Made in Maryland

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Make it easy on yourself this holiday season and focus your shopping energies on the bounties of our home state.

“The quality, the variety, the availability of Maryland products stand for themselves,” said Mary Ellen Morrison, director of Maryland with Pride, a program of the state’s Department of Economic and Business Development.

Founded in 1989 by Gov. William Donald Schaefer, the Pride program (marylandwithpride.choosemaryland.org) provides free marketing and promotional support to more than 8,000 local Maryland vendors.

“As Marylanders, we have a responsibility to promote products in Maryland as opposed to just going online and haphazardly selecting products that will not affect our economy,” Morrison said.

“I do all of my Christmas shopping at local retailers,” Keith Losoya, a holiday consumer from Federal Hill, said. Losoya, also the executive director of Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance, will likely walk to the Guilded Peach to purchase local handmade jewelry for his wife, he said. “The more people take that opportunity to walk down their Main Street, the less they’ll jump in the car, and it is more economically and environmentally sustainable.”

Much of Maryland — from its mountains to the shore — is reflected in a vast array of “Made In Maryland” products that are there for the giving.

Fancy wines. Unusual food, maybe with a Chesapeake Bay flavor. Western Maryland landscapes. Books. Pottery. Candies. The list goes on and on — so take your choice.

This holiday season, stay at home and boost your hometown economy. The gifts of Maryland are everywhere, and here is a sampling.

Sweet, sweet dreams

Think butter cream and pecan nougat.

Churning out sweets in South Baltimore on Caton Avenue are nationally known chocolatiers Mary Sue Candies and Naron’s, both owned and operated by candy newcomer and Baltimore native Bill Buppert, who bought the company in 2001.

“My background in the candy business is none, but I saw the business opportunity. We’re pretty happy to be doing business in Maryland,” said Buppert.

“It works to our advantage in that many Marylanders look for local products.”

During the Christmas season, a few products earn significant consumer attention.

“Our top holiday products at Mary Sue are the 3-ounce pecan log, and we have a 1.5-ounce Christmas tree in vanilla butter cream,” Buppert said.

Mary Sue Candies is also well-known for its Easter offerings, including the recognizable foil wrapped chocolate cream-filled eggs.

For information, visit www.marysue.com and www.naronscandy.com.

Keep dreaming ...

Think Berger’s cookies. No ... taste Berger’s cookies.

The Berger family — German immigrants — founded the Baltimore company in the 1830s. Berger Cookies, now owned by Debaufre Bakeries Inc., is located in an inconspicuous factory in South Baltimore, but its chocolatey fudge cookies can be found at retail locations throughout the state or purchased online.

“During December, Berger Cookies sales nearly double because they have become a signature Baltimore item,” said Dennis Graul, owner of local grocery chain Graul’s Market.

During the holiday season, DeBaufre markets the cookies in specially decorated 2-pound tins.

“Berger Cookies are a super favorite,” said M.C. Savage, resident of Baltimore City. “I’m sending them to New York to thank friends for a great dinner with them and am also sending them as Christmas gifts. A few years ago, we had about 12 boxes at a family reunion, and cousin from San Francisco called the store and ordered another 12 boxes for her friends.”

For information, visit www.bergercookies.com. Graul noted that other popular Maryland-made products are Moxley’s seasonal peppermint stick and cinnamon ice creams (www.moxleys.com) and Moore’s chocolates (www.moorescandies.com).

A taste of the Bay

Cheryl Wade believes firmly in what she calls “a living local economy.”

“When you support local businesses, you keep more money in your community,” said the owner of Mill Valley Farmer’s Market and Garden Center in Hampden. “And when you are dealing with food, you know where it comes from.”

Find products from more than 19 local vendors at Mill Valley, including ginger sauces by Gracie’s Gotcha Ginger, hot sauces and salsas from the Whiskey Island Pirate Shop and body treatments from Zensations by Jen.

“I go up to the Center because I know that my money is going into an organization that knows the community,” said Mill Valley customer and neighbor Allen Hicks.

“I don’t have to drive all over the place, it’s right there and you can get anything you want for the holidays,” Hicks said of the locally made gardening tools, soaps, teas and fruits and breads.

“The premade gift baskets have been very successful,” Wade said. “I just had to call one of the vendors to come over and make more.”

For information, visit www.mill-valley.net, or call 410-889-6482.

“We try to focus on smaller manufacturers in Maryland to help those companies get promoted,” said Jeff Bridner, who, with his wife Patty, owns Maryland Delivered. Their company has collected a number of Maryland products, which they offer from both their store in Westminster and online. They also handle all deliveries.

“All of our food products are Maryland-made, and we buy everything outright [from Maryland vendors]. They don’t have to worry about sales once we buy their product,” he said.

Among the company’s special holiday items is the Taste of Maryland tin, which includes Old Bay seasoning, a Maryland crab soup mix, Maryland jams and jellies, and Goetze’s caramel creams.

Seafood seasonings like Old Bay and crab salsa are always popular, Bridner said. For information, visit www.marylanddelivered.com, or call 1-888-284-8565.

At Kim Madden’s Frederick Basket Company in Frederick, customers can walk through the store and choose from a number of regional products to make custom gift baskets, including McCutcheon’s Apple Products, Deloache Chocolates of Annapolis and Catoctin Kettle Corn.

“Customers want gifts that are ready,” Madden said of this season’s shopping trends. “They are spending less money because they are being budget conscious. They want things that are practical and consumable, things that are not going to be sitting around.”

For information, visit www.frederickbasket.com, or call 301-696-9354.

A bottle of red ... a bottle of white ...

There are 25 licensed wineries in Maryland, which accounted for 1.6 percent of all wines sold in the state in fiscal year 2006, an 18.6 percent increase over fiscal year 2005, according to 2006 data recently released by the Maryland Wine Association.

“People can bring a bottle of wine to a holiday party, and it’s always better when there is a story behind it,” said Kevin Atticks, executive director of the Maryland Wine Association. “Local wine is something we consume a lot of over the holidays, and it’s always a great complement to a great meal.”

But giving the gift of Maryland wine is not that easy.

“No wine can be shipped through the mail to any Maryland wine consumers, even if that gift is being sent from a Maryland location,” Atticks said. “There are many people who would love to ship and receive great wines through the mail, but alcohol through the mail is not simple when you live in Maryland.”

Instead, consumers can purchase wine at local retailers or the wineries themselves and hand-deliver them to friends and families.

“People love to give wine for Christmas,” said Lynne Basignani, co-owner of the Basignani Winery in Sparks. “We’ll make custom gift baskets full of any wine.” They also offer special holiday gift bags.

Erik’s Big Zin (zinfandel) and Lorenzino’s Reserve (cabernet) are two of Lynne and Bert Basignani’s holiday recommendations. “Both are full-bodied reds and can be paired with red meat or chicken,” she said.

For information on the state’s wineries, visit www.marylandwine.com.

Arts and crafts

A great way to support the local art scene is to visit the Potters Guild Gallery in Hampden’s Meadow Mill complex.

Everything in the gallery is for sale, and prices range from $3 for ornaments to $200 for large sculptures. “I’m priced to sell,” said Carolyn Phillips of her works at the Guild. “The joy is in the production itself.”

Beautiful hand-crafted items — made by the 50 Guild members — line the walls, shelves and floors.

For information, visit ww.pottersguild.org or call 410-235-4884.

Greg Otto, a Baltimore artist famed for his colorful depictions of Baltimore landmarks and scenes, sells many pieces of art from his private studio during the holiday season.

“We get an awful lot of husbands who will call at the last minute and then come by. I tell them to bring the pieces back if their wives aren’t pleased.”

Otto, who represents himself, has been painting for more than 30 years. His advice to gift givers: “It’s very tricky to try to think like someone else, so buy something that appeals to you.”

Otto will make a holiday appearance on Dec. 16 at Hometown Girl in Hampden. For information, send an e-mail inquiry to hudmud@aol.com.

For those who are not quite comfortable choosing art, an art magazine subscription can also be a big hit.

AmericanStyle is a beautiful bi-monthly glossy art and craft magazine published in Hampden by The Rosen Group. The publication has a readership of 60,000 nationwide, and during the holiday season, it sees a 10-percent increase of gift subscriptions, said spokesperson Daniel Waldman. For information, visit www.americanstyle.com, or call 410-889-3093.

Don’t sweat the holidays

Your son could use a long-sleeve T-shirt for his outdoor soccer games; your grandmother could use updated spandex for her BodyPump classes; and your dad may need a new pair of white sweats.

There is something for everyone at Under Armour, and although the sweat-wicking fabric is not hand-sewn in town, the apparel giant has its headquarters in Locust Point.

There are many new products out for the holiday season, and customers can shop through the stacks at a discreet Under Armour factory house at 1010 Swan Creek Dr. in Curtis Bay, or join the big-box march and head to Dick’s or Sport’s Authority.

Reflective of its mass appeal, the company expects to do 46 to 49 percent more business this year than last, said spokesperson Jon Previtera. For information, visit www.underarmour.com, or call 410-454-6684.

Giving back

» For every $100 spent locally, $45 goes back into the community and state tax base. For every $100 spent at a chain store, only $14 stays in the community.

» Small businesses are one of the largest employers in the Baltimore region.

» Nonprofits receive an average 350 percent more support from local business owners than from non-locals.

Source: www.buylocalbaltimore.com

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