Howard County : Development News

The Corner Stable, a family-owned restaurant in Cockeysville, is opening a second restaurant in the King's Contrivance Village Center in Columbia in October.

Known for its ribs and crab cakes, the 6,000-square-foot restaurant will replace longtime local watering hole Michael's Pub that closed earlier this year.

Co-owner Charles "Chip" Reed says he plans to hire between 65 and 85 full-time workers to staff the new restaurant. Reed says he and his wife Randy Reed have been scouring the Greater Baltimore region for a second location for years. They said they settled on Columbia because they thought a family-owned restaurant and bar could stand out among the area's many chain establishments. And many of the area's restaurants are bustling on the weekends.

There's also ample parking in the shopping center, which includes Harris Teeter, a CVS pharmacy, and a consignment shop, Reed says.

Close to Routes 29 and 32 and Interstate 95, the location will hopefully draw folks who live in Ellicott City, Laurel, Elkridge, and Silver Spring.

Reed says he plans to spruce up the interior with large-screen televisions and a pool table. His nephew Bryan Hiller will manage the restaurant.

The Corner Stable in Cockeysville opened in 1971. The Reeds have owned it for 10 years.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Charles "Chip" Reed, Corner Stable

An 11-year-old salon has moved to a new part of Howard County where its owner hopes she can get greater visibility and capitalize on a growing area.

Biago Salon & Day Spa has moved to Route 216 in Highland from a shopping center in Clarksville. Owner Lynn Lazzara has moved into the same space as Living Dolls Beauty Salon, which Owner Jane Caswell operates out of her home.

Caswell plans to retain her business under the same name.

Lazzara hopes the move will reduce her overhead expenses and bring in more business since the salon is located on a busy road. Biago offers haircuts, pedicures, manicures, waxing, and facials.

Though the former space was in the same shopping center as Great Sage vegan restaurant and organic grocer Roots, it was tucked away and not as visible to drive-by traffic, she says.

The salon owners spruced up the space to prepare for the merged businesses, including resurfacing the floors, adding new window treatments, and paint.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Lynn Lazzara, Biago Salon & Day Spa; Jane Caswell, Living Dolls

ShopRite is opening two Maryland stores July 28, following the auction of 11 Maryland SuperFresh shops.

ShopRite in Timonium and D.C. suburb White Oak will each employ around 200, many of whom are former SuperFresh employees, says William Sumas, vice chairman of ShopRite parent Village Super Market Inc.

Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. Inc., the parent company of SuperFresh, filed for bankruptcy protection last year. It auctioned 12 SuperFresh stores, all but one in Maryland, as part of its restructuring plan. That has opened the door for other grocery chains to expand in Greater Baltimore. Fresh & Green's opened in the former SuperFresh downtown and plans to replace the former store in Hampden. Shoppers Food opened this month in Ellicott City.

Located at Fairgrounds Plaza, the Timonium ShopRite store will include a bakery, pharmacy, and full-service floral department. It will also feature an international aisle and prepared foods with hot entrees and side dishes, soups, brick-oven pizza, an olive bar, a salad bar and sushi.

An on-site registered dietitian will be on hand to educate customers on preparing healthful meals and proper nutrition. Customers can also take weekly cooking classes taught by professional chefs.

"It's a great opportunity for date night, a fun family activity, or a get-together with friends," Sumas says.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: William Sumas, ShopRite

Call it a kitchen stadium. Call it a restaurant within a restaurant.

Matthew Milani has a tough time coming up with a word to describe the expansion he is planning for Rumor Mill Fusion Bar & Restaurant in September.

He's installing an open-air kitchen where diners will feast on a 25-course meal composed of molecular gastronomic concoctions. They might include upscale Jello shooters that can freeze without ice or sous-vide duck with cherries. Guests will pay between $75 and $125 per meal.

Milani is hoping that a concept like Minibar, the six-seat restaurant in Washington, D.C., spearheaded by James Beard-award winner Jose Andres, will work for the small-plate restaurant in historic downtown Ellicott City.

Incorporating molecular gastronomy into the small plate restaurant offers his cooks a chance to "go crazy." And cooking demonstrations are big in the foodie world now.

"Talking to the chef is now part of the meal," Milani says. Diners feel like they get an added value if they get to interact with the chef.

The owner expects to spend less than $3,000 on the 20-seat kitchen stadium if he buys a lot of equipment at auction.

"We believe this is something that can set us apart," Milani says.

Local food blogger Dara Bunjon says Milani's venture is unique to the Baltimore area.

"There might be chefs here in Baltimore creating molecular gastronomy, but not 20-plus courses."

A biopharmaceutical company that is seeking FDA approval for a drug to treat infantile spasms plans to open a new office in Columbia.

Questcor Pharmaceuticals Inc. has signed a lease for a 6,186-square-foot office at Columbia Corporate Park. The new office is located at 6011 University Blvd. and will open Nov. 1.

Based in Union City, Calif., Questcor primarily focuses on treating rare central nervous system disorders. It is currently seeking FDA approval for its H.P. Acthar Gel to treat infantile spasms. The decision was supposed to come last month, but was delayed by the FDA. The drug is currently used to treat multiple sclerosis.

The Columbia office will focus on clinical research and regulatory affairs.

"Due to the significant growth Questcor has experienced and expects to continue, we are significantly expanding our R&D workforce in Columbia," said Dr. David Young, chief scientific officer, in a statement.

The company will be adding several employees to the office, including a vice president of clinical research, a manager of regulator affairs and a director of clinical research.

Questcor signed the lease with Baltimore's Merritt Properties LLC. Other leases Merritt has signed this year at Columbia Corporate Park include White Cliffs Consulting LLC, Trusant Technologies LLC and Maroon PR.

Questcor's drug Doral is used to treat insomnia.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Dr. David Young, Questcor

Two Baltimore architectural firms are designing new labs and research buildings for a Laurel wildlife refuge funded by the federal government.

The expansion, to cost between $40 million and $60 million, is funded by federal stimulus money.

Gant Brunnett Architects Inc. and Floura Teeter Landscape Architects Inc. are designing the new space for the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Construction on the project will begin June 2011, says John Brunnett, president of lead architectural firm Gant Brunnett.

The project will include designing a 64,000-square-foot addition to a building that houses research on migratory birds. Plans also call for a renovation of the existing 52,000-square-foot building.

Gant Burnett and Floura Teeter are also designing a new 14,000-square-foot facility where researchers will examine the effects of environmental contaminants on endangered species. They'll research things like how does the pesticide DDT affect the bald eagle population? Another 10,000-square-foot building will be use to breed whooping cranes.



Floura Teeeter has performed an analysis of the site and is getting ready to design it according to LEED criteria, says Aaron Teeter, owner of Floura Teeter. Architects hope to obtain at least a silver LEED certification, Brunnett says. 

One green aspect they're considering is filling the landscape with plants that don't need as much irrigation and are more resistant to drought.


Source: John Brunnett, Gant Brunnett; Aaron Teeter, Floura Teeter
Writer: Julekha Dash

The owner of a Howard County furniture store plans to expand to new locations. Nitoo Singh says he is actively looking for sites in Howard, Prince George's and Anne Arundel Counties to open another Furniture Express location. He doesn't know how many stores he will open, however: He says it depends on the sites he finds and how the economy fares over the next few months.

Singh is looking for spaces in high traffic areas with good visibility, at around 8,000 to 10,000 square feet.

Furniture Express currently has one location, at 8909 McGaw Court in Columbia, which opened during Memorial Day weekend this year. The 9,000-square-foot building is accessible from Interstate 175 and Snowden River Pkwy. Singh likes the location because he lives in Columbia, making the commute an easy one.

Furniture Express' brands include La-Z-Boy Co., Vaughn Bassett, Best Home Furnishings, Coaster Company of America and Global Fine Furniture. The company can offer faster delivery, between 21 and 30 days, rather than the usual eight to 12 weeks at many furniture stores, Singh says. That's because it mostly sells American-made products, so the chairs and beds don't take as long to get to the showroom.

"These are times when people are looking for instant gratification," Singh says.

Though a lot of furniture stores have buckled during the downturn, Singh hopes he can fare better by controlling his overhead costs, offering shorter delivery times and focusing on customer service.

The store delivers to Prince George's, Howard, Anne Arundel and Montgomery Counties. It also delivers to Northern Virginia.


Source: Nitoo Singh, Furniture Express
Writer: Julekha Dash

A six-year-old technology consulting firm is moving from Howard County to the incubator at the University of Maryland Baltimore County as it wins more clients and hires more employees.

Audacious Inquiry LLC has outgrown its 1,450-square-foot space at Columbia's Center for Business and Technology Development, Managing Partner Christopher Brandt says.

The company, which employs 16, will move into the 2,650-square-foot office at bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park Aug. 14.
Brandt says he chose the research park at UMBC because it is convenient for employees and clients that live in either Baltimore or Washington, D.C. The Catonsville campus at 5523 Research Park Drive is located on the Interstate 95 corridor.

"Other than the logistics [of moving], we're excited about the new space," Brandt says.

Audacious Inquiry has carved a niche in the health care and Web application development arenas.

Its clients include the Maryland Hospital Association, Inova Health System and MedStar Health. It's also a subcontractor for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. It recently picked up its first prime contract with the federal government, with the USGS Energy Resources Program.

Federal incentives for health care providers that move their paper patient records online is one reason Audacious Inquiry is growing.

The company has added half a dozen employees in the last 18 months and plans to hire several more in the next six to 12 months, Brandt says. These include subject matter experts in health information technology, software developers and technical project managers.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Christopher Brandt, Audacious Inquiry