Business plans well-grounded

When Dan McMahon first opened the doors of his Eastport coffee shop a year ago, there was no doubt in his mind that he'd take the local path - serving and selling only locally roasted coffees.

From there Ahh, Coffee! took off, using local equipment suppliers, serving pastries from local bakers and even displaying art from Eastport artists.

Mr. McMahon's is one of a number of local coffee shops bucking the bigger coffee giants and going with the little guys like the Chesapeake Bay Roasting Co., Caffe Pronto and Cosmic Bean.

"It was all part of the concept I was trying to create," Mr. McMahon said. "It was only...