JOSH DAVIS/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
Toy Town Antiques owners Richard and Debbie Seaton posted storefront signs this week letting customers know town officials had closed the store. Meanwhile, the Seatons are close to an agreement to open a satellite location in downtown Berlin.

By Rachel Ravina, Staff Writer

(Dec. 26, 2019) Despite a tumultuous year, Toy Town’s Snow Hill location is open for business. But getting to that point was one big mess.

In 2016, the Town of Snow Hill offered Richard and Debbie Seaton the deed to the former Outten building at the intersection of Market and Washington streets for their Toy Town store, providing they met certain standards.

The 6,800-square-foot building, which sat vacant for nearly three decades, needed renovations, so the deal was that the Seatons would pay for improvements and utilities within a five-year period. The arrangement was recorded in a 2016 memorandum of understanding between the business owners, three members of the town council and former mayor Charlie Dorman.

The renovations also included repairing the façade, and having the work verified by a code enforcement officer designated by the town.

Richard Seaton said that Snow Hill Code Enforcement Officer Jon Hill came to the shop on Feb. 27 with a sheriff’s deputy and “gave me a civil citation for not having an occupancy (permit), and said that my court date would be sent to me.”

The store had been operating for more than two years, according to Seaton. Town officials implemented an accelerated timeline, citing safety concerns, despite the fact that both parties signed a five-year agreement.

“Well, we’ve not had [a certificate of occupancy] for two years, because [Hill] promised me one and never gave me the damned thing,” Seaton said. “I’ve been open for two and a half years. In other words, can you tell they’re trying to play a little bit of hardball here?”

Following the closure officials cordoned off the Snow Hill store with caution tape and cones.

“Several immediate safety concerns with the building currently occupied by Toy Town Antiques were identified by reputable and licensed third-party engineers. The Town of Snow Hill has made several attempts to work with Toy Town Antiques to address these safety concerns in a timely manner, but unfortunately have not been able to reach a solution. The Town of Snow Hill has a duty to ensure the safety of the public. Therefore, it could not allow the dangerous conditions to go unremedied any longer. The matter is now before the court, and, as such, no further comment will be forthcoming,” town officials said in a Feb. 27 statement.

The Seatons sued the town to recoup the roughly $150,000 to $200,000 they’ve already put into restoring the building. The case of State of Maryland vs. Richard Seaton Jr. at the District Court for Worcester County in Snow Hill took place in April.

“I am not welcome in this town anymore. They’re doing everything they can do to get me out of here,” Seaton said.

For several days, a sign “CLOSED BY TOWN HALL until further notice” was on the shop’s façade.

“We’re going to go over and meet with [Snow Hill’s] attorney at the building and we’ll have a discussion there,” said Attorney Randy Coates. “Based on that discussion, we may or may not be able to open.”

In the meantime, the Seatons decided to open a secondary location in Berlin. They held a soft opening on March 18 at the new shop on 8 Pitts St.

“I love Toy Town,” said Ivy Wells, Berlin’s economic and community development director. “When I saw that they were having some difficulties, I knew that we would welcome them back.”

The new location had several types of products, including vintage toys, dolls, toy cars, trains, and comic books.

Prior to opening the Snow Hill satellite store, the couple operated Toy Town in a 4,800-square-foot space on Main Street in Berlin.

Following the lawsuit, the Seatons reopened Toy Town’s Washington Street location on Aug. 2.

Code Facilitator Kevin Brown gave the Seatons the all-clear after they met the repair requirements.

Seaton also said several officials previously involved with the closure were no longer in their respective positions.

“I’ve felt like the officials there did not want us there,” Seaton said. “They’re all gone. We have new people in charge now.”

Seaton also said he appreciated the efforts of Gary Weber, the new mayor of Snow Hill, who was sworn into office in June, in working to get the store reopened.

“It looks like he’s a great mayor,” Seaton said.