Landmark Galena Market Has New Lease on Life

For more than a hundred years, the white building in the center of Galena has been a Mom & Pop grocery store.

Old timers remember when it was Woodall’s Market. In 1980 Horace and Josie Otwell bought the store and it took a while for people to call it Otwell’s. In 2002, the Otwell’s daughter Christy and her husband, Joe Pisapia, took over. In late June, they handed over the keys to new owners: sisters Elizabeth (Cricket) Beck and Nancy Beck and Debbie King. They promptly re-named the store Sassy River Market.

With the opening of Food Lion in Millington and Walmart in Middletown, lots of people feared that this living landmark would not be able to survive, but Cricket, Nancy, and Debbie had always liked the store and envisioned great possibilities for it. “We plan to keep the special traditions, such as the first-rate meat section with its certified Angus beef, deli sandwiches, and fresh local turkeys for Thanksgiving,” said Cricket. She added, “We have added many specialty products, such as trail mix, gluten-free items, fresh Maryland rockfish, and fresh tuna. Also for the holidays, patrons will be able to order crab cakes and crab imperial. Eventually, we will offer rotisserie chicken and fried chicken.”

Debbie King, Cricket Beck and Nancy Beck are the new owners of Sassy River Market.

The new owners have added liquor and subtracted tobacco products. They are buying fresh produce from local farms. When produce is past its prime the new owners will donate it to a rescue horse farm in Cecil County. “We are committed to recycling and to being helpful in the community,” Cricket said. They also want to serve the thousands of boaters in the Sassafras River.

The three business partners, who are in their fifties, have a great deal of retail, grocery, and management experience between them. Cricket Beck grew up in Rock Hall and worked at Acme in Chestertown for 13 years. She eventually earned a master’s degree in management from Johns Hopkins and became a flight paramedic with the state police. Currently she is a lieutenant with the state police.

Nancy Beck worked at the Sears Catalogue Store in Chestertown until it closed; then she worked for a group of physicians. Debbie King worked for the Virginia State Police for 26 years and for the Maryland Transportation Authority Police for 6 years. She is an experienced canine handler.

Nancy and Debbie will work at Sassy River Market full-time with assistance from Hazel Harrison, Hayden Chance, and Tori Pisapia.

No longer a Mom & Pop establishment, Sassy River Market is now under the ownership and management of three strong women who plan to honor its traditions and build a thriving 21^st Century business. John Carroll, the owner of Village Real Estate in Galena who brokered the sale, said, “I am extremely pleased that we were able to sell the market to a local family who is committed to our community and to the market’s success.”

After a month in business, Nancy said, “Business is great and feedback from the community has been fabulous!”