It's new businesses galore all across the Eastern Shore in 2024.
Here's a special look at some of the brand-new breweries, restaurants, popular chains and small businesses set to open in the New Year and beyond.
Ocean City
Fin City Brewing Company
12911 Ocean Gateway, Unit 206
Fin City Brewing Co. Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, at 12911 Ocean Gateway in Ocean City, Maryland.
A brand new take on a local brewery is coming soon to West Ocean City. Fin City Brewing Company announced Oct. 16, 2023, its grand plan to open its taproom and brew lab in the Westside 50 Plaza, next to Pancho & Lefty’s.
The locally owned craft brewery, formerly located at 12913 Ocean Gateway, finds inspiration within the fishing industry. The brewery's new beer lab is said to include a small batch brew house viewable from the taproom.
Fin City Brewing Company's new taproom will have a seating capacity of about 45 plus standing room, as well as 12 taps serving its core beers and tasty experimental brews only available at the taproom, according to its website.
The brewery, founded in Ocean City, also says it will offer dishes from Hooper’s Crab House, Pancho & Lefty’s and other local restaurants. A grand opening date and hours of operation for the brewery have yet to be announced.
Ocean City's beloved Taphouse Bar & Grille has announced the birth of its newest West Ocean City establishment — Taphouse West Bar & Grille — after the sudden closure of its 4th Street Taphouse location on the historic Boardwalk in 2023. The restaurant currently operates two other Ocean City locations, on 45th Street and 137th Street.
Taphouse West Bar & Grille, soon to be located at 12513 Ocean Gateway on the corner of Route 50 and Keyser Point Road, shared the news in a Dec. 1, 2023, Facebook post. "Here's to good times, great flavors, and the warm embrace of community," the restaurant said online.
"With a proud legacy in Ocean City, Maryland, we're expanding our culinary horizons to bring our beloved craft beer pub Americana cuisine concept to your doorstep," the restaurant added. "As we venture into West Ocean City, we're not just opening a restaurant; we're embracing a new community and becoming a part of your story."
Andy Ball and Meredith Mears of Miller Commercial Real Estate have collaborated to lease a unit in Avalon Plaza, located at 8245 Dickerson Lane in Salisbury. This 3,000-square-foot space will soon be the home to “Cute Little Giggles Daycare Center.”
Ball had the space listed, while Mears was able to bring the tenant. The center will be North Salisbury’s newest daycare center and is set to open in early 2024. “Cute Little Giggles Daycare Center” will have children starting from infancy and up to the age of 3, according to a release.
“Merry and I worked together for many months to find the best location," said Cynthia Harrison, owner of the incoming "Cute Little Giggles Daycare Center." "We looked at many places and took our time to make sure all was perfect before executing.”
Mayor Jack Heath gives a speech at a Habitat for Humanity home blessing for the Parra family Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, in Salisbury, Maryland.
Habitat for Humanity of Wicomico County recently purchased a building in Fruitland, where it will soon be expanding to open a second ReStore location and a slew of new corporate offices, some of which will be relocated from the original ReStore location at 908 W Isabella St. in Salisbury.
As listed on Habitat for Humanity of Wicomico County's official website, the original ReStore location is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
According to Shop Local Delmarva, once the old offices relocate to Fruitland, the old office space will allow the ReStore to further expand, said Lee Wise, ReStore manager. The goal is to move the offices by spring 2024, with the new ReStore location opening not long after that.
Berlin-Ocean Pines area
Giant Food Store
Intersection of Route 50 and Route 589
The Worcester County Planning Commission recently approved a site plan for a new shopping center to be located at the intersection of Route 50 and Route 589 in the Berlin and Ocean Pines area. According to site plans, the center is said to include a Giant Food store.
Giant Food, the American regional supermarket chain, currently operates a total of 166 locations throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Maryland holds the greatest number of Giant Food stores, with a total of 94.
The Coastal Square Shopping Center, an approximately 120,500-square-foot facility, has yet to announce what stores — besides the approximately 66,400-square-foot grocery store — will be featured inside. Construction on the project has yet to begin.
The small town of Berlin may be gearing up to welcome its very first Wawa convenience store and gas station in 2024 near the intersection of North Main Street and Route 50, as site plans were recently proposed.
Wawa, the American convenience store chain offering beverages, food, fuel services and more, currently operates a total of 1,034 Wawa stores within seven states in the U.S. as of Nov. 29, 2023, reported ScrapeHero.
Pocomoke City
Starbucks
Newtown Boulevard
Pocomoke City will be getting its very own Starbucks sometime within the New Year. The project, currently in the design process, is being led by Reed Ventures — a family-owned real estate development and investment company based in Lewes, De.
The Starbucks will be constructed on the city's last remaining outparcel, which is situated between Lowe's and Ruby Tuesday on Newtown Boulevard. An official address has yet to be generated, said Reed Ventures.
"There was a need for some quick service restaurants (in Pocomoke City), and we have a relationship with Starbucks. That location just seemed to check all of the boxes," Reed Ventures shared with Delmarva Now.
Groundbreaking is expected to come in early 2024, with a potential grand opening date expected in late 2024. As of Oct. 9, 2023, there is a total of approximately 16,255 Starbucks stores located throughout the United States, reported ScrapeHero.
Matt Weiner, owner of Zelky's Beach Arcade, stands next to his Tomato Ketchup claw machine on the boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Weiner fills the machine with ketchup so that for 50 cents people can "play the ketchup game" and get packages for their fries.
Rehoboth Beach's Tanger Outlets will soon be home to Zelky’s Beach Arcade, which is set to open its second location at the Delaware shopping center soon. A grand opening date has yet to be revealed.
Zelky's Beach Arcade is a set of three family-owned arcades, as well as a donut rings shop, all within walking distance on the historic Rehoboth Beach boardwalk. The company initially opened in 1985.
Millsboro
Kaisy's Delights
303 Main St.
Kaisy's Delights is located on Rehoboth Avenue at First Street Station.
Local restaurant Kaisy’s Delights closed its longtime Rehoboth Beach location in 2023 and announced its upcoming move to a brand-new location in downtown Millsboro.
Kaisy's Delights will soon be found at the former Delaware Trust bank building on 303 Main Street. The restaurant's new location is expected to open sometime within 2024.
