On the second floor of a bay front building, the Rivendell, sits a condo decked out in designer touches and furnishings. Amidst the custom palm tree mural, and hand-chosen accessories featuring everything from seashells to antique cars, is the most telling aspect of all—three pieces of art displayed on the wall behind the wet bar, depicting historic Ocean City.
The central piece is a painting of the Alaska Stand, or rather its colorful menu. This addition to the otherwise very tropical décor indicates the owner’s fondness for the boardwalk. The other art pieces are framed vintage postcards–one shows the Miami Court Motel, the other is a downtown motel formerly known as the Seabreeze. Owner Barry Malkin keeps the framed postcards on display to remind him of where he once was—back in the days when he had to shop around for the cheapest rates in town in order to stay for a night. And that’s when he had a little extra money to spare. Often he drove to his beloved Ocean City from the Washington, D.C. area and either slept in his car or on the beach, having scrounged up just enough money for gas—back in the 1960’s when gas was only about twenty cents a gallon.
Malkin’s Rivendell condo is part of the Art League of Ocean City’s annual Sandcastle Tour. This particular condo isn’t his primary residence—it’s the party house. He owns two other condos in Ocean City—further indicating that he’s come along way from the days of sleeping in his car.
Malkin is a colorful character with a commanding voice. It’s fitting, he’s a retired Washington D.C. police Captain, and former radio DJ in the disco era while he was on the force—earning him the moniker “Disco.” This was back in the 1970’s, right around the time when Malkin’s uncle starting taking his paychecks and investing them, promising that he would turn his nephew into a millionaire by the time he turned forty. In the meantime, Malkin, in addition to working on the police force and as the Disco DJ, also worked as a substitute teacher—performing as many jobs as possible to achieve what had always been the unattainable in his life before—the stability and freedom acquired through a certain amount of affluence.
Malkin grew up very poor. His father left the family—his mother and four children–when Malkin was twelve. He recalls his mother putting cardboard in the soles of his shoes when holes wore through. She worked numerous jobs to keep the family afloat before eventually getting her teaching degree. Malkin is fond of saying that he never stole anything—except the one time he stole his mother’s car when he was sixteen, because he just had to go to Ocean City, and see the ocean. Malkin called his mother when he arrived, and she understood. The draw of the ocean has always been with him—fueling his spirit and filling his dreams with the promise of one day living there.
In June of 2004, after thirty-three years and seven months, Malkin turned in his gun and badge and retired from the police force. A few days later, he realized his dream–owning a bayfront condo in Ocean City, when he signed the papers for a property on 32nd street. In 2008 Malkin purchased the Rivendell property. In 2009 he became a full time resident, and purchased yet another bayfront property on Wicomico Street in the Emerson Towers, which became his primary residence.
That final property was the last necessary piece in Malkin’s Ocean City dream. He purchased the condo simply to be near to the boardwalk and its treats–chief among them, Thrasher’s Fries and Tony’s Pizza. Malkin enjoys being able to have a drink at M.R. Ducks, and end the evening with Thrasher’s Fries—this simple lifestyle is certainly worlds away from his years on the police force, but is the quintessential Ocean City experience many people covet.
These days, Malkin’s Hawaiian shirt collection is his new uniform, the beach and various bars and restaurants near his three condos his new beat. He keeps busy on several condo boards, is sometimes called in as an expert witness for trials, and has written a book, The Police Assessment Center: Important Keys for Success: What You Need to Know and May Not Have Been Told, a book about progressing through the ranks of the police department, or according to Malkin, pertaining on a larger scale, to navigating through life successfully.
The boy who once “borrowed” his mother’s car because he had to see the ocean, is now a man living his personal dream. That same child who grew up poor, is now very well off—his uncle did indeed make Malkin a millionaire, almost exactly to the day that he turned forty.
Malkin says there’s nothing missing in Ocean City, from his former life in the Washington D.C metro—except the traffic. Malkin appreciates the ease of making true friendships, and the infectious happy attitude of the tourists on vacation. But perhaps the greatest aspect of living in Ocean City for Malkin is what drew him here years ago—the sound of the waves, and the smell of the ocean air—and being able to eat Thrasher’s Fries whenever he wants.
See Malkin’s “party pad” on the Art League of Ocean City’s Sandcastle tour this weekend. More information here
