On Thursday, April 10, 2025, the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce partnered with the Garrett County Department of Business Development to hold a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of Shop ‘n Save’s new store in Mountain Lake Park.
Connor Norman, Business Development Specialist and Chair of the Garrett County Diplomats, led the ceremony. Local dignitaries in attendance include Commissioners Paul Edwards, Larry Tichnell, and Ryan Savage; County Administrator Kevin Null; Mountain Lake Park Mayor Don Sincell and Accident Mayor Rich Carlson; Garrett County Chamber of Commerce Board members Ben Riegsecker, Jay Quinn, and Emily Tusing; and Chamber Interim President Nick Sharps.
A large crowd of attendees congratulated CEO Craig Phillips and his management team on the grand opening of the new store and thanked them for making such a considerable investment in the community.
“I could tell in just a few minutes talking to people that this store is important to the community members,” said Commissioner Edwards.
Mayor Sincell praised the store’s high-quality staff and remarked on the growth this grand opening represents to the area while Chamber Interim President Sharps spoke about vital role grocery stores play in the health of a community.
“I just want to say thank you for being here. We started this project 5 years ago—it’s been a long time,” said Craig. “Everybody in the state of Maryland has been great to us. All the counties, the communities, Mountain Lake Park, Oakland, any place I went we’ve always been welcome and they’ve always helped us get through whatever we had to get through.”
“We have other people looking to come to the area. We want to use the grocery store as an anchor,” Craig continued. “I hope to have another building started sometime by the end of the summer and gradually grow this.”
Garrett County Diplomats Ron Bittinger, Steve Bortz, Anne Davidson, Crystal Dayton, David Jochynek, Jared Jones, Julie Mead, Beau Neece, Connor Norman, Sarena Rodeheaver, Kristin Skeweris, Josh Slone, Tom Tannis, and Emily Tusing assisted in the ribbon cutting.
The new Shop ‘n Save store is located at 304 Weber Road, across Maryland Highway from the grocery store's original location. With 6000 more square feet and state-of-the-art refrigeration, the new store has expanded space for fresh produce, meats, seafood, and deli foods.
Article courtesy of the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce.
