Saturday, November 29 is Small Business Saturday: a day we’re all encouraged to shop at locally owned small businesses. There is certainly no shortage of great shops in Chestertown; in fact, this past year has seen the arrival of even more.
Just about a mile from the inn, on High Street, there is a cluster of new shops doing their best to enliven the downtown storefront scene:
Bloomin’ Wild is a lovely florist and gift shop that amazingly, is open every day!!! This shop has done the most to change the look of this part of town, simply because of the beautiful displays of plants and flowers out front. It looks just fabulous!
Another colorful and fun storefront is Coco’s Pet Center, an adorable pet boutique specializing in pet supplies and unique gifts for pets and pet lovers. Though only open Friday, Saturday and Sundays, the shop is hoping to grow and be able to offer other services and events, including featuring adoptable animals from our local Kent County Humane Society. Cool, huh?
With flora and fauna covered, let’s move on to antiques and collectibles. A great addition to the antique trail of Kent County, Poor Richard’s is a lovingly curated collection of antiques and vintage items. They’re so new they don’t have a website, but trust us, you’ll want to stop in and have a look around.
On Cross Street we have yet another new shop with a fabulous name (and without a website) Curiosity on Cross offers women’s clothing and accessories and neat little gifty items. It’s a small store, but they have managed to fill it with very interesting items without making it seem cluttered.
When you need sustenance to keep your shopping mojo alive, we’ve got news in the restaurant scene as well.
The venerable Front Room at the Imperial Hotel closed its doors this fall and while we were very sorry to see them go, we are delighted with the new occupants. One of our very favorites, The Kitchen at Rock Hall, has taken a leap and moved to Chestertown. Now called The Kitchen at the Imperial, they will be open at the end of November. We look forward to it and wish them much luck!
You may also know we lost another favorite earlier this year, Brooks’ Tavern. Kevin and Barbara have moved back home to Kennedyville, and will unveil a new business with cooking classes and other food related endeavors soon. In their old spot in the Radcliffe Mill, we will now have Cafe Sado: Thai cuisine and sushi!! Something different and a very welcome addition to the Chestertown restaurant scene.
And believe it or not, Chestertown now has its very own FOOD TRUCK! The Black Burro can be found parked on Cannon street most days. . .it’s best to check their Facebook page first.
It has been a bit like a game of musical restaurant chairs here lately, but we’re very excited about the new additions and look forward to hearing your reviews!
In addition to Small Business Saturday, this weekend, November 28 & 29, most stores will have extended hours for “Home for the Holidays” – which includes the “official lighting of Downtown,” a parade, and caroling in the park. Just the thing to get you into the spirit of the season.