The important things in life are the things that last: family, good friends and cherished memories — memories of innocent times spent playing catch in the backyard, skimming stones down by the pond, swapping stories under the shade tree, doing cannonballs in the pool or riding bikes in the quiet cul-de-sac before returning to your favorite room in your beautiful home.

Sure, it sounds like the images portrayed in a Norman Rockwell painting, but if you take a trip to Fruitland, Md., and behold Rowen’s Mill firsthand, you’ll see just how close to a Rockwell real life can be.
The 150-unit gated community is the loving vision and creation of Blair Rinnier and his family. As Vice President of Rinnier, Rinnier has channeled the company’s decades of experience, into a neighborhood that he is proud to call his own. Rinnier Development Company has been a leader in quality housing and property management for over 75 years, and the residential division has undoubtedly made a statement with its newest community. Rinnier Residential is truly leading the evolution of lifestyles and quality homes on the Shore.

“Rowen’s Mill is actually the first gated community with no age restrictions on the Eastern Shore” explained the development’s Sales Manager, Brandon Ziska, “Which is appropriate because from one generation to the next, the name Rinnier has always stood for the highest quality and attention to detail.”

Ziska should know. After earning his bachelor’s degree in marketing at Salisbury University, he actually interned at Rinnier Residential and was apparently such a great fit that Blair Rinnier offered Ziska a post-graduation position with the team at Rinnier.

“It’s not hard at all to get families enthusiastic about the virtues of Rowen’s Mill,” admitted Ziska, “All you really have to do is explain the concept of the community and point out the many ways in which we’re a different and more attractive option than other places they may have considered.”

Those “attractive differences” emerge conspicuously from even the initial glance at the dual-waterfall entrance to the 65-acre tract in Fruitland. To begin with, Rowen’s Mill is a pristine collection of custom-built homes, each meticulously tailored to the desires of the family which occupies it. There is no preconstruction in a Rowen’s Mill home. Each sits on a brick-and-block foundation, which not only is aesthetically superior to the typical concrete-slab approach but provides greater insulation and structural soundness to the entire home.

Another quality feature that Rinnier Residential insists upon is that all homes in Rowen’s Mill be “stick-built.” Rather than cheaper, preformed approaches that show up in places like attics where trusses are placed at inconvenient sites, impinging upon usable space without offering any support advantages, Rowen’s Mill prefers to use the superior stick-frame construction. With this level of quality control as the prevailing mentality, it stands to reason that double-paned Anderson windows come standard on every home at Rowen’s Mill.

Also a masterpiece is the lush island on which these dream homes reside. That’s why Rinnier Residential and Rowen’s Mill have hired master-craftsmen Legendary Landscaping to ensure that all the perfectly coiffed lots, scapes and settings stay exactly as idyllic as the day you moved in.

Now, throw in 10 acres worth of wooded walking trails, a spring-fed fishing pond, a gorgeous heated in-ground pool with lighted pavilion and, last but not least, Blair Rinnier’s personal gift to his extended Rowen’s Mill family — a three-quarter-million dollar, 2,000-square-foot clubhouse, made luxurious with a plasma TV, fireplace, sumptuous leather sofas, cathedral ceilings and a fully functional kitchen, all of which are available for the exclusive use of residents for everything from just lounging around to formal black-tie events — and what you come away with is a shared reality that seems to conjure the best elements of a luxury spa and the Garden of Eden.

But if there’s any aspect of Rowen’s Mill that stands as even more magnificent, it is only the private reality of what awaits you inside your home.

Flowing from the framework of nine distinctive floor plans, the potential for customization at Rowen’s Mill is a veritable playground of self-expression and individuality. Designs include single-family homes, villas and upscale townhomes with elevators optional. Of course, any Rinnier home comes with all the right fits and finishes, as well as the presence of so many quality touches: maple or oak cabinetry, ceramic tiled bathroom floors, whirlpools, walk-in showers and hardwood at the foyer entrance are all standard features in every Rowen’s Mill residence. It’s only when you get to the available upgrades that one can even begin to glimpse the endless possibilities.

If you wish, you may personalize your dream house with features like black galaxy granite; surround sound; a video surveillance system; GE Monogram appliances; a wet bar; single-tray, double-tray or even triple-tray ceilings; a full sprinkler system throughout the house; cedar closets; hardwood flooring in Brazilian cherry, teak, pine, walnut, tiger wood, bamboo or virtually any wood you could imagine; exterior decks made from no-salt treated lumber; European-style showers; central vac; opulent staircases with oak treads and twisted spindles; his-and-her walk-in closets; double vanities; dual-zone climate control; bridge views of the first floor that Scarlett O’Hara would envy; and even centrally located ceiling modems that make your home wireless-network ready from the first time you cross the threshold. And those are just some of the options that await you at Rowen’s Mill.

Fortunately, a central part of Ziska’s job is to hold your hand through every step of that deliriously exhilarating process of customizing your home to your exact specifications.

“It’s my responsibility to make sure that the process stays fun and exciting but never gets overwhelming,” he assured. “And that’s important because we’re not just trying to stick people in houses here; we’re trying to create a tightly knit community, one whose members will grow together and spend the key years of their lives here. We want to make a real neighborhood, just like it used to be.”

In fact, you can feel the family warmth to which Ziska alludes right on down to the street names of Rowen’s Mill. Toulson Terrace, for example, is named for great-grandmother Maude R. Toulson, the first-ever postmistress of Salisbury. There’s also Ringgold Road, coming from Maude’s middle name; Lena Lane, which is named after another great-grandmother, and Porter Parkway, so dubbed for Blair Rinnier’s mother.

After a while, you begin to realize that Rowen’s Mill is quite a bit more than just an upscale residential development: It’s actually more a labor of love for the Rinnier family itself, a way of giving thanks and giving back to the community that raised them and blessed them with their fondest childhood memories.
Maybe that’s why Blair Rinnier is raising his family at Rowen’s Mill, too.

Rowen’s Mill, Cedar Lane, Fruitland, Md., 443-880-1273,
www.RowensMill.com