Bethany-Fenwick Chamber opens second location

The Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce has seen its fair share of growth as Sussex County continues to bloom with residents and new businesses. To accommodate the growth, the chamber decided it was time to branch out with a second location. l PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BETHANY-FENWICK AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

DAGSBORO —  The Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce has seen its fair share of growth as Sussex County continues to bloom with residents and new businesses.

To accommodate the growth, the chamber decided it was time to branch out with a second location. Executive Director Lauren Weaver told the Delaware Business Times that the chamber’s new Dagsboro location, an old farmhouse more than a century old located at 33370 Main St., is just right for the organization.

“After considering the local traffic patterns and the fact that business growth just isn’t going to slow down, we knew opening this second location was the right thing for us,” she said. “There are so many amazing businesses both on the coast and inland. The Dagsboro area has an awesome anchor with the botanical gardens, high school, Parsons Farm Produce and some other really amazing businesses that we’ve already partnered with so we just felt the time was right. It’s a really nice opportunity for us to have an inland presence.”

Weaver said the chamber will continue to operate its 2,400 square feet, full-time location at 36913 Coastal Hwy. between Fenwick Island and the Fenwick Island State Park. The new Dagsboro location, which comes in at 1,100 square feet with an eight-year lease, will be operated on a part-time basis.

“The drive from the inland area out here to the coastal area of Fenwick can take a lot longer during the summer season, too. We’re hoping this second location makes us a lot more accessible to businesses in that inland area. I’ve been with the chamber since 2013 and that amount of people who travel here and say ‘I have never been to Fenwick Island’…  it’s a lot. But that little gateway to Dagsboro where we have our second home now is some nice exposure for the 800 business members we have,” she added.

Both locations have meeting space for members, along with free local information and state park passes for sale for travelers looking for the right activity.

Roughly about 225 volunteers, most of which from local businesses and organizations, help the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce operate throughout the year, including events, gatherings and other activities.

“We have a really unique chamber. We have the Quiet Resort branding which is really our tourism brand and something we really focus on here at the information center [in Fenwick Island]. But then, in the off season, the chamber is still operating to benefit our businesses. Most of our programming actually operates in the off season,” Weaver said. “But business doesn’t stop during the summer season. We’re looking forward to having that inland presence to make it easier to do business.”