(Feb. 16, 2017) In a somewhat unusual move, the first item on the council agenda Monday night in Berlin was a presentation from Fin’s Ale House and Raw Bar owner Jeff Hamer.
Hamer recently had a positive experience opening a restaurant in the town, and he contrasted that with running eight other businesses in the Rehoboth, Delaware area.
“I’ve had a love affair with [Berlin] for almost 11 years now,” he said. “I watched this town grow and blossom and never actually thought I would be able to participate and be part of it.”
Despite advice from friends and colleagues to “never do business in Maryland,” he took a few calls last summer when a location opened up on Main Street.
At the time, he said, he had been working for close to a year on two other projects. Those – both based in Delaware – are still pending, while his Berlin restaurant opened in October.
“Literally every part of the process and permitting worked out great. We had our liquor license in 36 days,” he said.
He raved about a long talk he had with a member of town staff, which he said was unparalleled in his 25 years as a business owner, and said he was blown away by the participation during a recent Berlin Main Street and Berlin Chamber of Commerce meeting.
“There must have been 13 personnel from the city there and the focus of the meeting was how can we make all the events better,” he said. “We’ve never had a meeting, in my entire time in the city of Rehoboth, like that.
“That’s the difference about a city that wants to work with the businesses and a city that really doesn’t want to,” Hamer continued. “You can see why this Main Street and this town is flourishing.”
Hamer said the town was well run from the top down, and that approach was evident in the success of the downtown businesses and the pride of a community at large.
“We’ve had such great support … and I think that that’s all part of people loving their town and taking pride in what they have here. I’m very happy to be a part of it,” he said.
Berlin Mayor Gee Williams said the town was “trying to think of itself more as a family.”
“The folks that live here, we’re sharing this community,” he said. “They’re all family.
“We encourage all of our businesses to support each other. The days when everybody cut everybody’s throat basically ended with everybody bleeding to death,” Williams continued. “Wherever collaboration and cooperation is possible, we encourage it. And we have tremendous support and belief in that family system in our business community.”
Councilman Zack Tyndall agreed.
“Thank you for taking a chance on Maryland the Town of Berlin,” Tyndall said.
Hamer recently had a positive experience opening a restaurant in the town, and he contrasted that with running eight other businesses in the Rehoboth, Delaware area.
“I’ve had a love affair with [Berlin] for almost 11 years now,” he said. “I watched this town grow and blossom and never actually thought I would be able to participate and be part of it.”
Despite advice from friends and colleagues to “never do business in Maryland,” he took a few calls last summer when a location opened up on Main Street.
At the time, he said, he had been working for close to a year on two other projects. Those – both based in Delaware – are still pending, while his Berlin restaurant opened in October.
“Literally every part of the process and permitting worked out great. We had our liquor license in 36 days,” he said.
He raved about a long talk he had with a member of town staff, which he said was unparalleled in his 25 years as a business owner, and said he was blown away by the participation during a recent Berlin Main Street and Berlin Chamber of Commerce meeting.
“There must have been 13 personnel from the city there and the focus of the meeting was how can we make all the events better,” he said. “We’ve never had a meeting, in my entire time in the city of Rehoboth, like that.
“That’s the difference about a city that wants to work with the businesses and a city that really doesn’t want to,” Hamer continued. “You can see why this Main Street and this town is flourishing.”
Hamer said the town was well run from the top down, and that approach was evident in the success of the downtown businesses and the pride of a community at large.
“We’ve had such great support … and I think that that’s all part of people loving their town and taking pride in what they have here. I’m very happy to be a part of it,” he said.
Berlin Mayor Gee Williams said the town was “trying to think of itself more as a family.”
“The folks that live here, we’re sharing this community,” he said. “They’re all family.
“We encourage all of our businesses to support each other. The days when everybody cut everybody’s throat basically ended with everybody bleeding to death,” Williams continued. “Wherever collaboration and cooperation is possible, we encourage it. And we have tremendous support and belief in that family system in our business community.”
Councilman Zack Tyndall agreed.
“Thank you for taking a chance on Maryland the Town of Berlin,” Tyndall said.