Step into the month-old Hampden restaurant True Chesapeake Oyster Co., and you can almost see and taste the Chesapeake Bay. Jay Fleming’s photos of lighthouses floating on the water grace the walls and the color palette contains various shades of blue. Its signature dish makes its way into the design as thousands of crushed oyster shells are featured in the wraparound bar and oyster cages hang near the entrance.
“There are so many vignettes around the restaurant that make me smile,” says Chef and Partner Zack Mills says of the first restaurant in Whitehall Mill, an 18th century mill undergoing restoration by Terra Nova ventures. “When you’re in a building that’s really beautiful, it’s more fun to come to work.”
Most restaurant owners wouldn’t consider opening during a recession, but that’s exactly what Robert and Roseann Glick did when they debuted their 130-seat neighborhood café in the 
At the new Ruxton Mercantile general store, customers can buy activated charcoal toothpaste, throw blankets made on antique looms and merino wool clothing from New Zealand.
