Dollars & Sense

Lady Fenwick carries the latest fashions in it’s Fenwick store.

Gerry Garrett, Lady Fenwick owner, and Dee Collins behind the counter at the Fenwick Island store.

Dottie Wells, real estate manager since 1980, now holds the positions of branch manager and associate broker at Long & Foster in Bethany Beach.

Always looking for the unusual, Sea Crest owner Brian McKinney says it seems like it’s the uniqueness that keeps customers walking through his Bethany Beach business’ door.

Ian Martin started FTS Production and Martin Howard LLC. His passion for production has led his company to become a familiar name with the young crowds in the area and beyond.

Michele Steffens and husband Robert hold a banner designed for their niece’s birthday.

Little can match the satisfaction of starting the morning off with a steaming cup of coffee and a hot, freshly crafted doughnut. Next, imagine the first time tasting that delicious, warm doughnut is absolutely free.

Longtime Coastal Leisure CHEER Center Director Sheree Stephens is no longer working at the Ocean View senior center, after being arrested at the center Jan. 11 on theft and other charges and led away from her workplace in handcuffs by state police.

With cooler weather in recent weeks, many families find themselves congregating around the fireplace in the evenings.

Michele Steffens has worked in the housing industry for nearly 20 years. Her appreciation for art, knowledge of graphic design and the recent decline in business, however, have combined to encourage her to pour her talents into another realm. Accompanying a fresh passion for photography, Steffens is looking to bring some high-flying attention to her new-found creations: personalized banners.

Local residents become consultants with Tastefully Simple
The following local residents have become independent consultants with Tastefully Simple Inc., a national direct-sales company featuring “easy-to-prepare gourmet products: Megan Pauley of Millsboro, who can be reached at (302) 933-8175; and Bobbie Murray of Millsboro, who can be reached at (302) 934-6212

Rick Allamong, branch vice president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage’s Bethany Beach offices, has announced their top producers for December.

For the Sunrise Court office, Kathy Cramer was the top individual listing associate and Marie Jones was the top individual sales associate.

Richard T. Warfield Jr., MBA, PHR, president of Excellence Strategies (www.ExcellenceStrategies.org), recently earned certification as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR). His firm, Excellence Strategies, promotes organizational excellence throughout the Delmarva Peninsula.

It’s easy to get swept away in this place.
For 16 years, Pitter Patter has been catering to the younger set in the Bethany Beach area. And, for 16 years, owner Betsey Clark has been morphing and mixing the store’s inventory to offer exactly what it is she has in mind for her customers. Did we mention that this store caters to the young crowd?

Supervisors can sometimes feel as if they and their employees are not speaking the same language. But what happens when that truly is the case — when otherwise excellent employees have a weak grasp of English?

The past year has been a successful one for the Bethany-Fenwick Chamber of Commerce, which saw a net growth of 10 businesses in their membership. Looking back, Executive Director Karen McGrath said she is pleased with the way organizations and companies have responded, even through a slow real estate market.

Growing up in small-town Bethany Beach, Ian Martin never really expected to find his big break in the production industry. What started as amateur projects with his friends, from rough audio recordings to unscripted videography of skate and surf videos, though, has transformed his once scoffed-at ambitions to regional and nationwide recognition.

Outlet malls and retail stores are seeing more and more customers as the holiday season reaches its peak, though some are escaping the crowds to find that exceptional gift for someone special. Bethany Beach’s boardwalk treasure, Sea Crest, has been bringing a multitude of shoppers to the area for more than three decades, and current owner Brian McKinney couldn’t be happier.

Gerry Garrett, owner of Lady Fenwick in Fenwick Island, may have left her planned career years ago, but she said she couldn’t be happier than doing what she does now.

It may have only been last year since Margie Liebrich relocated to Millsboro from her home in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, and it may be less than a month since she started providing her expertise at Trendz Salon in Millville.

The Brasure family name has become synonymous over the past decades with lower Sussex County in a multitude of businesses, including auto repair and pest control. However, their carpet care business, started by David Brasure in Williamsville in 1983, has become one of their most established and successful ventures.

Bill Schrider, owner of Millsboro-based In-N-Out Tire and Auto Care, has been specializing in automobiles since his first job as a mechanic, which he started while attending high school in Montgomery County, Md., in 1973.

Nearly everyone has found themselves at some point struggling to get from Point A to Point B, and until recently, the service to solve that problem had not been readily available in the area. However, a new, family-run business is making its move in Ocean View, providing a courteous convenience.

Many restaurants in the area are doing their part to raise money for the expansion of the South Coastal Library and Joshua M. Freeman Cultural Center on Kent Avenue in Bethany Beach, providing a variety of one-night charity events.

Selbyville’s industrial park has a vacancy for a new tenant, after the closing of local operations by Valmont Structures, one of the two largest facilities operating at the industrial park to date.

Furry, four-legged friends are the clientele who walk into Clarksville-area full-service, professional dog grooming business Dog’s Day Out each day. Owned and run by Carrie Andreucci, the in-home business caters to the dogs, and is already making some heads turn and tails wag.

Since Labor Day weekend, the Bethany Beach Yoga Center has been enjoying its new, more centralized location, just a few miles down the road from its former home. Established in the area for more than a half-decade and previously situated above Isabella’s Restaurant in Bethany, they made the move to a new, convenient and more hospitable environment at 158B Central Avenue in Millville.

Few people are lucky enough to have the view outside their home that Diane Turner wakes up to every morning. But this restaurateur-turned-caterer and hostess has found a way to allow others experience this same sight, while creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Only a year and a half has passed since Kenny Heats introduced his newest establishment, Chalkboard Tavern and Grille in Bethany Beach. But, equipped with a credible crew, he’s managed to turn heads, draw crowds and keep the customers coming back for more.

The ladies at Sweet Disposition seem to have developed a knack for satisfying everyone’s sweet tooth — from the most formal of affairs to casual gatherings. With lavish wedding cakes, scrumptious cookies and nearly every dessert in between, owners Linda Thurston and Karen Nash are enjoying every aspect that their dessert shop has brought to their lives.