Survey Reveals Maryland’s 5 Favorite Main Street Businesses.
- Survey of 3,004 of local, independent businesses.
- Hoffman’s Home Made Ice Cream in Westminster ranked #1 in Maryland.
- Infographic.
Every town has one. That place. The kind of spot where the receipts are still handwritten, the cookies taste like your childhood, and the staff know your name – and probably your dog’s too. These aren’t sleek franchises or start-ups chasing IPOs. They’re local businesses. Comfortably worn, deeply local, and stubbornly independent.
To celebrate these unsung heroes of hometown pride, MarketBeat.com, a financial media company, polled 3,004 locals to find out: Which classic, independently owned business defines your hometown? Maryland’s top 5 were as follows:
#1. Hoffman’s Home Made Ice Cream, Westminster
Since 1947, Hoffman’s has been scooping thick malts and spinning banana splits for generations. Come summer, the line snakes past the parking lot — and nobody minds.
#2. Faidley’s Seafood, Baltimore
Tucked inside Lexington Market since 1886, Faidley’s is legendary for its jumbo lump crab cakes — no filler, just old-school Baltimore pride. You eat it standing up, elbow to elbow with strangers and regulars.
#3. The Book Escape, Baltimore
A maze of mismatched shelves, handwritten notes, and rescued books, The Book Escape is a haven for readers who like their fiction used and their bookstores a little chaotic.
#4. Bay Country Antiques, Cambridge
Off a quiet road on the Eastern Shore, this sprawling red barn holds everything from decoy ducks to 19th‑century pie safes. Family‑run since 1980, it’s been part of local treasure hunts for over 40 years.
#5. McCutcheon’s Apple Products, Frederick
This family-run cannery has been turning out apple butter, jellies, and cider since the 1930s. The store smells like cinnamon and nostalgia, and the labels haven’t changed in decades.
Infographic showing the 220 most loved independent main street businesses in the country
Matt Paulson, founder of MarketBeat.com, says: “Many of these businesses have survived changing tastes, rising rents, and the convenience of two-day shipping. Why? Because they offer something irreplaceable: heart. You don’t go to these places just to shop – you go to feel like you belong.”