BERLIN, Md. -- Several businesses are expected to call Berlin home within the next couple of months. The towns mayor recently announced new additions to the Worcester County town, including Roadie Joe's and Forgotten 50 Distilling.
Forgotten 50 Distilling should be opened by March of this year.
Jason Myers, chef and owner of Roadie Joe's Berlin location, said while he didn't want to provide an exact date, the restaurant should be opened very soon.
"We're getting some final touches done here, we wanted to make sure we evolved it into Roadie Joe's and you didn't just walk in the door and it's the same old spot," said Myers.
Roadie Joe's is going where Crush-N-Crab was. Forgotten 50 Distilling is renovating the old Eastern Shore Gas building on Old Ocean City Boulevard.
Myers said he and his crew are looking forward to another location.
"We're excited to bring some food and creative art and what we do up in Salisbury down to Berlin," said Myers.
Along with those two projects, there will be a new brewery, Plak That Printing is expanding and moving their facility near Heron Park, and Main Street and Pitts Street are currently being revitalized.
Bryan Brushmiller, owner of Burley Oak Brewing Company, said it's a sign the town is doing something right.
"As we have more entities of eating and drink and manufacturing, it's good for the town, it's good for tourism, and it's really and incredible growth in the right direction," said Brushmiller.
With all of these businesses making their way to Berlin, it poses the question, why?
According to Ivy Wells, Berlin's Director of Economic and Community Development, it's crucial a town presents itself as business friendly.
"We sit down with each new business owner and we go over a variety of available grants that not only the town offers, but the county and the state," said Wells. "There's historic tax credits, we're in an enterprise zone, we're in an opportunity zone, and a lot of that is very attractive to local business owners."
Wells also said the events that Berlin hosts throughout the year bring in a lot of foot traffic for businesses.
"I think that the majority of events that we have going on in Berlin shows that we make the investment to be able to help the local business community out," said Wells. "We do a weekly farmers market, which is some of the local businesses busiest days, on Sundays in the summertime."
Good people and the small town feel Berlin offers are great selling points, but these incentives have really made Berlin the attractive business destination it is. And with so many projects coming to town this upcoming year, it's a model other small towns around Delmarva may try and emulate.