Development News

A mail-order food company specializing in high-end, gourmet foods like smoked salmon and caviar, expanded operations to a warehouse space in Owings Mills.
 
Chesapeake Fine Food Group, LLC leased 6,300 square-feet of warehouse and office space for their business of shipping perishable food products, says Kate Glenn, vice president of marketing for Chesapeake Fine Food Group.
 
The company previously subleased spaced in Essex. With their relocation, the company hopes they have found a home for the long term and plans to take more space in the area eventually, Glenn says.
 
The space only required minor modifications before they moved in this month, Glenn says.
 
Chesapeake Fine Food Group is the parent company of three mail-order catalogs: Mackenzie Limited, Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes & More, and Impromptu Gourmet. The space serves as a shipping center for foods from all three catalogs.
 
Glenn says the company works with more than 100 vendors across the country and uses another center in Wisconsin to fill the majority of orders. The most common items processed at the Baltimore location are its gift baskets, chocolate, and caviar. The company is highly seasonal and does 70 percent of its business between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
 
The company added two employees over the past year and plans to add another two by the year's end.
 
 
Source: Kate Glenn, vice president of marketing for Chesapeake Find Food Group, LLC. 
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

Pikesville residents looking to perfect their downward-facingdog and sun salutations have a new place to harness their yogic potential. Earlier this month, Charm City Yoga opened its sixth location in Pikesville.
 
Their new 1,000-square-foot studio, located in the Commerce Center on Reisterstown Road near Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, will offer classes for beginners and the seasoned yogi.
 
Charm City Yoga will debut yoga workshops for children at the Pikesville location this week. Another unique offering will be a workshop focused on a traditional Jewish form of self-study called Mussar, which share similarities to with the yogic practice of svadhyaya, says director of operations for Charm City Yoga, Allison Korycki.
 
After announcing their planned expansion to Pikesville, Korycki says the company was flooded with emails asking for kid’s yoga, so the company obliged. Two workshops for children will be offered on Sundays at the studio.
 
The company's growth has been unexpected but Korycki says the company is excited to be offering yoga in more diverse communities.
 
Despite their start as an urban studio, the company's three newest studios have been in more suburban areas.

Charm City Yoga opened its first location in 2000 in Baltimore’s Mt. Vernon neighborhood. Since then, the company has expanded to six locations including Federal Hill, Fells Point, Serverna Park, and Towson.

An ancient Indian discipline, yoga has exploded in popularity in recent years in the United States. Practitioners of yoga say the practice offers a variety of health benefits from building strength to improving mood and self-confidence. 
 
The ultimate goal of Charm City Yoga is to help people transform their lives, Korycki says.
 
The company employs over 100 instructors throughout their locations in the Baltimore area. Charm City Yoga is registered through the Yoga Alliance as a yoga school. The yoga teacher training program, which graduates new instructors every eight months has facilitated much of the company's growth, Korycki says.
 
"We have teachers ready to teach and give back to the community, that's what fosters growth… and we get emails from people all the time to open a studio in their neighborhood," Korycki says.
 

Source: Allison Korycki, director of operations for Charm City Yoga. 
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

A healthcare management company with extensive state and federal government contracts will open an office in Columbia next month.
 
Headquartered in Omaha, StrategicHealthSolutions LLC plans to expand its real estate footprint to include a 8,800-square-foot space in Columbia Corporate Park. The company will invest $125,000 in its expansion, CEO Peg Stessman says.
 
The company plans to grow from its six employees in Maryland to fill the office space that can accommodate as many as 50 workers, Stessman says.
 
The skill-set of area workers drew the company to the region, as many prospective employees are familiar with running government programs.
 
Compared to a location like Omaha, where government contracts are less common, Stessman says she will have a choice of "thousands" of potential employees compared with a "handful."
 
"Omaha isn't known as a government contract mecca," Stessman says.
 
The company's headquarters will remain in Omaha.
 
The company specializes in healthcare management, including education and training, medical review, monitoring and compliance and auditing, particularly with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
 
The small business has steadily expanded over the past six and currently has 101 employees.

Stessman says she plans to divide her time evenly between Columbia and Omaha. After working out of hotel rooms and coffee shops for several years, she says she can't wait for an office. 

Source: Peg Stessman, says president and CEO of StrategicHealthSolutions.
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

Satisfying your caffeine craving in Baltimore's downtown is about to get a little easier.
 
While an exact date has not been announced, a company spokesperson says that Starbucks plans to open a location at 100 E. Pratt St. location sometime later this month. The address is also the corporate headquarters of T. Rowe Price Group Inc. and Italian restaurant Brio Tuscan Grille, which opened this month.

It will be the second standalone Starbucks in downtown. There's another Starbucks on the west side at 1 E. Eutaw St. On the other side of the city, there's a Starbucks in Harbor East next to Landmark Theatres and one in Canton's Can Company. 

Starbucks' Ellicott City location on Baltimore National Pike, has just been remodeled and given an expanded cafe menu, says a spokesperson. The renovations include new chairs, floors and coffee counter. 
 
The expansion is a marked shift for the Seattle coffee giant, which closed 600 stores around the country several years ago during the recession, including two downtown locations on Charles Street and at Harborplace. It also closed a store in Belvedere Square. 
 
In all, Starbucks currently has more than 50 stores in the Baltimore area including stores in Charles Village and Mount Washington.

Source: Starbucks spokesperson
Writer: Alexandra Wilding

Hiring for the Lotte Plaza in Catonsville will begin early this summer as the grocery will employ as many as 75 for the new location.

The positions will be "typical retail supermarket positions," from cashiers to managers to bookkeepers, says Lotte Plaza Director Alvin Lee.  The company plans to hire from within the organization first and then reach out to the community at large, Lee says
 
The Asian market plans to open a store at One Mile West Shopping Center in Catonsville this summer and will compete a multimillion-dollar renovation of the 46,000-square-foot space, says Bob G. Pollokoff, president of The Fedder Co.

The remodeling of the building will begin later this month and will include renovations to both the inside and outside of the building. Lotte Plaza will remodel the interior of the building, turning it from a space formerly used as a toy store into a full-service grocery store, Pollokoff says.
 
Lotte Plaza will take over the space formerly occupied by Toys-"R"-Us at the shopping center that also includes Panera Bread and Pier 1 Imports at 6600 Baltimore National Pike. The Fedder Co., a commercial real estate development, investment, and management company that manages more than 1.8 million square-feet of commercial property in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, owns the property.
 
Lotte Plaza operates 13 markets in seven states including locations in Ellicott City, Germantown, and Silver Spring and employs over 300 employees.
 
Sources: Alvin Lee, director at Lotte Plaza and Bob G. Pollokoff, president of The Fedder Company.
Writer: Alexandra Wilding

Baltimore's neighborhoods will have a staring role in next month's National Main Streets Conference, as Charm City becomes the first city to host the conference twice. The yearly conference was last held in Baltimore in 2005.
 
Conference organizers hope to send a message to attendees that small businesses and main streets across the country are thriving and local development is on the rise. The conference, titled "Rediscover Main Street,” will be held April 1-4 at the Baltimore Hilton.
 
Baltimore's small-scale development, from urban gardens to craft brewing, will be featured throughout the conference. Organizers plan to use the city as a "living laboratory" for what makes successful neighborhoods, says Mary de la Fe, program manager for conferences at the National Trust Main Street Center.
 
Baltimore has been successful in creating and sustaining innovative practices within neighborhood economic development and the hope of the conference is to highlight some of the success that Baltimore has had, de la Fe says.
 
"We really try to make sure we're showcasing the city, the preservation efforts and the uniqueness of the city," de la Fe says.
 
The conference, an initiative of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will be co-hosted by Baltimore Main Streets, part of the Baltimore Development Corporation.  Currently, 10 main streets exist within Baltimore including the Fells Point and Hamilton-Lauraville Main Streets.
 
The main street model was developed in the 1980s as an approach to economic revitalization and has since been implemented in over 1500 communities across the nation. The approach focuses a combination of historic preservation, supporting and recruiting businesses, organizing a volunteer base, and neighborhood promotion.
 
Around 1,300 professionals who work in local economic development are expected to attend the conference that will provide educational tours and workshops to help managers of main street programs maintain or create vibrant, sustainable downtowns.
 
Amy Cortese, journalist and author of "Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit from It," will provide the keynote address.
 
While the majority of the conference is open to registered participants only, a free overview of the main street approach will be held Sunday, April 1, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m at the Baltimore Hilton and is open to the public. 

Source: Mary de la Fe, program manager for conferences at the National Trust Main Street Center.
Writer: Alexandra Wilding

A pair of local entrepreneurs hopes a planned cultural arts center will bring new economic vitality to the Howard Street corridor.
 
Renwick Bass and his business partner, Dr. Larry Gaston, plan to open a 13,500-square-foot cultural center and banquet hall in a former bank building at the intersection of Howard and W. Mulberry Streets near downtown Baltimore. And three more could open in other parts of the city. 
 
The pair plans to invest around $750,000 to turn the former Liberty Savings and Loan into a youth development and cultural arts center offering classes in the performing and fine arts. The pair also hope to partner with local theater groups, musicians, and dancers to host performances at the space. Shows will be accompanied by gourmet food catered by local businesses as well as the culinary arts program at Stratford University, the former Baltimore International College. Art classes for seniors are also in the works, Bass says. 

The pair plan to finance the center without outside funds, but are planning to fundraise and possibly partner with businesses to cover operating costs until the centers become profitable, Bass says. 

The Downtown Cultural Arts Center is one of four cultural centers planned for Baltimore. Other center locations will be based on interest and need in the local community and locations have not yet been established, but Bass hopes to open additional centers in  West, East, and Southeast Baltimore.  
 
Renovations on the property are currently underway with a planned completion date in the next two weeks, but the property still needs approval from the city's zoning appeals board before opening.
 
Some of the renovations to the building include general cosmetic and electrical work, adding a dance floor and a stage, and installing a music production studio. Hiring for the center is currently underway, as Bass plays to hire 15 instructors to teach creative and performing arts classes.
 
A Baltimore native, Bass has honed his skills mentoring youth over the past 25 years. In 2006, Bass, along with two partners, founded a mentoring program, Blueprints for Youth, Inc. that has operated within the Baltimore City Public Schools.
 
While not an artist himself, Bass encouraged his daughter to participate in the arts and saw an increased sense of focus. He became convinced that youth have a better chance of being successful if they participate in the arts.
 
Additionally, Bass observed a disparity in communities where families don't have the resources to send their children to expensive arts programs. One of the goals of the center is to make classes affordable for parents to send their children to get arts enrichment, Bass says.
 
Bass hopes that The Downtown Arts and Cultural Center is just the first part of major renovations and an influx of new businesses to Howard Street and in a section of the city that struggles with vacancy.
 
Bass and Gaston also own and operate The Shops at Charles and North a retail location at 23 E. North Ave.
 
Bass believes that their business made a positive contribution to businesses along North Avenue, helping to attract additional business and contribute to the area’s revitalization. He hopes that now he can be part of a transformation of North Howard Street.
 
“The history of the arts and dance is in downtown Baltimore, and soon the whole of Howard Street will be revitalized,” Bass says.
 
The zoning appeal for the property will be held April 3. Bass hopes to open the center immediately following the hearing, if approved. 

Source: Renwick Bass
Writer: Alexandra Wilding

Plans are moving forward on a new $27 million cancer hospital at the Carroll Hospital Center that officials say will better serve patients in the area.

The hospital plans to break ground on the project in early 2013 and open in 2014. The hospital is currently seeking donations for the center and plans to finance the center with cash and ongoing donations, says Sharon Sanders, assistant vice president for service line management for Carroll Hospital Center.

Last year, the hospital took over the operations of a neighboring care unit in preparation for its growth in cancer care. 
 
The Westminster hospital plans to expand an existing building into a 42,500-square-foot facility that will serve cancer patients seeking treatments and rehabilitation all under one roof, Sanders says. 
 
The expansion will provide services to area residents that have to travel, sometimes daily, to downtown Baltimore for treatment.
 
The combination of a rise of cancer rates as well improvements in treatment has lead to an increase in population of patients needing medical care. To support the increase, the hospital must expand and improve, Sanders says.
  
Some of the planned additions to the center include the addition of eight new chemotherapy chairs and a second machine for radiation. The hospital wants provide wellness and disease management programs, and classroom spaces for educational programming.
 
Carroll Hospital Center acquired their current cancer center in July 2011 from US Oncology.
 
Source: Sharon Sanders, assistant vice president for service line management for Carroll Hospital Center.
Writer: Alexandra Wilding
 

A Baltimore businessman will open a Middle Eastern restaurant and smoke shop in Upper Fells Point, not far from the Brass Monkey Saloon, Asahi Sushi and the Latin Palace.

Akram Ayyad will invest between $20,000 and $50,000 to open a 1,200-square-foot restaurant and smoke shop at 1611 Eastern Ave. The plan awaits approval from the city's zoning board, expected next month. Ayyad has yet to determine a name for the venue. 
 
Ayyad hopes to create a upscale casual venue that will serve light fare falafel and hummus, soft drinks and desserts. The business will also offer tobacco products such as cigars and possibly hookah. No alcohol will be served.
 
No major renovations are expected even though the building was used formerly as a clothing store, Ayyad says.
 
Ayyad plans to run the business with his brother. Together the brothers also operate additional business ventures such as a deli, and a small towing company. Ayyad moved to Baltimore 12 years ago from Jerusalem to join his extended family that has been here since the 1950s.
 
Baltimore’s zoning board rejected Ayyad’s initial application because unlike tobacco shops, smoke shops are not listed as permitted or conditional uses in Baltimore.
 
Smoking in restaurants has been banned in Baltimore since 2008 and is currently regulated by the Baltimore City Health Department. However, some businesses can apply for exemptions from the indoor smoking ban such as retail tobacco establishments.
 
A retail tobacco establishment can qualify if at least 75 percent of its revenues come from non-cigarette tobacco products, and the entry of minors is prohibited.
 
If the appeal goes through, tobacco products will make up 75 percent of sales at the yet unnamed restaurant with the remainder on food, Ayyad says.
 
Pending approval for the zoning board and other city agencies, Ayyad hopes the establishment will open in late May.
 
 
Source: Akram Ayyad, business owner
Writer: Alexandra Wilding
 

Soon another vacant storefront in Highlandtown will temporarily house an art gallery.
 
It's all part of the Pop-Up Gallery project, a partnership between The Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at UMBC, and the Highlandtown Arts and Entertainment District.
 
The second of three Pop-Up Gallery projects in the neighborhood will have an opening March 3 from 5 p.m to 7 p.m. at 3216 Eastern Ave. just east of the Creative Alliance. The gallery installation will run through March 17.
 
University of Maryland Baltimore County graduate student Lexie Macchi is curating the three Pop-Ups. That is according to Sandra Abbott, who is also a member of the Highlandtown Arts District and curator of collections and outreach at UMBC's Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture.
 
The concept of pop-up spaces is to take an unoccupied commercial space and temporarily convert it into a thriving business or art space. Organizers hope to stimulate interest in the property and the neighborhood, feature local artists, and create networking opportunities for local businesses. Pop-Up shops and galleries have gained traction recently across the country as a creative way to generate business in vacant spaces.
 
With the Highlandtown Pop Up, the goal is to partner with merchants and landlords to bring attention to spaces to stimulate rentals and sales, Abbott says.
 
Abbott says organizers of the project want to highlight the possibilities of Highlandtown and increase traffic to the area.
 
In the case of Baltimore's Pop-Up project, the first gallery opened in December and ran for six weeks on South Conkling Street.
 
Funding for the project is provided in part by UMBC. The Highlandtown Community Association helped obtain funding for the project as well, Abbott says.
 
Charm City Land Co. LLC donated the space for the project.
 
Organizers have been invited to speak about the project at the National Main Streets Conference in April in Baltimore.
 
"We want it to go viral and then everyone will be doing it," Abbott says.

Writer: Alexandra Wilding
Source: Sandra Abbott, member of the Highlandtown Arts District and curator of collections and outreach at UMBC's Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture.

The owner of an East Baltimore shopping center could spend as much as $5 million on renovations that will hopefully help it attract a restaurant, bank and other tenants.
 
The makeover is underway at the Erdman Shopping Center in the Belair-Edison neighborhood, says Peter Grose, vice president of Regional Management, Inc. 

The Erdman Shopping Center, built in the early 1960s to accommodate an expanding suburban population moving into the city's northern neighborhoods, sits north of Sinclair Lane between Edison Highway and Erdman Avenue. 

Current tenants at the 120,000-square-foot center include Rite Aid, Save-A-Lot and various clothing, cosmetic, and carryout food businesses. The shopping center serves daily and weekly needs of the neighboring community, Grose says. 

The company expects to invest between $1 million and $5 million on renovations, and plans to complete them between the next six to twelve months, Grose says.
 
The company plans to raze several buildings on-site, replacing them with a new 9,000-square-foot, multi-tenant space, as well as a stand-alone site that could house a restaurant or a bank.
 
"We have the financial ability to really lift this center, and provide a needed investment in a really solid neighborhood," Grose says.
  
The Erdland Co. took possession of the center in September 2011. Regional Management, a property management company in Baltimore, is overseeing the renovations and on-going management for The Erdland Co. 
 
No timelines have been set for the leasing of the new spaces, but Grose hopes to attract businesses that are consistent with current offerings in the center.
 
Grose says he hopes to attract a sit-down restaurant to the center, as local offerings are sparse.
 
Some of the completed renovations include painting, landscaping, removal of debris, old metal pipes and rusted fences, replacing curbs, and adding speed bumps, stop signs, and a new roof for the complex.
 
The majority of the renovations have yet to be completed and will include redoing the fronts and canopies of existing businesses, and a substantial redesign of the parking lot to include more green space and to soften the appearance of the center, Grose says.
 
The renovations are part of an effort to improve a run-down shopping center in a part of the city that has dealt with crime. Last summer, a man making a delivery to the center was shot and killed in the center's parking lot.
 
Grose hopes that the renovations provide the community with an additional level of support and optimism.
 
"Someone came in with private money and really believes the community will come back and do their shopping and get services in this center. It just needs some investment," Grose says.
 
 
 

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

A local developer plans to spend $1.2 million to open a three-story, 12-unit apartment building in Hampden by the end of the year.
 
Eric Dashner, owner of Finer Remodeling in Roland Park, will renovate a 3,000 square-foot property in Hampden that dates back to the 1880s. He hopes to construct an 8,000-square-foot addition, pending approval from the city's zoning board. Dashner expects to break ground within four to five months on the property, located just blocks from The Rotunda. 
 
The developer says he hopes that the apartments will appeal to young, single professionals who want to live in a neighborhood that offers great restaurants and live music in a friendly, tight-knit community. The apartment market is one of the few bright spots in real estate these days as some former homeowners who can't get loans are renting instead of buying.
 
Dashner says he plans to restore the facade of the building at 3849 Roland Ave. and anticipates renovating the remaining shell of the building to create one and two-bedroom apartments. The rental prices of the market-rate apartments are expected to run from $900 to $1100 per month, Dashner says. The plans also call for 14 off-street parking spaces.
 
The developer says he left the plans "loose" so as not to be pigeonholed into a single idea, and will meet Tuesday evening with the Hampden Community Council for their input.
 
Dashner has renovated two other rental-housing units in Hampden, one at 3649 Keswick Rd. and another on Dellwood Avenue.

Source: Eric Dashner, owner of Finer Remodeling, Inc.
Writer: Alexandra Wilding

Camden Yards is hoping for a home run off the field this season. 

The stadium is building on the winning combination of beer and baseball by creating a brewpub and on-site brewery inside Camden Yards. 

The new restaurant planned for Oriole Park at Camden Yards will be a family-friendly brewpub with a sports focus and will open around opening day this spring, says Delaware North Cos.' Food and Beverage Director Adrian Sedano. Delaware North Cos. provides food, beverage and retail merchandise services at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
 
While the name and menu of the restaurant is still being determined, the brewpub plans to brew its own beer on-site and offer a traditional brewpub menu including burgers and sandwiches. Sedano says he can't yet disclose the number of seats or square footage. 

Oriole Park at Camden Yards hopes to become a year-round destination by creating concession areas that overlook the baseball field. In late December, the Stadium Authority requested $1.8 million from the state's Board of Public Works to renovate picnic-areas and create a year-round "park-like destination."  
 
Delaware North Companies Cos., a hospitality and food service company headquartered in Buffalo, is receiving consulting on the restaurant from Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Inc. a corporation in Chicago that owns restaurants in Illinois, Nevada, Washington, D.C, Minneapolis and Arizona. It owns Bethesda French bistro Mon Ami Gabi. 
 
The restaurant has started the hiring process and expects to employ between 30 and 50 employees at its location at 333 W. Pratt St.
 
Sedano says he thinks the future brewpub will be a place where families can come to enjoy a great sports atmosphere, in-house brewing, and a view of Camden Yards.
 
The brewpub concept with on-site brewing is the first of its kind for Delaware North Cos., Sedano ays.

Source: Adrian Sedano, food and beverage director for Delaware North Companies
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