BERLIN – Berlin. Home to a historic hotel, quaint shops and tasty restaurants.
There was just one thing missing according to local merchant Jenny Sheppard — a general store.
“There wasn’t a place within walking distance you could go buy aspirin,” said Sheppard, who has run a real estate office on Main Street for nearly a decade.
She decided to change that when the space next door to her office became available. In March, she opened the Runaway Tide General Store at 17 N. Main Street
“I just thought I needed to do something since it was right next door,” Sheppard said.
The store, which is open daily, features everything from wrapping paper to hot sauce. Customers are greeted with wall-to-wall merchandise in a rustic atmosphere meant to bring to mind the old west. A wagon wheel chandelier hangs from a ceiling made of old tin.
Sheppard said she tried to build the store’s inventory around local products and has shelves full of honey, apple butter and pickles from the Delmarva area. In addition, she sells George’s Bloody Mary Mix, Eastern Shore Kettle Corn, nuts from the Peanut Shop of Williamsburg and sauces from Bone Doctors’ BBQ.
The shop’s inventory also includes all of the little items general stores are known for — candy, condiments, toiletries and even little gifts.
“If you don’t see it ask,” says Sheppard, standing behind a counter overflowing with old fashioned candies. “Whatever they’re looking for, they should be able to find it here.”
She has tried to plan for every potential customer need. When a woman asked for wrapping paper last week, Sheppard was chagrined to realize she hadn’t thought beyond gift bags and tissue paper. This week, Sheppard’s got wrapping paper in stock.
“I take customer recommendations,” she said.
Though the store hasn’t been open long, Sheppard says she’s thrilled with the business Runaway Tide has already generated and the feedback she has gotten from community members.
“The local response has been outrageous,” she said. “I’m looking forward to April and May.”
Sheppard says running the general store ties in well with her real estate business as she’s able to check listings from her computer when she’s behind the counter at Runaway Tide. The Berlin native is eager to share her love of the town with customers, whether they are touring a home or stopping by the shop.
“For me, it’s just another platform to show people what a great town Berlin is,” she said.
Runaway Tide General Store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. For more information call 410-629-1104.