by Carmen Hilton | May 12, 2021 | Main Street Blog
“Buy Local, Buy Brunswick!” Gift Card Offer Sends Tens of Thousands of Dollars Downtown
On May 3, 2021, Brunswick Main Street launched its “Buy Local, Buy Brunswick!” gift card program with a fantastic offer: for a limited time, gift card purchases would be matched 100% up to $125. Matching funds were provided by a MD-SERI grant award, applied for and won by Main Street Board President Julie Martorana. $20,000 in matching funds were distributed in five days!
This is wonderful news for our downtown. That means that we’ve committed $40,000 in support to our beloved small businesses.
Gift cards continue to be available for sale and can be purchased online by going to https://app.yiftee.com/gift-card/brunswick. Gift cards are accepted at 14 different downtown locations: 3 Points Cycles, Antiques ‘n Ole Stuff, Beans in the Belfry, Boxcar Burgers, Brunswick Heritage Museum, Brunswick Sports & Apparel, Chrysalis Body & Massage, Corner Store, Five Dances Wellness, King’s Pizza, Potomac Street Grill, Public Spectacle, Roots & River Yoga, and Smoketown Brewing Station. They’re the perfect “one-size-fits-all” gift choice for birthdays, graduations, new home purchases, and all other occasions.
by Carmen Hilton | Nov 18, 2020 | Main Street Blog
November 13, 2020
Brunswick History Mural Restoration
In 1998 the Brunswick History Mural was painted on a brick building in downtown Brunswick. It was a project supported by city residents, the city government, and the Frederick Arts Council. Last month the mural artist, Philip Aldinger of Randallstown, Maryland, returned to renew the paint and brighten this landmark artwork.
The mural is a collage of images that symbolize Brunswick history, including trains and depots, the roundhouse, canal, hills, churches, schools and baseball. The 16 x 40 ft. mural faces Square Corner Park at the junction of Maple Avenue and Potomac Street in the heart of downtown Brunswick.
The mural repainting is a joint project of Brunswick Main Street and the City of Brunswick. The aim of the project is to improve the park experience for residents and visitors and to encourage people to explore Brunswick’s historic downtown.
by Carmen Hilton | Nov 14, 2020 | Main Street Blog
Carmen Hilton joins us with a background in Commercial Real Estate and non-profit management. She is enthusiastic and passionate and believes in building relationships in the community. She and her
family live in Mount Airy – Her husband is a property manager, her daughter just recently graduated from the University of Rhode Island with double degrees – Ocean Engineer and Spanish, and her son is in his first year at Salisbury University.
Carmen is looking forward to working with the Main Street Board to connect and support established businesses and residents downtown and encourage new businesses to make their home here in Brunswick!
If you see her downtown, be sure to show her a big Brunswick Welcome!
by Carmen Hilton | May 20, 2020 | Main Street Blog
As part of our ongoing series concerning how downtown businesses are dealing with COVID-19, see what is happening at Roots and River Yoga.
Roots & River Yoga was established on August 10, 2016, by owner Machelle Lee, and will be celebrating their 4th anniversary this summer. Their mission is to foster class experiences that are physically and psychologically accessible and meaningful to those that take them. They offer a variety of products and services that are geared towards this goal. These include a range of yoga styles, meditation modalities for health and well-being, and selling yoga mats, bolsters, blocks, yoga clothing, and locally handmade jewelry and goods.
Machelle fell in love with Brunswick as a whole. The historic location, the charming architecture, the beautiful Potomac River, and the people themselves, make being here worthwhile. She loves to see the kindness that the people here show to one another and the investment they put into the lives of their neighbors. Being here allows Machelle to see Brunswick unfold and begin to realize its new potential as a community and business center.
Regarding the changes they made to work with the COVID-19 crisis, Machelle said, “We continue to provide classes, but the studio has had to go completely online. Our weekly class offerings are smaller than our normal in-studio schedule, but we are hosting a broad scope of meaningful classes that can be taken LIVE or participants can receive a recording to practice at their own convenience. This is what makes our online studio different from most other studios is that we are providing both LIVE classes and recordings of those classes so people can practice once or several times with a class over the course of a week.”
Typically, they offer weekly classes 7 days a week. These include specialty workshops and professional teacher training on the weekends. They normally do not have specific hours of operation as their schedule depends on the daily schedule of classes and workshops offered that day. However, due to the COVID-19 shutdown they are now offering a range of online classes and they are selling yoga props for home use by appointment.
If you are looking for a way to support them go to their website, www.RootsAndRiverYoga.com and check out the classes they are currently offering or leave them a review on Yelp, Facebook, or Google. Roots & River Yoga can also be found on Instagram and Facebook. 
by Carmen Hilton | May 13, 2020 | Main Street Blog
Towpath Creamery was established 2 years ago to offer delicious, high-quality, all-natural, hand-dipped ice cream in downtown Brunswick. In addition to serving high-quality food, they also are dedicated to operating in an environmentally conscientious manner by using compostable to-go ware, hiring a local compost company, conserving water, and minimizing waste. They currently offer 2 different brands of all-natural ice cream – South Mountain Creamery (Frederick County, MD) and Cold Run Creamery (Berk’s County, PA) – as well as sorbet and frozen yogurt from Giffords (Skowhegan, Maine). Each brand includes wonderful flavors that are sure to make your taste buds happy!
Karin Tome, the owner of the creamery, had the desire to open her own small business for several reasons, one of which was understanding what small-business owners have to contend with in terms of government regulations, taxes, etc. She had also noticed that as hikers and cyclists came off the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park towpath, they were often looking for ice cream to enjoy. A final reason was that she had the experience of taking her kids to a local ice cream shop when they were younger (in the 1990’s, where the Hive Bakeshop is currently located); they loved this experience and the memories they created as a family. She wanted to offer this opportunity to folks in the Brunswick and Lovettsville area.
Although she has never experienced running her own business previously, she has enjoyed the adventure. She took the time to research thoroughly before jumping straight into it. This was important because she has always wanted to run a business that is environmentally friendly. They are licensed as a Benefit LLC and they commit to recycling and composting (giving back to the environment) where possible. Karin has also taken many courses to help her to learn more about running a business. These course were provided by the Women’s Business Council, the Maryland Small Business Development Center, and Frederick County.
Karin takes her business very seriously and loves the City of Brunswick. It has always held a special place in her heart. The sense of community that exists among the community inspires her and the volunteer services that people provide around town is heart-warming, to say the least. During the summer, Brunswick acts as a hub of life, bringing in folks from all over the world to hike and cycle on the towpath and visit an authentic railroad boomtown. Karin loves to meet all of those visiting and especially loves it when they can come in and enjoy some ice cream!
Towpath Creamery offers a wide variety of products for purchase. They sell hand-dipped ice cream, soft-serve ice cream (when the machine is up and running!), sundaes, cones, milkshakes, floats, local coffee and honey, as well as snacks and drinks. They are currently open Wednesday/Thursday from 5 pm – 8 pm and Friday – Sunday from 12 pm – 8 pm, but will extend their hours to 7 days when it gets warmer.
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, their menu is currently limited. However, they are taking all precautions necessary to ensure the safety of their customers and staff. They have hired a couple of new staff members due to the pandemic, and they are working hard to provide quality service to all who visit. They are accepting online orders on their website at towpathcreamery.com and you can call to pick up at 301.969.6480.
by Carmen Hilton | May 4, 2020 | Main Street Blog
COVID-19 Response of Brunswick Sports and Apparel
Brunswick Sports and Apparel officially opened its doors as a sporting goods store 2 years ago. Previously, the building had been predominately a hardware store for 45 years. Abbie Ricketts, the current owner, had moved to Brunswick with her family 47 years ago and it was her father that had established the original business. He had worked in a bank but had always dreamed of owning his own hardware store, and when they moved to town, he was able to make that dream into a reality.
Abbie had grown up in the store and eventually worked there and helped
her father. Then, 2 years ago, her father decided it was time to retire. With his retirement came Abbie’s decision that it was time to do something a little different. That was when Abbie changed the hardware store to a sporting goods store. Although not the easiest decision, it allowed for the expansion of their business with additional products and services.
The hardware store already sold many things like sports equipment, fishing gear, and acted as a licensing agent for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Now as Brunswick Sports and Apparel, they offer many more products and services such as: custom embroidery and screen printing, heat press, custom decorative sewing, laser engraving, sports equipment, fishing, tackle, signs and banners, and they are a licensing agent for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Abbie puts her background in art, along with other skills gained through the years, to good use with the products and services currently offered. She loves that Brunswick is right next to the C&O Canal and the Potomac River and it is her mission, and all those that work with her, to serve Brunswick and the surrounding areas by providing high quality custom merchandise and timely service.
During COVID-19 it has been a challenge, but somehow, they are 
managing to stay in strong spirits. Up until Saturday, April 26th they had been closed, but they are fortunate that they are now able to re-open for the time being. They are currently selling protective face masks which allows them to be open in a limited capacity and those that go inside can shop her other wares and obtain a fishing license. Their current operating hours are Tuesday – Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stop in and pick up a Brunswick Railroaders mask, sports equipment and apparel, or a fishing license. Discover what Brunswick Sports and Apparel has for you!
