(Dec. 1, 2016) Berlin Coffee House announced in November last year it would host a “Maryland with Pride” popup shop inside the store, selling a variety of food and gift items made in the Free State.
When the coffee house closes for good on Dec. 23, many of those items will no longer be available in the town.
Owner Peggy Hagy said the popup performed very well at first, with many of the items selling out quickly. Once those orders were replenished, however, sales slowed.
“Last year we blitzed through it,” she said. “I think the whole year’s been slow, so I don’t think there’s anything specific that went wrong – I just think it’s been a slow year.”
Several of the items she carried at the launch did not sell and were discontinued early. Others, like Mama Vida sauces and Jill’s Jams, performed especially well.
Hagy said she would easily recommend the popup to other merchants, despite the uneven results.
“It would be grand,” she said. “The companies have been great and the jams are delicious. We sold a lot by using them on the bagels and waffles when we were doing waffles. I doubled the order [on those items] that I did last year.”
Before closing, she hopes to be able to unload all remaining Maryland with Pride items. She still has Mama Vida mango pineapple salsa (“it’s great on ribs,” Hagy said), artichoke crab dip and crab marinara. The latter is made with Maryland crabs from the Chesapeake Bay, and Hagy compared it favorably to “Maryland crab soup on pasta.”
Sunflower seeds and peanuts from Jeppi Nut & Candy Company, and Jill’s Jams products from Westminster, are also still available.
Berlin Economic and Community Development Director Ivy Wells helped set up the popup and said she considered it a success.
“Bringing items made in Maryland through the Department of Housing and Community Development’s ‘Maryland with Pride’ initiative was a wonderful addition to the Berlin Coffee House,” she said. “Now, many of the other Berlin businesses sell Maryland and Berlin-made products. It doesn’t get more local than that.
“I wish Peggy all the best in her retirement and loved working with her on the Maryland with Pride promotion,” Wells added.
Hagy said her theme for the remainder of the year – down to just a few weeks now – is “this is it!”
“When everything is gone, it’s gone,” she said. “But I’ve enjoyed it. Some people think we’re already closed, but we want them to know Dec. 23 is the last customer day.”
She is also selling items from the coffee shop, which can be picked up between Dec. 19 and 22. That includes bistro tables and stools ($50 for a set), coffee carafes ($15 for a single or $25 for double pots) and cappuccino cups and saucers ($15 for a set of six).
Commercial kitchen items available include a UL microwave ($25), UL convection oven ($300) and a small chest freezer ($150).
For more information on Maryland with Pride, visit www.marylandwithpride.org.
When the coffee house closes for good on Dec. 23, many of those items will no longer be available in the town.
Owner Peggy Hagy said the popup performed very well at first, with many of the items selling out quickly. Once those orders were replenished, however, sales slowed.
“Last year we blitzed through it,” she said. “I think the whole year’s been slow, so I don’t think there’s anything specific that went wrong – I just think it’s been a slow year.”
Several of the items she carried at the launch did not sell and were discontinued early. Others, like Mama Vida sauces and Jill’s Jams, performed especially well.
Hagy said she would easily recommend the popup to other merchants, despite the uneven results.
“It would be grand,” she said. “The companies have been great and the jams are delicious. We sold a lot by using them on the bagels and waffles when we were doing waffles. I doubled the order [on those items] that I did last year.”
Before closing, she hopes to be able to unload all remaining Maryland with Pride items. She still has Mama Vida mango pineapple salsa (“it’s great on ribs,” Hagy said), artichoke crab dip and crab marinara. The latter is made with Maryland crabs from the Chesapeake Bay, and Hagy compared it favorably to “Maryland crab soup on pasta.”
Sunflower seeds and peanuts from Jeppi Nut & Candy Company, and Jill’s Jams products from Westminster, are also still available.
Berlin Economic and Community Development Director Ivy Wells helped set up the popup and said she considered it a success.
“Bringing items made in Maryland through the Department of Housing and Community Development’s ‘Maryland with Pride’ initiative was a wonderful addition to the Berlin Coffee House,” she said. “Now, many of the other Berlin businesses sell Maryland and Berlin-made products. It doesn’t get more local than that.
“I wish Peggy all the best in her retirement and loved working with her on the Maryland with Pride promotion,” Wells added.
Hagy said her theme for the remainder of the year – down to just a few weeks now – is “this is it!”
“When everything is gone, it’s gone,” she said. “But I’ve enjoyed it. Some people think we’re already closed, but we want them to know Dec. 23 is the last customer day.”
She is also selling items from the coffee shop, which can be picked up between Dec. 19 and 22. That includes bistro tables and stools ($50 for a set), coffee carafes ($15 for a single or $25 for double pots) and cappuccino cups and saucers ($15 for a set of six).
Commercial kitchen items available include a UL microwave ($25), UL convection oven ($300) and a small chest freezer ($150).
For more information on Maryland with Pride, visit www.marylandwithpride.org.