POCOMOKE CITY, Md. -- In recent months, Pocomoke City has seen new businesses open. City officials have declared plans to improve the city's infrastructure, so business owners and city leaders are hoping to turn recent success into sustained growth.
That mindset was why the city held a business roundtable on Monday night. One of the faces seen at that meeting was a new face among the downtown business crowd: Keith Hornberger.
About a month ago, Hornberger opened up Wulfhause Productions. His store sells stained glass, local art and vintage furniture. Hornberger also gives lessons to hopeful stained-glass artists.
That has led to a solid first month for him, but he said he's still struggling in one area.
"Foot traffic is always an issue," said Hornberger.
It was one of the concerns he raised at Monday night's roundtable, and Hornberger said he received an encouraging response from city leadership.
"We're talking about how to get more foot traffic downtown," said Hornberger. "They're[city officials] talking about putting signs up on the highways to point into downtown to say 'hey, we have these stores here, this is what's down here.'"
There were also talks about adding public restrooms to the downtown area, and city officials said they would investigate different grant opportunities.
"It felt good to see everybody in a positive attitude," said another downtown business owner, Mark Thompson.
Thompson has owned and operated Simply Sublime for a decade, during which, he's witnessed the city's ebbs and flows.
"It was also very good to see the city willing to do follow-up," said Thompson. "A lot of times we lack in that area and it was good to see that they're excited for that."
Pocomoke business owners feel like better days are ahead.