Spring into Middletown!
It feels like an early spring as things are blooming all over Middletown! Not only are the daffodils showing their colors, the green grass is peaking through, and the stems on the trees are tipped with colorful buds.
We’re also experiencing some exciting changes downtown – much as the flowers are blooming, so are we with new businesses to welcome! We just celebrated the opening of Beans and Dreams, Nektario’s Place, behind Tapia’s on Main. Over 600 folks came in on Saturday, March 9 to fill this cozy, comfy, delicious coffee and pastry establishment, making it one of the largest openings we can recall over the last 12-years, since Main Street Middletown began hosting ribbon cuttings.
Over the next few months, we have plenty of other new businesses who will also be opening their doors – Home and Hearth Mercantile, the Turquoise Trailer, Dr. Tony Phillips and the Phillips Vision Center, Joyous You Therapy, and the new branch of the Middletown Public Library. We’re also anticipating new tenants coming into the second commercial space in Memorial Hall, the Arnett Building, and at Wren’s Nest.
We’re also welcoming in new owners of The Main Cup! We’re grateful for the tireless time and effort the founders, Bob and Kim Brenengen put into building this restaurant that was more like a home-away-from home community gathering spot and put Middletown on the “Foodie Map.” The new owners, Cherie Nearman and her husband, Sherif Salem, were part of the Washington, D.C. high-end dining scene and moved to Frederick and opened Hootch and Banter in 2015. Now they’re the newest members of our Middletown community. We’re looking forward to seeing how they put their own stamp on this Main Street Middletown iconic restaurant with its storied history associated with Main’s Ice Cream.
Our March blog would not be complete if we did not step back and recap the success of the first Health and Wellness Expo held at the Volunteer Fire Company Activities Center on Saturday, March 2. Just as we were overwhelmed and over-joyed with the outpouring of support at the Beans and Dreams opening, we felt that same rush of community gratitude, friendship and connection at the Health and Wellness Expo. Main Street Middletown, MD Inc was a partner in this undertaking because we see Health and Wellness businesses as a hub in our downtown. We also see the numerous ways the entire town, from our local nonprofits, organizations and clubs, schools, businesses, and home businesses form a large network of folks with talents, resources, empathy, and experience that can help so many people on their individualized health journey. With over 45-vendors, well over 400 attendees, we think this new event is a keeper!
With all that is happening in Main Street Middletown, we do hope you will be sure to come back and visit again and again.