My husband grew up in a Maryland town that didn’t have a main street.

The first time I visited I was really confused. Where is the post office? A dry cleaner? Barber shop? A hardware store? Ice cream shop??!!!

I thought about that when I sold five (yeah!!!) properties recently, 4 homes and one commercial, on Main Street in Rock Hall. Why is Main Street so important to a place and to the people who live there?

“Main Street is everyone’s home town—the heart line of America.” Walt Disney

If you’re thinking about moving or buying a second home, here’s seven reasons to pick towns with cool main streets, like Centreville, Rock Hall, Chestertown and Stevensville.

1. Entrepreneurs can live and work in their community.

My clients bought a commercial property to open their dream restaurant/bar. Long hours and hard, rewarding, work. Good thing they’re going to live close to home--they also bought a house while they were at it.

While making new friends in your new hometown, you are also recruiting potential, repeat customers to your business. People buy from people they know, like and trust.

1a. No commute. No traffic.

2. Be the star in your live version of “Fixer Upper.”

Preservation – based economic development of older and historic properties is a core mission of small-town governments and of organizations like Main Street America, that is supported, in part, by funds from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Therefore, many properties on Main Streets have been maintained and preserved with their original facades and interior details.

Do you dream of searching for the right sconces, crown molding and fixtures that complement, or contrast, with the period architecture of your home or business? These properties are just waiting for an avid antiquer, refinisher, stainer, and carpenter to restore their timeless charms. Homes and buildings with ‘good bones’ are often better options than starting from scratch with new construction.

3. Fun, Fun, Fun Events close to home.

Main Streets are full of events sponsored by the towns’ government, civic and cultural leaders that draw tourists and neighbors (i.e. potential customers). Parades, exhibits, live entertainment, historical and cultural activities are staples. Now these small towns are creating more events in the off-season to entice late fall and winter tourists to stay and spend. That could mean less off-season revenue losses and fluctuations for business owners.

4. Convenience of shopping, dining and playing close to home.

If your Saturday consists of running from one side of the suburb to the other to get gas, dry cleaning, groceries, gifts, and playing taxi to school activities, then slow down. Shop on Main Street.

Patronizing fellow business owners is another way to increase your own customer base.

4a. See “Watermelon Crawl” in the Spring 2019 edition.

5. Centreville and Stevensville are Bedroom Communities with small-town amenities.

“The Suburbs” are the original bedroom communities of the economic hubs of the DMV (DC, MD, VA). Centreville and Stevensville, while bedroom communities, combine the proximity to work hubs with the amenities of small-town life. Imagine knowing more than two neighbors.

6. Buying local supports the local economy.

According to MainStreet.org, sales at small retailers have grown at a faster rate than big retailers since 2012. Online shopping currently makes up just over 10% of all retail sales. With the majority of Americans still spending their shopping budget inside physical stores, there’s an opportunity for the right businesses to thrive on Main Streets. Loads of people love coffee shops, produce markets, yoga studios and furniture stores.

Great products, great service and a great location help ensure a growing customer base. My cousin Kendall owns Get the Scoop, an ice cream shop located at the corner of Main Street and Route 20, in Rock Hall. It was her dream to open an ice cream shop since she was a kid and now she’s living her dream. The ice cream is phenomenal. People stand in line because it’s that good. Nobody else can beat it.

There’s Baskin Robbins all over the nation. On what ice cream cone would you rather spend your budgets--both monetary, and caloric?

Give me a call and let’s talk about finding your new home, a vacation home or the perfect commercial property for the business you’ve always wanted, in beautiful Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties.