GCAC October/November 2019 ‘Good News’ Newsletter

11/27/2019

Well, hello, out there! Did you miss me? Things have gotten pretty hectic in my life, so I have decided to do the newsletter every two months in the off-season. There is still so much happening, so let’s get right to it:

Linton’s Seafood Booming!
Owners Harvey and Octavia Linton report that they have had a banner year at Linton’s Seafood located at 4500 Crisfield Highway, and things are still booming! Harvey has been in business 53 years and said, “It’s the busiest of any year I can remember.” Octavia added with a grin, “It’s been so busy I’m waiting for winter!” Harvey attributes the growth to three factors: One is that he decided to try marketing his business on two radio stations, one in the Chincoteague area and one in the Ocean City/Salisbury/Rehobeth Beach area. The $800 a month investment has paid off big as customers comment that they heard about his business on the radio. Harvey does his own ads, and customers recognize his voice and enjoy meeting him.

The second factor, he said, are the Crab and Cruises sponsored by The Crab Place. “People think the Crab & Cruise people come in for the event and leave, but they don’t. A lot of them stay overnight and stop here to buy seafood on their way back home. Those cruises have a ripple effect around Crisfield. One business bringing people to town helps another.”

The third factor is Janes Island State Park. According to Harvey, “The park is huge. Campers from the park come in here every day. At night, there may be 25-30 customers from the park alone. Even though it’s past the season, the park is still packed.” Harvey and Octavia told me they are getting customers from the region but also from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and even “a lot from Massachusetts and Rhode Island”. They’ve had customers from all over including people from England, Norway, and even a guy who drove from Oakland, California who enjoys traveling and seeing the country. “With more and more traffic coming, people need more places to stay. They need a hotel to stay in so they won’t have to stay in Salisbury as many do. I’m really hoping we get the proposed Hotel & Conference Center. It will help everyone.”

In addition to what is currently driving their business, the Lintons believe the new Bike Trail will give their business and others another major boost. Harvey talked to a gentleman from Georgetown, Delaware who lives near the bike trail there. The guy told Harvey the number of people who use that trail is “unbelievable”. (See attached picture.) The guy said various biking groups that number 50-75 members come dressed in matching attire and ride the trail together.

These biking groups like to travel together and take trips to different bike trails around the state and region. The Georgetown trail is out in the country, so he felt Crisfield has an advantage in that there are businesses located along or near the trail. These bikers will need beverages, food, and rest stops. They also may wish to shop and even stay. As he said, “Wait to see what happens… This will bring a lot of people to town!”

As a result of the growth of their business and the coming of the Bike Trail, Harvey and Octavia will be expanding next spring. First, they will expand the deck which currently seats 140 people with 9 outdoor picnic tables that will seat even more. Harvey foresees the need for more seating because even now there are times he has to seat his overflow at the picnic tables. To handle the demand, he recently purchased a new large cooler, and he will be adding another building to house a boiler and more steamers. People don’t invest thousands of dollars into expansions and new equipment if the growth isn’t there. Harvey sees the opportunity for his business, and he’s preparing for what’s coming. As he told me as I was leaving, “I’m gearing up!”

Laird & Associates Is Expanding

Seven months after opening its office in Crisfield, Laird & Associates Real Estate at 938 West Main Street is exceeding sales expectations and expanding its real estate business. Owner Melissa Laird told me she is “really happy with the way things are going,” noting they project to complete over 40 settlements by the end of the year at a time when 20-30 would be the average in a full year. Because things have gotten off to such a strong start, Melissa just added another agent to the office ahead of what she planned to do after starting with three when they opened.

Julie Swift now joins the four-agent office along with Melissa, Tim Carson, and Erin Pruitt. “Tim is the thorn in the midst of three roses,” she joked. In addition, Melissa will be renovating the back of the building next year to accommodate two more offices for anticipated future growth.

Melissa said their clients fall into two categories: local people who want to upgrade and need more space; and people from out-of-town looking to relocate. They see a lot of buyers from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the Baltimore/DC area, many of whom are retiring. Melissa said people express three main reasons for their interest in making Crisfield their home: the friendliness of the people, the appeal of living in a waterfront town, and the affordability of property compared to the metropolitan areas they are coming from.

Melissa not only made Crisfield the headquarters for her real estate business, but she is purchasing a home here as well. “I see Crisfield growing. It is becoming stronger and better. Overall, property values are holding and starting to rise. I look forward to having the new medical services here and the Hotel & Conference Center. The National Association of Realtors and the Maryland Association of Realtors travel to conferences every year. Crisfield could become one of the places they go for conferences each year…” But even before those opportunities become a reality, Melissa is feeling blessed based on the buyers she is seeing and the interest of people in making Crisfield home. That’s why she is preparing for even greater success in 2020!

Spectrum Mobile Coming to Crisfield
Spectrum Mobile will be expanding its services in Crisfield at their new location in the small shopping center near Food Lion. The store is being renovated to accommodate their needs and will have iPhones, Samsung and Google Pixel phones on display along with three sales areas when completed. Spectrum will offer same day activation and phone plans as low as $14 a month total including all taxes and fees for data by the gig and $45 a month total for unlimited data plans. Spectrum offers their phone plans for customers who have their Internet services, and no contract is required. According to Store Specialist Tronika Brown, Spectrum plans are “45% cheaper” than other plans because they “have done away with line access fees.”

Spectrum already has an office in Crisfield near City Hall mainly for cable and Internet services and is expected to move that office to the new location as well. This is great for Crisfield because many people have had to go to Salisbury or Pocomoke to purchase a cell phone. I got my iPhone from Verizon in Salisbury, and that’s almost a 100-mile roundtrip from my home. This will be a real convenience for Crisfield residents and a first! Spectrum hasn’t made an official announcement, but they are anticipated to open before Christmas, and it’s likely they will be open seven days a week. Isn’t that ‘Good News’ for Crisfield?!

The Gathering Place to Re-Open Under New Ownership
Less than a week after the owners closed due to personal reasons, The Gathering Place at 4012 Crisfield Highway went under contract with new owners. The buyers are local people who will offer home cooked meals, and the word is we can “expect great food!” If the settlement process goes according to schedule, they will open before Christmas. I was sorry to see the restaurant close, but I am excited that it will re-open again and soon. Once known as Circle Inn, that property has been open as a restaurant for 20+ years, and it fills a need in Crisfield for more good dining options for locals and visitors.

Main Street Getting New Storefronts
The City of Crisfield recently used a state grant to offer grants to several local businesses to help with the cost of improvements to their property on Main Street. As a result, five applications have received state approval and five more are pending. Among those approved are Tim and Doris’s Country Store, Somerset County Arts Council Gallery, and Captain’s Carry Out downtown. In the uptown area the properties of Steve Rabb and Vincent Kenney have been approved. Among those which are pending are three large properties in the uptown area. The grant requires that the property owner match the grant funds which are up to $10,000 each. In talking with the City’s new grant writer, Kristie Eberly, the City anticipates being able to offer grants for façade and interior improvements again in 2020. You can see that these improvements will add up slowly and surely toward giving Crisfield’s commercial district a facelift. From the renderings I’ve seen, we can expect to see some dramatic improvements to properties in our business district by May 2020. I can’t wait to take pictures of the completed work!

City Determined to Address Flooding Issues
I commend Mayor Barry Dize for his leadership in addressing the flooding issues in Crisfield. One of the ways the City is doing that is to clean out the ditch systems. So far, they have identified and are attacking the top problem areas for flooding. They completed cleaning out the ditches on both sides of South Somerset Avenue leading to Woodson School and on to the connection of Lorie Quinn Drive. Then they completed cleaning out the ditches that connect to Hall Highway and help reduce flooding on Hudson Street and Wynfall Avenue. Next week they will install two new storm tiles on Brick Kiln Road, following that soon after with ditch cleaning there. This will help ease flooding on Crockett and Walnut Streets. Reports are that it is already making a difference. Unfortunately, Crisfield had not had funding to address the ditches for many years. As a result, workers found things like a moped, bicycles, and five-gallon buckets. Mayor Dize has made this a priority of his administration and is committed to not only getting all the ditches cleaned out, but also checking and maintaining them after this is done. This is a big step forward for Crisfield, and I commend the Mayor and all those involved for getting it done.
Further, the City has obtained a grant for $150,000 from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), the Department of Natural Resources, and the Coastal Zone Management Program to study the flooding and drainage issues in Crisfield so the City will know what else they can do to fix the problem.

Through engineers and other experts who will do mapping of the system, the City will learn more about what can be done and pursue the necessary funding. A second grant from DHCD for $52,000 will aid the City in the development of a Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan to lay out priority needs and costs. Both these grants will take the City another step forward in addressing the City’s infrastructure needs.

More Tidbits of ‘Good News’

Linda Singh, owner of The Bay Gift Vault at 952 West Main Street, learned from her Ocean City and Chincoteague customers that they enjoy coming to Crisfield’s Wellington Beach because it’s clean, parking is close by, and it has convenient bathrooms and a soda machine. These are all things they said they don’t get where they come from. Our beach is small, but for some people, it’s just fine. After they enjoy the beach, they make a stop at The Bay Gift Vault to do some shopping. Customers appreciate the art, handmade jewelry, giftware, handbags, and other unique items they don’t find anywhere else.
Not only that but the City will be putting a new Kayak Launch at Wellington Beach. Officials say it will be handicap accessible and ready for use by Spring. It will make a great place to launch a kayak, and it will give visitors and locals one more thing to enjoy.
I talked with Sonny and Donna Ford, owners of Bayside Home Center at 404 Crisfield Highway, who have been in business in Crisfield for 30 years. They said they “do better every year.” Many of their customers are locals, but they also serve the retirees and others who are moving into the area and making improvements to the homes they have purchased.
John Townsend of John’s Auto at 3 Jacksonville Road said his business has been steady. He says when new people come to Crisfield, they ask around, and many times others refer them to John. If John can’t help them, he refers them to other local repair shops like Tawes Brothers, Sam’s Auto, and Jed’s. “We are blessed. It’s overwhelming, and I’m thankful to every person who deals here,” John said. People who move into Crisfield appreciate the services John and others provide. I know I do!
Clint Sterling, Director of Somerset County Recreation and Parks, shared some interesting research about the spending habits of bikers riding the country’s bike trails. He said day trippers spend $30-50 each, and overnight bikers spend $150-200 each per day. That’s money into the pockets of our restaurants, convenience stores, motels, and gift shops. Imagine hundreds of them coming each month. No doubt the new Bike Trail will have an economic impact here as it draws visitors who will be hungry, thirsty, and perhaps looking to browse around and shop for a t-shirt or souvenir from Crisfield.

See the bottom of this email for November events in Crisfield.

I don’t know about you, but I’m excited! Crisfield is moving toward being that unique destination we’ve been talking about… We have to lay the foundation with good infrastructure, improve the appearance of our town, add new businesses and attractions, and bring tourists here to enjoy what we have to offer. It’s happening, folks! Every little bit helps, and eventually the big things really push us over the top. It’s going to be a beautiful sight when it all comes together, and I believe we are almost there! I am making a list of topics for my next newsletter, and I can tell you I already know of several things not ready for publication including two new businesses coming in the Spring, another local business that’s expanding, a newly purchased commercial building that will be renovated early next year, and more… It’s nice to see the forward movement.

As you can see, I anticipate having much more ‘Good News’ in the December/January newsletter, but I wouldn’t be surprised if something happens before then that I just can’t wait to share! Stay encouraged, folks, and keep the faith. Great things are coming to Crisfield in 2020!

Best regards,
Charlotte
Charlotte Scott, President
Greater Crisfield Action Coalition, Inc. — a 501(c)(3) non-profit community development corporation)
PO Box 144
Crisfield, MD 21817

www.greatercrisfieldmd.org
410-251-1669

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