Leaning against the truck of our van, suitcases out and serving as chairs for my brother and my dad, we sat in the parking lot of The Duchess eating sandwiches and drinking milkshakes. This small sandwich shop has been in Ellicott City, Maryland for about 36 years and is known for it’s ice cream and milkshakes. It is very special to me because it was my welcome into Maryland when I moved here at the age of 10. The Duchess has a history behind it, originally being run by Mike and Maggie Kovas, who cater to all kinds of people ranging from firefighters from across the street to soccer moms and their kids. Everyone knows about The Duchess where I live; it ties us together as a community. Sadly, in 2005 Mike had passed away and The Duchess was due to close. It had been the coolest place for us middle-schoolers to hang out and the only place our parents would let us go alone. Because of the news, all the kids in my neighborhood were distraught. We couldn’t let The Duchess shutdown, so we started a petition that was passed around during school lunch. I don’t know if our petition was effective, but we were all extremely happy to find out that The Duchess would still be around. Mrs. Kovas was going to renovate the store and keep it open. Today, The Duchess is still standing and I hope it continues to live on for generations to come.
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