Bel Air Business Competes For $10,000 And Needs Your Online Vote

BEL AIR, MD — Caprichos Books is in the running for Howard Bank's "Keep It Local" small business contest. The Bel Air bookstore is one of 15 businesses competing for $10,000.

Announcing its first ever "Keep It Local" contest, the bank asked people to nominate their favorite local businesses in May for the chance to win $10,000. The 15 businesses that earned the most nominations according to the rules made it to the first round of online voting.

Nominees had to be in Howard Bank's branch footprint, which it defined as Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Cecil, Harford and Howard counties as well as Baltimore City.

Among the top 15 is Caprichos Books, located in the Bel Air Armory Marketplace.

Vote here in the Howard Bank's Keep It Local contest.

"The Baltimore area has a particularly vibrant and diversified small business community and Howard Bank’s reason for being is to help those local businesses succeed," Mary Ann Scully, CEO of Howard Bank, said in a statement. "This contest is a great way to engage our neighbors in that mission as well as provides all of us in the community with a means to recognize all of the hardworking entrepreneurs and small business owners in the region."

Husband and wife team Jeff and Liz Decker held a grand opening for Caprichos Books in August 2018, and the business has taken off ever since in Bel Air.

Here is how the business is described in the Howard Bank contest:

Caprichos Books is an independent bookstore in Bel Air owned and operated by a local husband and wife team. We take donated books looking to be rehomed and sell them, fill Little Free Libraries and work with other charity organizations to recycle or repurpose. We also order new and used books requested by customers and book clubs. All our other literary-themed gifts and retail items come from local artists and businesses. We host events for all ages and experience levels including author events, book clubs, story times and art instruction. We've created a warm and cozy space for our community and aim to make it a safe place to expand your world.

Neil Gaiman once wrote 'What I say is, a town isn’t a town without a bookstore.' We take that to mean that a bookstore is more than a place to buy books but a place to connect with your neighbors. At Caprichos Books we strive to know the small business owners in our community and make connections between our customers and friends. We are a living, physical, social network. It makes us happy to hear when someone has discovered a new event, or new favorite restaurant based on information they learned here. Our events are always collaborations with other businesses in our community. We want to be the lungs of the community, bringing our fresh air and new ideas to everyone we meet. Caprichos Books is a place to explore the town, the state, this world and beyond.

The first round of voting runs until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 28.

Here are the nominees:

• ArtFarm Studios in Annapolis
• Caprichos Books in Bel Air
• Connie's Chicken & Waffles in Baltimore
• Domesticity in Baltimore
• Fadensonnen in Baltimore
• GoSeason in Baltimore
• Hair & Things in Rising Sun
• Intreegue Design in Elkridge
• Iron Bridge Wine Co. in Columbia
• Jolles Insurance in Ellicott City
• Mt. Royal Soap Co. in Baltimore
• Rise N' Grind in Rising Sun
• Shephard Design in Rising Sun
• Teal Antler Boutique in Elkton
• WATT Business Solutions of Baltimore

Five contestants with the most votes will move on to the second round of voting from July 8 to July 26. Then a winner will be announced Aug. 5.

Caprichos Books is at 37 North Main Street, Suite 102, Bel Air, MD 21014. It's behind the Bel Air Armory in the Armory Marketplace.