Canton : Development News

Need a new necklace for a night out on the town? How about a custom-made hat for church? A shop planned for Canton hopes to have you covered.
 
Dana's Boutique, a shop specializing in accessories for both men and women, plans to open this spring pending approval from the city's zoning board March 6.
 
Owner Dana Church expects to invest somewhere between $5,000 and $8,000 to bring her boutique to 2400 Fleet St., a space most recently occupied by Baltimore Contained, a container garden shop and florist that closed last year.
 
Church's concept for the space combines couture fashion with a Paris theme. Some of the accessories will be from high-end labels, while others will be custom-made, Church says.
 
"I'm excited to bring something different the community in Canton. I'm hoping to stay there for the long-term and that Dana's Boutique becomes a name that people know and remember," Church says.
 
One designer Church plans to feature is Adrian Dana, recently featured in Lifetime's “Project Accessory,” a spinoff of the “Project Runway” reality television program. Dana specializes in ornate and colorful hats.
 
Church originally wanted a shop in Fells Point, but costs and competition drove her to look into other locations. After doing some research and speaking with local business owners, she decided the Fleet Street location a few blocks north of the Safeway and The Can Company shopping area in Canton was a good fit.
 
Outside of a paint job to match the theme of the boutique, the space is move-in ready, Church says.
 
Church grew up in northeast Baltimore and graduated from the former Northern High School in 1991. Prior to working in fashion, Church worked for a number of years at the U.S. Postal Service and also as a payroll accountant.
 
A mother of two, Church began selling jewelry in 2008. She had always loved fashion, but says she never had the drive to do it on her own until she actually started selling jewelry.
 
Pending zoning approval from the city, a grand opening for the boutique will be held on March 31 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at 2400 Fleet St. in Canton.

Source: Dana Church, owner of Dana's Boutique
Writer: Alexandra Wilding

BangBang Mongolian Grill, a create-your-own stir-fry restaurant that touts its heart-healthy fare, will open Valentine's Day in   Canton's Can Co. building.

Midwestern snowstorms delayed the shipping of equipment for the 4,000-square-foot restaurant, pushing the expected opening from last fall until now, says Dr. Shawn Dhillon managing partner for the restaurant. Additionally, the restaurant didn't want to hasten their building process to compromise quality, says Dhillon.
 
Bangbang Mongolian Grill replaces the former Austin Grill, which closed over a year ago at The Can Company.
 
Additionally, the restaurant plans to employ 45 to 50 people on its staff from workers in the kitchen to managers. The majority of the hiring has been completed, says Dhillon.
 
Dhillon expects the second Mongolian Grill to open in early March at 15752 Annapolis Rd. in Bowie.
 
Along with his partners, Dhillon plans to open an additional four grills and is currently scouting locations in Annapolis, Washington, and Virginia.
 
The format of the restaurant allows patrons select from their choice of chicken, beef, pork, seafood, and vegetables with choices of spices and sauces making for a meal that Dhillon believes is healthy and balanced.

Writer: Alexandra Wilding
Source: Dr. Shawn Dillon, BangBang Mongolian Grill

The owners of Coal Fire Pizza will open a fourth restaurant at the Village at Waugh Chapel shopping center in May.

Principal Owner Dennis Sharoky was drawn to the new development because of other planned businesses, such as Wegmans, Target and Dick’s Sporting Goods that will hopefully make it a popular destination in the county. The Baltimore County native has invested close to $600,000 in the new 110-seat pizzeria.

The Village at Waugh Chapel is a 71-acre project that combines retail, office, and senior-living units. Existing businesses include LA Fitness, Caribou Coffee, Marshalls and Robert Andrew Day Spa. More businesses within the development are set to open throughout 2012.

Coal Fire Pizza specializes in coal-oven pizzas made with a choice of three sauces and topped with sliced mozzarella that's made daily.

"I just tried a pizza out of a coal oven and I fell in love with it and I thought no one does this around here. I think I can do this," Sharoky says.

The coal fire burns more intensely, creating a bake that leaves the pizza slightly charred. Customer response has been favorable and has allowed the business to expand, says Sharoky.

"It's a unique pizza to this area," says Sharoky adding that people from New York come to have pizza at Coal Fire that tastes similar to what they ate growing up.

Sharoky opened the first Coal Fire Pizza two and a half years ago and has steadily expanded the business that he describes as "upscale casual." Each restaurant has outdoor seating and a bar, but is also family friendly.

Coal Fire Pizza's executive chef, Steve Santos, was looking to move from West Virginia to the Baltimore area and joined the team as the menu was being developed.

While Sharoky says the company is not aggressively expanding, they do hope to open locations in Baltimore City eventually. While Sharoky didn't give any specific locations, he says he's been approached to lease space in Canton.

Coal Fire Pizza's additional locations are in Ellicott City, Gaithersburg, and Frederick.

Writer: Alexandra Wilding
Source: Dennis Sharoky, principal owner of Coal Fire Pizza

A Baltimore design panel has given final approval to the Canton Crossing shopping center, one of the city’s largest retail sites currently under development.

The Urban Design and Review Panel gave the go ahead to Phase 1 of the project, which will encompass 325,000 square feet of retail. The site will contain two anchor tenants and several smaller shops, says Neil Tucker, a principal with developer Chesapeake Real Estate Group. Next the plan goes before the city’s planning commission, followed by the Baltimore City Council.

Chesapeake Real Estate Group and Birchwood Capital Partners in June acquired a 31-acre parcel from Exxon Mobil Corp. with the goal of adding two new retail centers on the site.

Tucker says he expects to break ground in the summer or the fall. He couldn’t divulge any tenants as the Baltimore real estate firm has not yet signed any leases, though it has several letters of intent.

The site is adjacent to Edwin F. Hale Sr.'s First Mariner Tower and the Merritt Athletic Club.

Real estate brokers had been trying to woo Target and Harris Teeter to Canton Crossing to the site since at least 2008, but development stalled as the economy sputtered.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Neil Tucker, Chesapeake Real Estate Group; Robert Quilter, Baltimore City

A new stars-and-stripes-themed restaurant has opened in Canton, featuring chicken wings, fried mac and cheese, and New York strip steak.

Alex van Breukelen and wife Jennifer opened the Americana earlier this summer at 900 Kenwood Ave., just off Canton Square. The spot once held Tiburzi's Italian Grill and Caf�.

With 13 years in the U.S. Marine Corps under his belt, van Breukelen says he naturally felt drawn to a d�cor that consists of American flags, military memorabilia, and a copy of the Constitution hanging on the walls. Van Breukelen says he saw an opportunity to open a "community-friendly" bar and restaurant that could stand out among club-like venues in the area.

The 2,000-square-foot restaurant seats 120, including the patio, and features eight flat-screen televisions. It's open for lunch and dinner.

Other menu items include fried green tomato, fennel and duck, spicy salmon jalapeno poppers, and maple mustard pork tenderloin.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Alex van Breukelen

Three local businessman, including a physician, plan to open six create-your-own stir-fry restaurants, the first of which will open in the Can Company this fall.

The partners will invest $350,000 to $550,000 to open each BangBang Mongolian Grill location, says Dr. Shawn Dhillon, who practices internal medicine at Union Memorial Hospital. That makes for a total investment of $2.1 million to $3.3 million for the new businesses.

BangBang Mongolian Grill will replace the former Austin Grill, which closed nearly a year ago at The Can Company. The 4,000-square-foot restaurant will seat 140. Lunch will cost $10 and dinner around $15.

The second Mongolian grill will open at 15752 Annapolis Rd. in the fall. Dhillon expects the remaining four spots to open by the end of next summer. Dhillon and his partners, John Stautzenbach and Bob Bernotas, are scouting locations in Baltimore and Harford Counties, including Hunt Valley, Timonium, and Bel Air. The partners are eyeing strip malls anchored by a grocery store and open-air malls.

Dhillon says his professional focus on managing cardiovascular disease drew him to what he believes is a healthy dining option. Diners at BangBang Mongolian Grill get to choose how much beef, poultry, seafood, vegetables, or noodles are in their dish to suit their dietary needs. Dessert options will include a frozen yogurt bar.

Baltimore's BangBang Mongolian Grill is an affiliate of a restaurant in Iowa.
 

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Dr. Shawn Dillon, BangBang Mongolian Grill

A real estate firm that has plans to develop more shopping at Canton Crossing says it's in active discussions with as many as 20 prospective retailers, including Harris Teeter and Target.

Earlier this month, Chesapeake Real Estate Group and Birchwood Capital Partners said it had acquired a 31-acre parcel from Exxon Mobil Corp. with the goal of adding two new retail centers on the site. The first will break ground spring of next year, with 225,000 square feet of retail space. The second site, with 100,000 square feet, will break ground once Exxon Mobil fully leaves the property.

The site is adjacent to Edwin F. Hale Sr.'s First Mariner Tower and the Merritt Athletic Club.

Real estate brokers had been trying to woo Target and Harris Teeter to Canton Crossing to the site since at least 2008, but development stalled as the economy sputtered.

Chesapeake principal Neil Tucker says electronics, grocery, convenience stores would all be suitable for the area. The Baltimore firm is looking at tenants that would complement existing retail in the area, which includes Merritt Athletic Club and About Faces Day Spa and Salon.

A new burger joint has eaten into the Canton spot formerly occupied by the short-lived Tangiers, offering locals a taste of Tom Cruise, Sylvester Stallone, and Lindsey Lohan. 

Hollywood Burger Bistro opened last month at 845 S. Montford Ave. selling organic burgers made with Certified Angus Beef. Manager Michael Stratigareas got the idea for the concept after frequenting gourmet burger joints in Los Angeles.

"I thought Baltimore is more than ready for something like this," Stratigareas says.

The menu's selection includes a turkey burger, black bean burger, and a fried green tomato burger. There's also a lot of name dropping. The $12 Lindsay Lohan burger is made with mushrooms and onions in a Bailey's Irish Cream reduction. The John Waters Burger comes with crab dip, bacon, and Fontina cheese while the O'Malley Burger is a broiled crab cake on top of a beef burger with cheddar cheese and tomato. Entrees include crab cake, pot roast, and blackened chicken alfredo.

Stratigareas says he isn't shaken by the fact that the spot has been unlucky. Moroccan restaurant Tangiers closed after just a few months. He points out that prior to that, the location held Red Fish for five years. Stratigareas was the original owner of that restaurant. The spot was also home to the popular Weber's of Boston Street.

The restaurant manager says he likes the location because it's in a visible spot, at the intersection of Montford and Boston Street. Canton is also home to both recent college graduates and empty nesters who are hopefully looking for a more healthful burger.

Stratigareas redid the 210-seat restaurant with new plasma screen TVs, zebra prints in the dining room, and Tiffany blue paint in the bar.
The manager pulled together an investor group to fund the venture and couldn't say how much they spent to open the restaurant.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Michael Stratigareas

A cyber security firm has moved out of the Emerging Technology Center incubator space to its own new digs in Canton as it grows its client base.

Lookingglass Cyber Solutions LLC moved last month to 1001 S. Kenwood Ave., on the second floor of a townhouse. After three years in Canton's ETC, the company thought it was time to get its own space where it can bring clients, Lookingglass CEO Derek Gabbard says.

The company's contract with the Department of Homeland Security will double this year, to $2 million.

"We've evolved to the point where you want to spread your wings and do your own thing," Gabbard says.

It also won a contract last month with an intelligence organization, which it can't name for security reasons. Two banks will also pilot their products next year.

The company expects to hire two employees by the end of the year and another three to four by next summer in the areas of software development and operational support.

The 2,000-square-foot office puts the seven-person firm two blocks closer to the bustling Canton Square, Gabbard says.

Working in the waterfront Canton neighborhood, chock full of bars and restaurants, is a good job perk for young new employees, Gabbard says.

"It's a great spot to move to if you're in your 20s," Gabbard says. Being in a "hip, young area" is good for a growing software company.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Derek Gabbard

A 27-year-old Washington, D.C., area tile company is taking its stone, glass and ceramics designs to Baltimore's Canton neighborhood. Architectural Ceramics plans to open a 1,600-square-foot showroom at 3500 Boston St. by mid-August, according to Brooke Laura, an executive assistant at the company.

The firm has had an office in the building known as the Broom Factory for about two years. But the office was quickly growing out of space to store enough tiles to show clients, Laura says.

"Our tiles fills up our office pretty quickly," she says.

The showroom will serve mainly residential clients, though the company's Baltimore area clients also include hotels, designers, architects and other commercial business.

Architectural Ceramics' other showrooms are located in Rockville, Chevy Chase, Alexandria, Va., and Falls Church, Va.

The company settled on the location because it's convenient to Fells Point and downtown, and is visible from the road, Laura says.

"It's a prime location that we really like," Laura says. "We wanted to get it while we could. We've been doing well there for two years. We think it will be a great location."

Though the housing market continues to recover, the company hopes it can  fill a niche in the area as there aren't many tile companies in the area.

"We'll be filling a void in the Baltimore area," Laura says. "That's our hopes anyway. "

Source: Brooke Laura, Architectural Ceramics
Writer: Julekha Dash

Restaurant owner Alan Suissa wants to take you on a trip to North Africa.
And you won't need your passport.

Suissa and business partner Kenny Mahil opened French-Moroccan restaurant Tangiers Bistro Bar and Martini Lounge earlier this month in the Canton neighborhood.

Born in Casablanca, Suissa wanted to recreate the cuisine of his French Moroccan Jewish heritage. What makes it distinct from traditional Morrocan fare is that that is spicier and relies heavily on cumin and less on dried fruits like apricots and prunes.

The small plates, or mezze, dishes include fried spicy eggplant, grilled lamb and beef sausage and salmon tagine. The dishes cost between $5 and $11. Suissa's grandmother, who was born in Tangiers, is the inspiration for the food, along with his mom and aunt who work in the kitchen.

Suissa and Mahil spent about $100,000 to renovate the 200-seat Canton spot at 845 S. Montford Ave.  Suissa declined to say how much the partners paid for the property, formerly Red Fish restaurant. The 5,000-square-foot building is valued at about $474,000, according to state property records.

Having worked for the World Bank and the Washington Post Co.'s food and beverage divisions, Suissa is now making his first foray into the Baltimore market.

He liked the heavily trafficked location, facing Boston Street and in between Fells Point and Canton Square. He also likes the waterfront location.

"I fell in love with the building and location," Suissa says. "I heard from many people that the area is up and coming."

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Alan Suissa, Tangier's

Beehive Baltimore, a nine-month old community for freelancers and entrepreneurs, is moving into larger digs at Canton's Emerging Technology Center June 1. At 1,700 square feet, the new spot at 2400 Boston St. is 50 percent larger than the old office. The new space gives the Beehive the capacity to accommodate up to 31 people a day.

"I had my eye on it from the beginning," says Dave Troy, the facility's administrator. But the space only became available mid-April.

Beehive's popularity is part of a larger movement known as coworking, or the idea that independent professionals work better together than alone in their basements. The concept of coworking is gaining popularity in many cities around the world, according to Troy. "So many people who are freelancers are working from home," he says.

Starting a business and working from home can be isolating and makes it difficult for folks to keep up to date on best practices.  It's also tough to hold meetings.  Having a central facility for freelancers and entrepreneurs makes it easier to team up with the right people, Troy says.

Take the Beatles, for instance. The band's magic came from having the right combination of talented musicians in a shared space.  Similarly, the best business ideas get unleashed with you have the right blend of people bouncing ideas off one another, Troy says.

Some freelancers work in a caf�, but in that space people don't get to interact. "In this environment, you have the opportunity to get to know each other over time," Troy says. "In a caf�, everyone is trying ot to leave each other alone."

A Beehive membership runs $175 a month to work three days per week and $275 per month for daily access. Members can also purchase a day pass for $25.

Beehive Baltimore holds about 75 people in its membership database and gets about eight to 10 freelancers each day.  The current space allows for a maximum of 15 people a day.

Readmore from our coverage of Canton!

Source: Dave Troy, Beehive Baltimore
Writer: Julekha Dash

Plenty of folks turn to matchmaking services to find a date. So, why not turn to one to find cash for your company? That's the idea behind Utah firm Funding Universe LLC, which hooks up entrepreneurs with would-be investors.
 
Here's how it Funding Universe works. Companies pay Funding Universe $99 to assess their investment needs. After analyzing the entrepreneur's credit history and business, the company offers a list of potential investors and lets them know where they should go to a bank, venture capital firm, or angel investors for cash.

If the business needs some tweaking, then Funding Universe tells the entrepreneur to revise his pitch. The business owner can do that on his own or tap Funding Universe's expertise, paying anywhere between $500 and $3,500 as a consulting fee.

Broke Blake, CEO of Funding Universe, is scouting the Baltimore area with plans to open an office within the next three to six months. The office will likely wind up in one of the Emerging Technology Centers offices in Canton or Charles Village. Blake is not sure yet which he will pick for the 1,000 to 2,000 square foot office.

"We'd like to make that happen soon," he says.

The company is also on the hunt for a regional director to head the office. Though the office will only employ a handful of people, he hopes it will nonetheless have a big impact in helping companies get funding.

Blake chose Baltimore because he has a lot of contacts in the region and they convinced him that his service could be useful to the community. Those business contacts include executives from the Baltimore Angels Network and the Maryland Technology Development Corp.

"I really want to cultivate the angel community and get active investors," Blake says.  


Funding Universe has 900 investors and 400 banks in its network, serves 10,000 businesses per month and has 70 employees.


Source: Brock Blake, Funding Universe LLC
Writer: Julekha Dash

Canton residents will soon have a new option not just for lunch and dinner but for breakfast as well. Langermann's, located in the Can Company and scheduled to open the first week of December, will offer diners three squares a day, plus brunch on the weekend.

"We searched for locations all around Baltimore before chosing the Can Company. This is a great location in Canton," says David McGill, managing partner for Langermann's. "We want to give people another option for breakfast. Instead of a pastry or stopping for something quick, you can come here for breakfast, or hold a breakfast meeting," he adds.

Under the culinary guidance of executive chef Neal Langermann, the restaurant will feature Southern-inspired American cuisine. On the menu are Southern staples like Fried Green Tomatoes, Shrimp with Grits and Fried Catfish as well as faves from other regions like Seared Scallops with Mushroom and Sweet Potato Hash and Jumbo Lump Crabcakes with Corn Succotash.

The restaurant will seat 100 guests in the dining room and another 40 around the bar, according to McGill. Langermann's will also offer patio seating in good weather and a mezzanine available for private parties.

"We want Langermann's to be a place where people from the neighborhood come in for a good meal with their family and friends or on their own. It's not a destination, but its a good place to go on your way home from a game," says McGill.

Source: David McGill, Langmann's
Writer: Walaika Haskins

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