Businesses growing despite pandemic

Several have opened or started construction

BERLIN — Berlin has been cheerfully announcing new businesses or business expansions every week since August, all at a time when the pandemic and unemployment are battering many Connecticut communities.

Several restaurants, fitness centers, an investment office and a mixed-use development have all opened or started construction during a time when “For sale” or “Closed” signs have appeared along retail strips and in office parks. Part of the reason for Berlin’s strong year may be that this town of 20,000 doesn’t depend on the kind of office tower complexes and high-density retail hubs that are suffering so badly, its top business coordinator says.

“We’ve had a groundbreaking or ribbon-cutting every week, and I think we might keep that up through the end of the year,” said Chris Edge, economic development director. “And I think part of that is because in Berlin, we say we do three things: We make things, we fix things and we install things. I’ll say that 70% of our workforce never stopped coming to work (since the pandemic began).”

Unemployment in the town is 5.4%, well below the statewide 7.5% average. With a business base of mostly small manufacturers, contractors and home improvement companies, Berlin has been less susceptible than average to downturns that have struck some large factories and major retailers since February. Twoof its biggest taxpayers are Eversource and Comcast, which have been resilient through 2020.

To restaurateur Lou Sterling, Berlin looked like a good place to open a small outlet of his Rooster’s Chicken & Waffles chain to use mostly as a low-pressure training center for bigger locations. When it opened this summer, though, business was way better than he expected — and has been strong ever since.

“When we opened, one customer came in, then another, then the police department, then the fire department — a lot of these people are residents, they’re telling coworkers and family members. The next thing I know there’s a line out the door, the trainees are overwhelmed, I’m calling in people from other restaurants to help,” Sterling said.

“That’s the moment I realized Berlin was it. And now Berlin is our number one store, our flagship,” said Sterling, who also has outlets in Wethersfield, New Britain and East Hartford.

“If you think about it, with the town being small and not having lot of big stores, the businesses in towns are depending on the residents. Most of the business people here live in town and work in town, we all support each other,” Sterling said. “Most of my business doesn’t come from out of town, it’s from here. With all the people working from home, if I was in a big downtown depending on their workers I couldn’t survive.”

Ryan Kolej said he and his partner also considered the Berlin market when they went ahead with plans to move their Strength In Numbers fitness center to a location about four times larger this year.

“It’s a small enough community where you don’t know everybody, but you probably know somebody whodoes,” Kolej said.