Sep 21, 2008

Middletown store owners want variety of businesses downtownBy Jon StewartFrederickNewsPost.com

Middletown, MD — Downtown business owners hope the town can attract a greater variety of new businesses — the more the merrier.

Bob Brenengen, who owns The Main Cup restaurant at 14 W. Main St. with wife, Kimberly, said the town has enough business opportunities to create multiple destinations for visitors.

“I’m a believer that more choices is better for everyone,” Brenengen said.

Tom and Donna Croft recently opened the West Side Deli at 405 W. Main St., and he would like to see just about any type of food business open downtown.

“A lot of people will go where the food is,” Tom Croft said.

Middletown is full of people with money to spend, and more food choices would help rather than hurt existing restaurants, he said.

Middletown needs a few upscale restaurants such as Mealey’s in New Market and the Old South Mountain Inn near Boonsboro, said Elaine Canonico, co-owner with Linda Zvolenski of the Snallygaster gift store at 1A W. Main St.

Downtown businesses are stuck with 9-to-5 hours, Canonico said.

“A large-scale restaurant would allow a business owner to have a weekend and an evening trade,” she said.

Meanwhile, some business owners said that there isn’t enough parking to support more businesses and more visitors.

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