining room. Each show is a new script that is almost always based on a current event, as exemplified by the most recent showing on Friday called, "Dying to Debate." In that show, one of two candidates vying for a Worcester County position suddenly fell to the ground in the middle of the debate and was subsequently pronounced dead. Before the show begins, the actors come out to the floor in characte...

 OCEAN PINES — Despite what his name implies, Chef Bland creates recipes that are far from tasteless. As executive chef of the Ocean Pines Yacht Club, Chett Bland has made some significant changes to the menu that are fresh, creative and full of flavor. “Our menu changes constantly,” said Bland, who joined the Yacht Club in early September. Gone is every item from the original menu, save for its crab cake sandwich. Now, the menu is full of mouthwatering entrees such as herb crusted tuna, caramelized rockfish, chicken Chesapeake and farm vegetable risotto. Each dish features fresh ingredients made from local products. Chef Bland routinely visits farmers markets in Ocean Pines, Berlin, Salisbury and even lower Delaware to buy fruits, vegetables and herbs. His creativity with every concoction is impeccable; he can instantly transform a dish by adding just a few extra ingredients. A rich and creamy potato soup changed texture and taste when he added in a sprink...

 BERLIN – Featuring brand-name designers such as Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Cabi and Tori Burch, Bruder Hill's new consignment store, The Closet, offers quality clothes, shoes, purses and accessories. Although the merchandise sold at The Closet is used, anything found there is of the same fashion standard of all other women's clothing and accessories sold in the store. "If it doesn't belong up front, we won't hang it up in the back," said Holly Taranto, consignment partner of The Closet, which is located in the back of Bruder Hill on Commerce Street in downtown Berlin. Taranto, who also runs Eastern Shore Golf Magazine with her husband, Ray, is in charge of meeting with customers who wish to sell their high-end clothes and accessories. As a fan of fashion, Taranto has come to know who the top designers are and uses her knowledge along with a little research to give people a fair price offer. "We're being more specific with what we choose now," Taranto sai...