Member Spotlight: Reter's Crab House, Reisterstown

For many small business owners, there is a sense of pride in handing over their business to the next generation. That pride can be seen in the glimmer in NFIB Member, Calvin Reter’s eyes when he talks about his family’s long history of raising small business owners.
 
The Reter family, now the successful owners of Reter’s Crab House in Reisterstown, Maryland, began their small business legacy in 1935 when Calvin’s father, Bill Reter, started a general store. Bill was creative, innovative and a natural math whiz even though he only made it through fourth grade. Calvin said that he was very efficient at making a profit.
 
Hearing Calvin speak about his father’s business was like opening a time capsule. He talked about how the store sold a variety of items; everything from paint, to women’s clothes, to groceries.
 
“You’ve got to give them credit,” Calvin said. “He and my mother [Susie Reter] had a lot of nerve.”
 
They even took their store mobile with an old school version of the modern day food truck, selling lunch at auctions out of the back of a wagon. When the first gas line came into town they sold sandwiches, drinks, and shakes from their lunch wagon to the workers. 
“My father had a business head on him,” Calvin said.
 
Since the then, the family business has undergone several transitions. In 1976 Calvin and his wife, Betty,  took over the store when his father retired. In 1980 they began selling crabs in the food section of the market, which inspired Calvin’s son, Brad, to open Reter’s Crab House and Grill after they sold the store. 
 
Calvin said that he stays out of the business side of things at Reter’s. “I sent him to school for four years to learn business,” he said. “He works a lot of hours but he has a lot to show for it.”

Calvin was right; there is a lot to show for Brad’s hard work. NFIB/Maryland recently hosted a member meeting at Reter’s and experienced the lunch rush as the restaurant quickly filled up with regulars, many who greeted Calvin or gave him a hug. An energetic group of ladies were situated in the corner for their weekly Domino game.

It’s not hard to see why the restaurant is a popular local joint; it’s extremely clean, tidy and welcoming. The walls are decorated with tastefully selected beach-themed adornments and the small market offers crafts, snacks and fresh seafood including; crab meat, shrimp, clams, king crab legs, snow crab clusters, oysters, lobster tails, crab soup by the pint and quart, and live lobsters. Steamed crabs are also available for carry out by the dozen, half bushel and bushel.
Their food is top-notch and their staff is friendly.

Four of the youngest staff members are none other than Calvin’s grandchildren; Joseph, Andrew, Kristina, and Kevin, who are already learning the ropes of running a family business. Calvin was proud to announce that his youngest grandson is learning quickly, that hard work pays off, and that he earned $150 in tips on Mother’s Day this year busing tables. Kristina, inspired by the family business, currently works as a chef and she’s headed to culinary college in the fall. Who knows, one of the grandchildren could be the fourth generation of the Reter family to be a small business owner. 

To learn more about Reter’s Crab House and Grill visit www.RetersCrabHouse.com.

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