Meet Your Merchant- Mike and Eric's Front Street Restaurant

Business:  Mike and Eric's Front Street Restaurant

Address:  200 S. Talbot St., St. Michaels

Website: mikeandericsfrontstreet.com

Phone:  410-745-8380

Hours: 
Mo, Tu, We, Th, Fr:
11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sat: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sun: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

Who are the owners?

Mike Whittington, Randy Schiera, Eric Nunamaker

How and why you started your business?

Eric and Mike were already well known in the area as a viable partnership, and positive feedback from our community inspired us to create Front Street. Our third partner, Randy, is quite experienced in restaurant economics, and completes our team.  Our previous experience had shown us that we had an original idea for the local restaurant scene, and were lucky enough to find the perfect venue to showcase Chef Eric’s amazing talent.

 What do you sell/ make /do?

 Mike & Eric’s Front Street offers an eclectic menu featuring local seafood and produce when we can, and imports ingredients from around the world to create freshly prepared soup, salad and pasta dishes. Our house made flatbread is the basis for some of the best pizza in the area, and our “comfort food” selections are extremely popular. House made desserts and carefully selected and moderately priced wines complete your experience. Front Street offers something for every palate and price range, served in a warm, casual setting. We have the friendliest service around, local craft beer, and a full and very welcoming bar, all in a great location right in the heart of St. Michaels.

Where is your business located and why did you choose your location?

Front Street is located at 200 South Talbot Street (formerly Characters) right in the center of downtown St. Michaels. The location is just the right size for our business, and the perfect venue for our brand of casual gourmet dining. The storefront windows make holiday decorating really fun, and our one of a kind skipjack inspired bar provide us with a truly unique location.

What strategies do you use to draw people to your establishment?

Mike & Eric’s Front Street is a local brand, (Mike was raised right here in St. Michaels) known for hospitality and world class cuisine. Our most important strategy is our ongoing commitment to consistent quality in the food we prepare and the service we provide.  We offer great music on Fridays with local favorite Gerry Mack, and daily lunch and dinner specials. We also partner with local charities to host special events that benefit our community, as we feel it’s so important to give back to the community who has opened their arms to us and never let go.

What is your strategy for growth in the next year?

First and foremost, our commitment to quality. We’ll be advertising locally, promoting our outdoor pet friendly area, becoming even more involved in community events, and continuing to evolve our menu, service, and catering opportunities.

What is the best thing about running a business here?

Definitely the small town atmosphere. It’s a great thing to have our neighbors and friends as regular customers, to meet their extended families, and be part of their life events ( weddings, birthdays, retirements), but it’s great fun as well, to introduce new guests to a more relaxed way of life, to watch them unwind, slow down and savor the area, and be instrumental in creating memories which will last long after they have returned home.  

Meet Your Merchant- Hambleton Inn

Name:  Hambleton Inn

Address:  202 Cherry Street, St. Michaels

Website:  www.HambletonInn.com

Phone:  410-745-3350

Hours:  Open 24 X 7

Who are the owners?  Owners: Drs. Charles and Sherry Manning

How and why did you start your business?   Charles and I are both lifetime educators, and for us, creating an environment for others – for joy, entertainment, rest, nurture – one that shares both the history and the present of the Chesapeake Bay – is wonderful. We have beautiful rooms, grand views of the water, and serve gourmet breakfast each morning, with local sourced fruits and vegetables, eggs and bacon, right here from the Eastern Shore.

 

What do you do?   We host a Bed and Breakfast Inn right on the harbor of St. Michaels.

Where is your business located and why did you choose your location?  We are right on the water by the Honeymoon Bridge; very simply, it’s the best location in the town of St. Michaels.

What strategy do you use to draw people to your establishment?   We have excellent accommodations: a historic home, totally restored bathrooms in each room, flat screen TV’s, air conditioning, stunning linens, distinctive artwork from the Eastern Shore, gourmet breakfasts every morning, and complementary wine. We use the internet, electronic reservation system,  and our website for marketing, but truly the Inn and our service sell themselves.

What is your strategy for growth in the next year?  Do what we do best…

What is the best thing about running a business here?   St. Michaels is a treasure: the water, the light, the history, the Museum, the people. Very simply, it is wonderful to live here.

Like Another World in St. Michaels, Maryland

Like Another World in St. Michaels, Maryland

By Tracey Munson - Photos by Tracey Munson

As you cruise, paddle, or sail along the Miles River—or stroll among historic homes and storefronts, it’s easy to imagine yourself in another world while visiting the waterfront village of St. Michaels.

That’s because the authenticity of this Chesapeake town is abundantly preserved along its picturesque harbor, and among its historic district of boutique shops, romantic inns, four-star restaurants, and museums. 

It’s a peaceful place that includes all the modern-day amenities you would expect—minus the neon hustle and bustle that often comes with a resort town.

St. Michaels dates back to the mid-1600s, when it served as a trading post for area tobacco farmers and trappers. Throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, St. Michaels’ economy focused around the booming shipbuilding and seafood industries, which carries forward today in restaurant offerings of Maryland blue crab and other local seafood.

Located about halfway along the Chesapeake Bay’s Eastern Shore, St. Michaels shares 600 miles of Talbot County shoreline. This well-preserved port is situated between the Miles River and Michener's Broad Creek.

As legend goes, St. Michaels gained its name as "the Town that fooled the British” during the War of 1812. St. Michaels’ residents—forewarned that British barges were positioned to attack with cannon fire—hoisted lanterns high into the trees above the town. This fooled the British into overshooting St. Michaels’ houses and shipyards.

Today, families, couples, boaters, and other visitors are the focus of attention in St. Michaels, with tourism the modern-day economic engine of this vibrant town. It’s a place of celebration and reflection, and home to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, where the maritime cultures and traditions of the region are shared along 18 waterfront acres, without a single “do not touch” sign in any of its 12 exhibit buildings. A climb to the top of the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse reveals a spectacular view of St. Michaels and the Miles River.

St. Michaels is also home to world-class spas and a Pete Dye golf course, not to mention friendly locals with a laid-back style. Biking and walking trails, waterfront parks, and various on-the-water activities— including kayaking, guided river cruises, crabbing, and fishing—give adults and families plenty to do. The town is also very dog friendly, with pets welcome at several inns and B&Bs, and water bowls found at dockside bars and local shops everywhere you turn.

The town also hosts several festivals throughout the year, including Eastern Shore Sea Glass and Coastal Arts Festival, WineFest in St. Michaels and St Michaels Brew Fest in the spring, and OysterFest in the fall. On select, summer weekends, log canoe sailing races can be watched on the Miles River, either by boat or on land.

A local winery, brewery, and distillery are situated along the town’s main street, with samples, tours, and demonstrations offered to visitors. 

Mementos from your trip won’t be found in plastic tchotchkes or through chain stores. Instead, you can enjoy the town’s boutique shops, where unique finds are yours to take home and treasure.  

Nightlife in St. Michaels brings the culinary treats of award-winning chefs to the docks and tables of numerous restaurants. Alfresco dining and live music make for memorable evenings, while the cool breezes from the Miles River envelope visitors walking the town’s historic neighborhoods and harbor by lamplight and foot.

While Baltimore Clipper ships and seafood processing plants are no longer found in this waterfront town, one thing remains—St. Michaels is like visiting another world—with its shipbuilding and seafood traditions carried forward in a way that engages the visitor in a truly authentic experience, one to be treasured and remembered for a lifetime. 

For more information, visit www.stmichaelsmd.org.  

Meet Your Merchant - Poore House Printing

Name Of Business: Poore House Printing

Location: 111 Fremont Street in St. Michaels and 

314 N. Aurora Street  Easton

Website info: www.poorehouseprinting.com

Facebook: Poore House Printing

Phone number: 410-745-3200

Hours of operation: St. Michaels 9:00 am to 4:00 p.m

Who are the owners? Larry and Sharon Poore

How and why you started your business? I had been the newspaper business in Annapolis and we moved back to St. Michaels, I saw the need for printing and copying in the area…so I began the business in 1985 with a copier located in the office of Big Al’s Market. I designed everything and sent it out to be printed. An addition was added to the upstairs of Big Al’s and we added office supplies…eventually moving to the shopping center…then purchasing the building in on Fremont Street where we are today.

What do you sell/make/do? Printing, Copies, UPS Shipping, Design & Mailing Services. I also am in the Sharp Copier business, partnering with Inacom Information Systems and have a showroom in our Easton location.

                                 

Where is your business located and why did you choose your location?  Poore House Printing is located on 111 Fremont Street, across from the Library…we purchased the building in 2010. We recently opened an Easton office on 314 N. Aurora Street with my son’s business Omni Business Solutions. The St. Michaels location remains our production facility.

What strategy do you use to draw people to your establishment? Recently we brought back a local mailer that I did over 20 years ago. When my son Josh moved back and started his own business, Omni Solutions Agency, marketing and design firm, he found that there was no true avenue to get your message out to the local area. So we have established Buy Local-Be Local Promotions…catering to locally owned businesses. We started out in the Bay Hundred area, added a Greater Easton mailer and soon hope to expand to Dorchester and Queen Anne’s counties.

What is your strategies for growth in the next year? Keep working on adding and retaining new clients for printing…and growing with the Buy Local-Be Local Mailer and the Copier Business

What is the best thing about running a business here? We both grew up here, so it is nice to have great lifelong friends and colleagues.

Meet the Merchant - Blue Heron Coffee

Name of Business: Blue Heron Coffee, LLC
Location: 500 S. Talbot Street-side entrance,
St Michaels, MD 21663

Phone: 410-714-0334
Website: Blue Heron Coffee

Hours: Monday-Thursday 5:30a-2:30p, Friday 5:30a-5:00p, Saturday 7:00a-5:00p, Sun 7:00a-2:30p.

Who are the owners?   Randy and Joy Royer

How and why you started your business?   What started out as a hobby turned into a passion for good coffee. Randy and Joy Royer have been roasting coffee for themselves for about 5 or 6 years and decided it was time to share what really fresh coffee is about with other people.

What do you sell/make/do?   Blue Heron Coffee offers freshly roasted coffee to either take a bag home with you or enjoy a cup in the small café. Bulk coffee is sold whole bean or ground. We will grind it to your liking, or sell you a grinder from Bodum so you can grind it fresh at home. We also offer variety boxes and individual pouches for a single pot.  You can also grab a bite to eat! Sourced locally, we offer baked goods from Magnolia Bread Company, Sudlersville, MD and yogurt from Nice Farms Creamery, Federalsburg, MD.

Where is your business located and why did you choose your location?  We opened a small batch roastery in St. Michaels at the corner of Talbot and West Chestnut Streets. We are located in the same building as Sophie’s Poseys and Shore Pedal and Paddle, on the side of the building where the parking lot is.  We opened it in a perfect spot where locals and visitor's can grab a cup of coffee and baked goods from Magnolia Bread Company of Sudlersville.

 What strategy do you use to draw people to your establishment?    We brew four coffees daily. The daily brews are posted early in the morning on Facebook, when we open at 5:30 a.m. during the week and 7 a.m. on the weekends. We also offer in store single cup pour-overs and 3 cup and 8 cup French Press preparations.  Our mission statement says it all!

• We provide always fresh coffee, by roasting it on the premises.
• Our coffee is always 100% from current crop Arabica beans.
• The in-store coffee service includes French Press, single cup pour over, and tasting flights.
• We offer Bodum coffee gear: grinders, presses, travel mugs, etc.
• Our food service is always locally sourced, from local farmers, bakers and chocolatiers.
• The bulk coffee bags are completely compostable, after the tin tie is removed.
• We place special emphasis on coffees from the Americas to help minimize trans- global transportation. It’s hard to be green when your main product is green coffee from around the world.

What is your strategies for growth in the next year?   Being our first year in business, we hope to grow quickly!

What is the best thing about running a business here?   We love St. Michaels and it's residents, the quaint small town feeling and enjoy meeting the visitor's from all over!