Dollars & Sense

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.

The restaurant business has come natural for Silver Spring, Md., native Don Wood. As the former manager of seafood restaurants in York, Pa., and Harford County, Md., and the current owner of Ciao Bella Italian Bistro in Long Neck, his experience and knowledge stem well over a decade.