Franchot Tours Glyndon, Encourages Marylanders to Shop Locally

To emphasize the importance of supporting local business this holiday season, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot took a tour of small businesses in Glyndon.

“I’m urging everyone who cares about Maryland to shop locally,” Franchot said.

Franchot was joined by Baltimore County Councilwoman Vicki Almond and Reisterstown-Owings Mills-Glyndon Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Brian Ditto.

His toured started at Santoni’s Marketplace and Catering, where he saw the sales office and hopped inside the market to buy some chocolate top cookies. He stopped by several other shops after that, including The Wine Post and The Boxwood Collection.

Michael Leggett, co-owner of The Wine Post, said his visit from the comptroller was pleasant, and Franchot bought a bottle of Boordy Vineyards Shiraz. Leggett said The Wine Post has been successful through initiatives like extra sales on small business Saturday and emphasizing customer services.

“Being in a small town like this, people want to keep small businesses in town,” he said.

Part of Franchot’s message is for Marylanders to go into local shops and stay off the internet for holiday shopping.

“As much as we love the internet, it’s not a level playing field,” Franchot said. “…When someone can show me a little league team in Maryland that says ‘Amazon.com’ on the back of their jerseys, I might change my view.”