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Salisbury Star PO Box 1000 Seaford, DE 19973-1000
Vol. 2 No. 2 May 2015
SHOREBIRDS SPOTLIGHTDelmarva Shorebirds center fielder Jay Gonzalez is still getting used to the local weather. Gonzalez was born in San Diego and grew up in Florida. More on this month’s Shorebird Spotlight feature on page 18. Photo by Mike McClure
Real Estate and Construction Local businesses help area grow and prosper. Pages 3-10
IMPROVEMENTS- Salisbury mayor looks to addressed abandoned buildings, improve property values. Page 9 RETIREMENT- Delmar police chief to retire after storied career. Page 11 LEAVING- Delmar superintendent to leave after school year. Page 12
INDEX Bulletin Board ........................... 24 Business Digest ....................... 14 Business Directory..............36-37 Education ................................. 28 Entertainment ........................... 23 Health....................................26-27 Personnel File ........................... 15 Salisbury University ................. 30 Sports ...................................18-22 The Great Outdoors ................. 21 Tim Gonzales ............................ 35 Business Profile ....................... 14 Studet Profile ............................ 28 Final Word ................................. 39 Veronica Correa........................ 38
SALISBURY UNIVERSITY COMMONS- Shown is the Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons which is under construction at Salisbury University. Photo by Patrick J. Hendrickson/Highcamera.com
Salisbury experiences a growth in restaurant, bar choices since last spring By Tony Russo As spring got underway last year, Salisbury was buzzing with rumors of new businesses. In the ensuing 12 months many of those rumors have come true, and Downtown Salisbury is on its way to economic relevance that may begin to rival its cultural one. It might even be the result of it. With last year’s inauguration of the Downtown Trolley, Salisbury University students have begun to acquaint themselves better with the restaurant and bar scene. This surge certainly drove the minor restaurant boom that added four new restaurants and bars to the area over the last year. Just as significant as the additional restaurants, however, has been the addition of retail spaces. Laura Kordzikowski, the city’s business development
specialist, attributed the growth, in part, to the recurved rents in the downtown spaces. Retail space downtown can go for half of the per square foot rate property owners get in the strip malls near the college. “There’s definitely more interest,” she said. “It encourages people to think of the downtown as a great place to start a small business.” Feathered Companions Aviary,opened in a building that had been vacant for years and heralded what could be the return of the specialty shop to the downtown. It was joined a little later in the year by Deadstock, a shop that sells collectible sneakers. Businesses like these can cultivate niche markets and develop a little more at ease than they could in higher priced areas. Destination stores don’t rely heavily enough on foot traffic for
the price differential to be worth it. An African Gray parrot or a pair of limited edition Jordan Airs aren’t common enough impulse purchases. Having a downtown presence, though, gives small startups visibility and cache. When 3rd Fridays pack the streets, people who aren’t necessarily bird or sneaker fans might have their curiosity piqued. Kordzikowski said eleven new businesses chose the downtown as the place to make their starts last year. The popularity of the place and the increase in crowds, though, didn’t drive up rents as might be expected. Demand is steady but not outrageous, which is one thing keeping the rents down. Another is that the attention has turned to the next big developments. Much of the frontage in Continued on page 12