entrepreneurship : Development News

A Baltimore jewelry company that has gotten national exposure will expand its retail presence in the coming year.

American Estate Jewelry will expand its retail presence to Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Texas, Atlanta, and Chicago, hopefully by the end of the year to catch Christmas sales, founder Carolyn O'Keefe says. Next year, O'Keefe says she hopes to sell the jewelry in London and Paris. She also hopes to sell in a Baltimore store.

The company's trademark silver cuff has been featured recently in RobbReport.com and O magazine, which featured actress Mandy Moore sporting the bracelet.

American Estate sells bracelets, brooches, and pendants, which start at $400.

The jewelry is made using a technique known as repousse, in which a metal design is crafted by hammering from the reverse side.
American Estate's line is sold in a handful of places now, including the Tiny Jewel Box in Washington, D.C., and Works Gallery in New York.  The jewelry is also sold on the company's website.

"The designs are so timeless," O'Keefe says. "It's not a trendy thing I've got to hop on right away."

O'Keefe started the company out of a desire to create heirloom quality silver jewelry in honor of her mother who used to wear an antique silver cuff. She teamed up with New York jewelry designer Michael Galmer, who worked at Tiffany & Co. for 20 years.

"There's a time commitment so many aren't willing to make," O'Keefe says of the artisan jewelry. "I hope it's something I can pass onto my children."

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Carolyn O'Keefe

Photos courtesy of Carolyn O'Keefe

Local small business owners are taking advantage of lower retail rents, helping the Baltimore market slowly recover from the recession.

That is according to MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate's retail report for the first quarter of 2011. The greater Baltimore region had an overall retail vacancy rate of 6.3 percent, down from 7.1 percent a year ago.

Several of new businesses to open were restaurants, including Black Olive Agora, Mari Luna Bistro and Ooh La La Cupcakery.

Vacancy rates varied by region, according to the report. Carroll County had the lowest rate, at 4.8 percent. Parts of Baltimore City had vacancy rates around 10 percent.

Retail rents dropped nearly $2 per square foot, to $17.62, compared with a year ago as landlords continued to make concessions to fill empty storefronts.

"The activity for independent businesses is on the uptick," says John Schultz, MacKenzie's senior real estate advisor. "I just hope it leads to actual deals being made" in the future.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: John Schultz, MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate

Organic products are sprouting up all over the place � milk, meats, apples, cleaning supplies.

Now the organic trend has hit the beauty industry. Two Baltimore women, Ambra Black and Maryam Dennis, are opening an organic nail salon mid-May in Locust Point.

Juste-B., to be located at 1624 E. Fort Ave., will offer manicures and pedicures and soy-based waxes. The scrubs and other products used on hands and feet will be made with essential oils and natural sugars, Dennis says. Nail polishes are water-based and don't rely on any chemicals.

The partners, who are spending $30,000 of their own money to start the business, will make their own foot scrubs using herbs from their herb garden.

Juste-B will be one of a handful of organic salons in Greater Baltimore. Others include Hampden's Sprout and Insignia in Overlea.

"We should be able to be healthy and beautiful without having to sacrifice the health of the planet," Dennis says.

Juste-B will embrace other green initiatives, including using light sensors and serving organic wine and vodka to guests. A combined manicure and pedicure will cost about $40.  

The business owners chose Locust Point because it's a "new and upcoming neighborhood." With office and retail developments like McHenry Row, to be anchored by a Harris Teeter grocery store, underway, the business owners hope to get in on the area before it really builds up.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Maryam Dennis, Juste B

The owners of an eight-year-old Locust Point spa have renewed their lease and will begin renovations next month to polish up the space.

Studio 921 Salon & Medi Day Spa will get new floors, tiles, and front desk area to give it a "funkier, edgier" feel, customer service manager Carolyn Devlin says. The renovations, to start April 4, will cost around $200,000.

Owners Judy Sulisufaj Kelly and Colleen Smith have hired local furniture designer Jonathan Maxwell to design an industrial-looking front desk area, using wood and stainless steel. The lobby and entryway will get new tile floors and cherry wood will replace the tan parquet floors in the salon.

The owners also plan to tear down a wall in the salon so they can add two more styling stations that can accommodate up to four more stylists.

On the spa side, Studio 921 will get new women's locker rooms, carpet, and cabinets.

Named a best place to work by Baltimore magazine for offering a 401(k) and paid vacation, Studio 921 managers hope a rejuvenated salon will give its 50 employees another reason to stay, Devlin says.

The owners have extended their lease at the Foundry on Fort, a complex that also includes the Wine Market and Merritt Athletic Club.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Carolyn Devlin, Studio 921

The hospitality management company recently launched by Michael Haynie is close to purchasing its first hotel, a Maryland property.

The former managing director of Baltimore's Tremont Suite Hotels, Haynie this month created Parkway Hospitality Management LLC. Haynie is leasing space at event firm P.W. Feats, at 3 East Read St. in Mount Vernon for himself and his three employees.

Haynie didn't want to lease his own office just yet as a startup and thought that by taking space in another office could help him keep costs low.

"You don't want to be overwhelmed with debt," he says. "It hurts the company's ability to be successful."

Parkway will initially focus on getting management contracts at distressed hotel properties and taking a partial or full ownership stake in these deals. A lot of banks have taken over financially troubled hotels, but lack the expertise to manage them. Haynie couldn't reveal the Maryland property his company is currently trying to purchase because the deal is not finalized.

Parkway isn't limiting its focus to hotels, however. The company is looking at prospective restaurants and retail shops to offer its consultation services. This includes providing customer service training and performing staff assessments. The company is eye properties along the East Coast, from Pennsylvania to North Carolina.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Michael Haynie, Parkway Hospitality Management

Friends and family used to ask Stephanie Bradshaw to help design their homes and go shopping with them. So she launched Bradshaw Styling in 2008 to "dress people, parties and places."

And recently, the designer opened her own studio at 211 Old Padonia Rd. in Cockeysville.

Bradshaw styles a lot of weddings in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., fashion magazines, homes and commercial spaces.

"If you're meeting a bride, you get tired of meeting at Starbucks," Bradshaw says.

The two-room space contains fabric samples, swatches and accessories.

Her clients include Baltimore Magazine, Six Mile Coffee in Catonsville, Carla David Design in Savage and Roland Park flower shop Crimson and Clover. Another growing client is Arsty Couture, which sells "gallery blocks," or photos affixed to a block that can be hung on a wall.

"A lot of things are in the works right now," Bradshaw says. "W are definitely growing," says Bradshaw, a former contestant on the HGTV reality show "Design Star."

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Stephanie Bradshaw, Bradshaw Styling

Behold the power of pepperoni.

A two-year-old pizza restaurant in Harbor East is doubling its size in the next four months.

Bagby Pizza Co. at 1006 Fleet St. will add another 75 seats, a bar, and a small plate menu, say father-and-son co-owners David and Blake Smith. The expansion will give it 130 seats and another 1,800 square feet of space.

The pizza joint will take over the spot that held flower shop the Dutch Connection, which closed.

The Smiths say the new menu is still in the works. Perhaps American comfort food will be on tap, says David Smith, who also envisions a martini bar. He says he is spending "a few hundred thousand" on the expansion.

Sandwiched between Whole Foods and Little Italy, the Bagby Building has been a good location for the restaurant, Blake Smith says. It gets lunch traffic from office workers and nighttime customers from neighboring residents.

"It's been getting awfully busy around here," especially on Friday and Saturday nights," Smith says. 'It's a good problem to have."

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: David Smith, Blake Smith, Bagby Pizza Co.

Furniture store owner Nicholas Johnson and his wife love going to the beach in Delaware.

And they love going to Charleston, S.C.

So Johnson is looking East and South to expand his furniture store SuCasa.

Johnson will open an 800-square-foot pop-up store on Route 1 in Dewey Beach, Delaware this summer, spending $50,000 on the venture. If the store does well he will open a permanent location selling SuCasa's trademark classic contemporary furniture.

"I've dreamed of opening at the beach," Johnson says. He hopes that SuCasa's style will appeal to folks who aren't just seeking a beach-style look for their home. He can't divulge the exact location yet because the lease hasn't been signed.

The shop comes on the heels of his opening a 4,000-square-foot store at the Shops in Kenilworth. Johnson spent about $100,000 to open the Towson store in October. It replaced eco-friendly furniture store Bluehouse.

SuCasa's 4,800-square-foot flagship shop is located on Thames Street in Fells Point. Johnson owns another SuCasa in Ellicott City and two other furniture stores in Fells Point, Pad and Calligaris.

He is currently revamping the inventory at Pad and Calligaris so it has a broader appeal. The stores opened during the height of the condo market boom and sell modern furniture that is priced higher than the wares at SuCasa. But since the condo market collapsed, Johnson has had to rethink the concept behind these stores and will offer more neutral colors.

So what about Charleston? If he can make the Dewey Beach store work, he plans to open a store down the road in Darius Rucker's hometown now that Southwest Airlines offers direct flights.

"I dream of splitting my time between Baltimore and Charleston," he says.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Nicholas Johnson, SuCasa

A clothing store owner in Baltimore County is expanding her boutique as retail sales and the overall economy improve.

Lori Kilberg will move her store Lori.k to a larger space in Stevenson Village in Greenspring Valley March 3.

The 2,200-square-foot shop is about 50 percent bigger than the current store.

Kilberg says she spent $50,000 on the expansion as sales have grown. She expects sales to grow 20 percent this year. Nationally, retail sales rose .6 percent to $381 billion in December as consumers' confidence in the economy perks up a bit.

Lori.k caters to the 40-to-65-year-old who "doesn't want to look like her daughter," Kilberg says. The shop wants to offer a place where you can buy everything from a $20 T-shirt to a $1500 ball gown.

"Everybody can walk out with something and buy something which I think is incredible," Kilberg says.

Kilberg likes the location because the shopping center is convenient to reach for folks living on either side of the beltway.

Writer:Julekha Dash
Source: Lori Kilberg, Lori.k

A store that sells floor and window treatments has doubled its space in Howard County to a more visible location that will hopefully boost business.

The Vertical Connection moved last month to a 13,000-square-foot store in Columbia. The new shop at 8895 McGaw Rd. gets foot traffic from customers who are also shopping at one of several neighboring home goods stores, Vertical Connection Owner Steven Joss says. Those stores include Indoor Furniture, Sofas Etc. and Botanica Home.

Joss says he hopes that Vertical Connection will get more traffic next year when Wegmans Food Markets opens at the intersection of McGaw Road and Snowden River Parkway in Columbia.The business had spent 30 years at an industrial office park at 9510 Rumsey Rd.

"It was time for a really good location," Joss says. The sour commercial real estate market made it possible to get rents for about half of what they were during good economic times.

"If you want to grow this is a good time to do it if you are not in debt," Joss says.

Sales at the store grew 30 percent last year, says Joss, who runs the store along with his wife Kathy and son Adam.

The shop employs eight, though Joss says he may hire several additional workers this year.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Steven Joss, Vertical Connection

A national restaurant franchise is staking out the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., areas to open as many as 20 stores where it can sell its chicken wings, fries, and bourbon baked beans.

Rahim Kurji and Bidjaan Kassam have acquired the franchise rights to open Wingstop stores in the area. They expect to open between six and eight stores in Baltimore this year. With each store costing between $400,000 and $550,000 to build, the franchisees could spend as much as $4.4 million to open new stores this year. The business owners are financing the operation through an SBA loan and their own cash.

The pair are looking for strip mall spaces that are between 1,400 and 1,800 square feet, Kurji says. Population-dense locales near universities and hospitals would be ideal, he says. Hungry students and busy hospital workers could keep the stores busy at night and not just during the day.

Since they haven't finalized any lease deals, the entrepreneurs couldn't identify any specific locations where they will open. Kassam says they will create a Facebook page asking locals where they would like to see a Wingstop.

The wings are made fresh to order and come in nine flavors, including teriyaki, garlic parmesan, lemon pepper, Cajun, and atomic. Kassam says that these sauces and even the blue cheese dressing you dip your celery in will be made in house.

Based in Richardson, Texas, the national franchise has its biggest penetration in California and Texas.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Rahim Kurji and Bidjaan Kassam

A new lunch spot will feed downtown office workers at Baltimore's SunTrust building.

Serving made-to-order salads and sandwiches, Nalley Fresh will open by the end of January at 120 E. Baltimore St. It will replace the closed falafel and gyro joint Cypriana Caf�.

Greg Nalley, who owned Tide Point's Harvest Table from 2001 to 2007, is launching the 830-square-foot caf�.

The former executive chef of the Maryland Jockey Club, Nalley says he is looking forward to serving the business crowd again as he did at the Tide Point office complex.

"You see the same people over and over again," Nalley says. "There's a camaraderie with people you see two or three times a week."

Nalley Fresh will also serve tart frozen yogurt sold by the ounce. Tart frozen yogurt � as opposed to the sweet concoctions that were all the rage in the 1980s � has been growing in popularity with the expansions of chains like Pinkberry. Lunch at Nalley Fresh will cost around $10.

The entrepreneur is renovating the interior with new floor, paint, cabinets and televisions broadcasting news and sports. Nalley declined to say how much he is spending to open the caf�.

Nalley says he likes the location because it's in the heart of the business district and provides plenty of outdoor seating on a nice day. The restaurant will seat 30 inside and another 30 outside.

Matthew Haas, vice president of Columbia's Manekin LLC, brokered the deal on behalf of Nalley. Manekin's Vince Brocato and Kevin Haus represented the landlord, Franklin Street Properties.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Greg Nalley

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

There's a new sweet spot in Baltimore's Federal Hill neighborhood. Midnite Confection's Cupcakery, brainchild of mother and son team Sandra and Aaron McNeil, opened its doors in October.

After finding her son busily baking one night just before the witching hour, attempting to satisfy his sweet tooth, mother and son teamed up to create several original recipes. They let their family and friends try them and were surprised when orders started coming in. The pair had been selling their cupcakes from their Prince George's County home before relocating their ovens to Baltimore.

"We were looking for an area to open our business that would be best for us. A friend of mine who lives in Federal Hill suggested the area. We came up looked at available properties. We kept our eye on the area to see if it was going in a positive direction. Everything looked good to us, we found a spot we thought was perfect and opened the shop," says Aaron McNeil who adds that he's planning on moving to Baltimore in the near future.

McNeil says the shop offers a variety of non-traditional cupcake flavors which will set it apart from other local cupcake retailers.

"We have six signature flavors and two specialty flavors every day. Other flavors can be pre-ordered. Our signature dozen includes vanilla, chocolate, carrot, lemon, and black velvet. Our vanilla cupcake is made with vanilla bean in the cake and icing. Our chocolate cupcake has a cream cheese and chocolate chip filling. We keep it basic for people who are no frills but like quality," he says.

The bakery also offers a line of "After Hours" cupcakes inspired by popular cocktails including, Mojitos, Fuzzy Navels, Pina Coladas and Kahluha and Cream.


Source: Aaron McNeil
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Devotees of Baltimore's Corned Beef Row will soon have a new reason to go to the Inner Harbor. Lenny's Delicatessen will open in the Pratt Street Pavilion of Harborplace, according to General Growth Properties, owners of Harborplace and The Gallery. The delicatessen will occupy approximately 3,100 sq. ft. It's scheduled to open Spring 2011. 

The Lenny's Deli Harborplace location will offer breakfast all day along with a full array of deli meats, fried chicken, wraps, salads, and baked goods for dining in, catering, and carry out. Owner Alan Smith and his father, Lenny Smith, recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of Lenny's in Owings Mills. The second location, on Baltimore's famed Corned Beef Row, opened in 1991. The Harborplace location will be the third in the Baltimore area.

"We felt the Inner Harbor area needed a place where tourists and business people could go for a good corned beef sandwich," says Alan Smith. "We are excited to be opening at Harborplace, where all visitors to Baltimore make sure to stop during their trip here. We look forward to serving the Baltimore business community and those who stop on their way to Orioles and Ravens games."

General Properties also revealed that Francesca's Collection, a boutique specializing in fashion forward women's clothing, accessories and gifts, will join the lineup of stores for spring 2011. The new store will be approximately 800 sq. ft. and will be located on the first floor of The Gallery. It will be the first Francesca's in the Baltimore area.

Source:General Growth Properties
Writer: Walaika Haskins