Wicked Local
Most of the state s COVID-19 restrictions are set to be lifted this weekend, a large relief for many after 14 months of living with the pandemic. Local businesses are gearing up for a big shift in how they ve been operating and are staffing up to meet an expected rise in customer traffic.
Mae s sandwich shop on Ocean Street opened in October 2019, but because of the pandemic, the first Marshfield summer in their beach-adjacent business as anything but what they expected, so owners Eileen Price and Sam Kauff said they re excited to see what this season brings. The fact that it s coinciding with the start of summer is a little stressful for us because we didn t have a real summer last year, Price said. We re adjusting to more people coming out because they feel more comfortable with vaccines or people opening up again, and also the nice weather. We re trying to manage a new level of busy that we haven t had before.
Mae s is the namesake of Price s aunt, who died about 10 years ago and was the oldest of six kids on her dad s side, she said. Price said her aunt was a positive, generous person who took care of everyone, from her siblings, who she practically raised, to her grandkids and nieces and nephews.
When it came time to name the sandwich shop, Price said it seemed like a nice, sweet name that later resonated with others who have come into the shop telling them about their great aunts and grandmothers named Mae.
The sandwich shop is situated right across the road from the water, and was inspired by the idea of a shop close to the beach for people to grab sandwiches, chips and drinks before heading to the shore during the summer, Price said.