Commercial Real Estate : Development News

As the mother of four growing kids, Pam Corkran goes through a lot of clothes.

Corkran, is opening a consignment shop at 2123 N. Charles St. with the hopes that she can help out other moms, as well as students and professionals in similar shoes.

The Charles Village store called Too Good to be Thru will open Sept. 23 and hold a grand opening that day with food and music.
 
The shop will sell mostly clothes and home d�cor. Corkran hopes she can attract students and professionals at Johns Hopkins University, and area accountants and lawyers.

The shop owner has invested $10,000 to open the 1,750-square-foot store and took classes at the state-run small business development center at Towson University to get assistance with her business plan.

Originally from West Va., Corkran grew up in the neighborhood and wanted to come back to the area to start a business. The two-story store will sell shoes, purses, scarves, hats, skirts and dresses.

"It brought back a lot of memories," Corkran says of being in the neighborhood.

She found the space through a friend who owns the building.

So far, she has been promoting the store at area festivals, including Artscape, and on her Facebook page. 

It took about 18 months to get the building ready for business. It turns out that Baltimore City puts a consignment shop on equal footing as a pawn shop, so she had to get the support of neighborhood associations. She also had to get special zoning approval since the shop is in a residential building.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Pam Corkran, Too Good to be Thru

Roland Park residents seeking vintage fashions from the 1960s and 1970s now have a place to shop.

Myrtle Dove Vintage opened last month at 5006 Lawndale Ave. The 800-square-foot store sells men, women's and children's clothing, jewelry, sunglasses, shoes, wigs, toys and hats. It also sells vintage housewares, including tablecloths, fabrics and pottery.

Owners Michelle Walsh and Mary Walsh-Reynolds last year started an online vintage store on eBay. They seized the chance to open a bricks-and-mortar store when another vintage shop in that space left.

"Vintage clothing has been a passion for my sister and me," Walsh says.

The sisters get their merchandise from estate sales, flea markets, yard sales and thrift stores.

The pair chose the Roland Park neighborhood because it's chock full of residents with plenty of disposable income. The location is also close to a consignment store that sells used designer clothes that complement their merchandise.

Though business has been a little slow in August, Walsh expects it will pick up in the fall as people return from vacation.

The shop is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Walsh declined to say how much the owners spent to open the store.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Michelle Walsh

A new restaurant and beer bar is set to open just after Labor Day on Baltimore's west side, replacing the former Lucy's Irish Pub.

Alewife's owner Daniel Lanigan plans to serve new American cuisine, with an emphasis on Maryland food. Lanigan, who owns four beer bars and restaurants in Massachusetts, will offer 40 beers on tap and 100 bottled beers.

Though other restaurants at 21 N. Eutaw Street have had a somewhat short shelf life, Lanigan says he believes he has the recipe for success. Alewife will focus more on the food and shy away from the Irish cuisine that had been a staple in the restaurant's former incarnations.

"Irish cuisine is not known for being spectacular," Lanigan says.

The former Lucy's owner contacted Lanigan to see if he would be interested in the 6,000-square-foot restaurant. Lanigan says he is so far charmed by Baltimore.

"I love it. I think there's a lot of Baltimore pride here."

He is counting on theater patrons at the Hippodrome and Everyman Theatre � scheduled to move to the west side fall 2011 � to fill seats at the 300-seat restaurant. He also hopes to entice neighboring students and workers at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

"It's an underserved area," Lanigan says of the west side neighborhood. With 1,200 residents living within two blocks of the restaurant, there are a "lot of people who don't have anywhere to go."

The restaurant will offer valet parking and employ 50.

Source: Daniel Lanigan, Alewife
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

The owners of Padonia Village Shopping Center have spent $600,000 with the aim of attracting new tenants and keeping existing ones.

Located at the intersection of York and Padonia Roads, the 110,000 square foot shopping center contains 24 office and retail tenants, including Mars Supermarket, Rite-Aid and Padonia Station Bar & Grille.

The improvements include new sidewalks with stamped concrete, fa�ade upgrades, new signs, lighting and paint. Two new rain gardens  featuring black-eyed susans and ornamental grasses were installed. The center also features new benches, bicycle racks and recycling bins.

Owner Continental Realty Corp. hopes the makeover will help it attract two new restaurant tenants, says David Donato, vice president of Continental Realty's commercial division. The two vacant spots face the courtyard and total nearly 5,000 square feet.

The owners are actively seeking Mexican, seafood and Asian restaurants to complement the center's existing food offerings, which include sushi and pizza.

"We want to keep the center fresh for existing tenants and catch the attention of new ones," Donato says. "We'd love to see some restaurants now that we have outdoor seating."

Continental Realty also wanted to keep up with newer shopping centers in the area and older ones that that have undergone extensive renovations. These include Timonium Square Shopping Center, across from the Timonium Fairgrounds. Owner Kimco Realty Corp. renovated the fa�ade, and installed new signs and canopies last year.

"A lot of York Road is fresher and newer looking," Donato says.

Donato describes the Timonium area as a "retail mecca," with huge traffic counts, population density and income.

More than 56,000 consumers reside within a three-mile radius of Padonia Village with an average household income of more than $93,000. More than 40,000 vehicles pass the project on a daily basis along York Road, according to the state's transportation department.

Continental Realty hired Holland Construction Co. as the general contractor and Arium Inc. as the architect. Davey Commercial Grounds Management handled landscape design.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: David Donato, Continental Realty

This may be the era of e-readers and iPads, but one bookstore in Towson is actually growing from its sales of hard copy books.

BookHolders, which specializes in college textbooks, opened its new location Aug. 9 at 208 York Rd. The 6,000 square foot store is 50 percent larger than its old home at 425 York Rd.

The new location is closer to the university, making it more convenient for students, says Ryna Luckert, the store's marketing manager.

The spot comes with 20 parking spots and has greater visibility since it's located at the busy intersection of Towson Town Boulevard and York Road, Luckert says.

"Students can see us better."

The larger space also allows BookHolders to sell more college apparel.

Started in 1999, BookHolders currently has six locations. The others are located in College Park, Blacksburg, Va., Richmond, Va., Morgantown, W.Va., and Tampa, Fla. BookHolders opened the Towson location in 2007.

The company likes the town because it is close to several universities, Luckert says. Aside from Towson University, others nearby include Goucher College, College of Notre Dame and University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

With competition from so many online sources, how is that a bookstore is growing?

"We try to offer the absolute cheapest textbooks," Luckert says. "We're always making sure we're very competitive that we have the best prices for students."

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Ryna Luckert

A senior housing community has taken the first step toward building a $125 million continuing care retirement facility in Harford County.

The Presbyterian Home of Maryland Inc. received approval from the Maryland Dept. of Aging to determine the feasibility of constructing 183 independent living units, 10 assisted living beds and 10 comprehensive care beds in Aberdeen.

If the plan goes through, the 138-acre site will break ground in 2011 and the facility will open by late 2013. The Village at Carsins Run will be adjacent to Ripken Stadium. The site will include wetlands, tree buffers and nature trail.

The feasibility study indicates that a reasonable financial plan has been submitted for development and operation of the project, and that there appears to be a market for a continuing care retirement community in Harford County.

The Village at Carsins Run will employ about 80 full-time workers once it opens. Approximately 200 construction jobs will be available once actual work on the project begins.

Construction will be funded with seed capital from the Presbyterian Home of Maryland, a faith-based Towson nonprofit and municipal bonds.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Presbyterian Home of Maryland

What does the state of Louisiana have in common with Italy? Both are sort of shaped like boots. That's why Phil Hartman decided to name his Italian-Cajun restaurant Two Boots.

Started 23 years ago in New York, Two Boots will open a store at the University of Baltimore campus in Bolton Hill by early December. It recently opened its 10th restaurant at downtown's Power Plant Live. Two Boots serves up its pizza and po' boys in Bridgeport, Conn., Los Angeles and seven New York City stores.

Dishes include jambalaya, blackened catfish po'boy and baked ziti. Pizzas pay homage to pop culture, thanks to Hartman's other career as a filmmaker and screenwriter. One pizza with marinated chicken and plum tomatoes is named Mr. Pink, after a character played by Steve Buscemi in "Reservoir Dogs."

Hartman expanded his business to Baltimore because of what he describes as a "lifelong crush" on the city where he lived and wrote for one year in 1982.

The 2,300-square-foot restaurant at University of Baltimore will be located in the Fitzgerald building, developed by the Bozzuto Group. The $77 million Fitzgerald houses a Barnes & Noble, which opened in June, and 275 apartments.

Hartman says he likes the Bolton Hill area because the location should attract students from University of Baltimore and the Maryland Institute College of Art. It's also in the middle of an arts community, with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra nearby. And traditionally, Too Boots has attracted a lot of artists by featuring local artwork on the walls.

The restaurant owner also likes the downtown Baltimore location because it attracts the business community.

Hartman declined to say how much he is spending to open the new restaurants.

Source: Phil Hartman, Two Boots
Writer: Julekha Dash

If you're a child of the 90s, the word Tatu might conjure up images of the Russian female duo with hits like "All the Things She Said." But soon, the word have Baltimore residents thinking of  sushi and sesame chicken. 

Cb5 Restaurant Group LLC., a Greenwich, Conn., restaurant consulting company is spending $750,000 to open Asian restaurant Tatu at Power Plant Live in early September. The site at 614 Water St. formerly housed Blue Sea Grill.

It will be the second location for the company along with the original Tatu in the Seminole Paradise Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
That property, like Power Plant Live, is developed by Baltimore's Cordish Cos. It's the 128th restaurant developed by Cb5, but the first one in Baltimore.

The 5,000-square-foot restaurant will serve Japanese, traditional Chinese and French-Chinese cuisine, says Cb5 Owner Jody Pennette. The average check will run between $23 and $55, giving diners on a budget some flexibility with their wallets. The 120-seat restaurant will employ 50.

The company liked the Power Plant Live entertainment district because it already has a loyal following. "It's nice to have a built-in audience when you start," says Pennette, who hopes Tatu will draw new people to the area.

Power Plant Live's businesses include concert venue Rams Head Live, Ruth's Chris Steak House, nightclub Mosaic and Italian/Cajun eatery Two Boots, a recent addition.

Cb5 executives were also eager to work with the Cordish Co. again on another project. "They have this great knack for entertainment zones," Pennette says.

And yes, that Russian duo is the inspiration for the name. Sort of.

The owners were originally going to name the restaurant Tattoo, since the menu features an Asian woman with a large dragon tattoo on her back.

But the name didn't seem quite Asian enough, Pennette says. Then one day he saw a video on TV by, yep, you guessed it, Tatu, and thought that spelling was a bit more exotic.


Source: Jody Pennette, Tatu
Writer: Julekha Dash

A Washington, D.C., restaurant owner has taken her Southern-style cuisine to Baltimore's Charles Street. CR Lounge opened its doors July 31 at 518 N. Charles Street, formerly IXIA. The restaurant, which serves shrimp and grits and other Southern-style cuisine, celebrates its grand opening August 7.

Owner Tegist "Teggy" Ayalew, who also operates Cr�me Caf� and Lounge on U Street in D.C, spent about $50,000 to furnish the 3,700-square-foot restaurant. The kitchen equipment was already in place and the landlord held onto the former restaurant's liquor license,  making the initial investment relatively small.

"This was a very good opportunity. I know it's a bad economy but I'm excited about what I can offer," she says.

Ayalew describes the look and feel of the restaurant as "upscale casual," with the average dish costing around $14.

Initially, CR Lounge will seat 75 downstairs. But the business owner will eventually open the second floor and seat a total of 190 guests. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday and serves Saturday and Sunday brunch. 


She will continue to operate the restaurant in Washington, D.C., and is even looking for another site for a second location in the nation's capital. However, her long-term plan is to make Baltimore her home.

"The people are very pleasant and welcoming. The neighborhood is very supportive," she says of Mount Vernon.

She also likes the historic buildings on Mount Vernon's Charles Street and says she "fell in love with it" on her first day in town.
"That area is culturally rich and we love the arts and music. We were very interested in being part of that."

The restaurant will display art from Ethiopia, where Ayalew was born. CR Lounge will employ 20 people.

Read more about what's happening in Mt. Vernon.

Source: Tegist Ayalew, CR Lounge
Writer: Julekha Dash

Dana Valery often wished she could pick up organic fruit, milk and eggs every few days from her neighborhood corner grocer the way Europeans do, rather than make the massive trip to the supermarket every couple of weeks. So she and her husband Ernst Valery are making that wish a reality with the opening of Milk and Honey Market. The Mount Vernon shop at 816 S. Cathedral Street will open Oct. 1.

The 1,700-square-foot store is an offshoot of West Philadelphia's Milk and Honey Market, owned by friends of the Baltimore husband-and-wife team. Philly owners Annie Baum-Stein and Mauro Daigle consulted on the design and concept of the Baltimore store.

The store will sell a mix of fresh produce, meats, breads and honey and feature a caf� serving espresso, lattes and fresh-fruit smoothies. Breads will come from Stone Mill Bakery in Lutherville. The couple is talking with a number of local farmers who will supply the produce and cheeses. Valery declined to name them because they are still in the discussion stage.

"We're shooting for high quality products that are fresh and local," Valery says.

The couple chose the neighborhood because it has a nice mix of businesses, residents and students who will hopefully want to shop at a store like theirs. It also lacks a Whole Foods Market or other competing store and is easy to walk around.

Valery says she's catering to folks like herself who often go away on the weekends and can't make it to the local farmers' market on the weekends.

Nancy Hooff and Jim Campbell, a Washington, D.C., couple who own a development company, are also part-owners in the business. 


Read more about what's happening in Mt. Vernon.

Source: Dana Valery, Milk and Honey Market
Writer: Julekha Dash

Philadelphia's best loved food export is making its way to Annapolis. Philly Flash will sell Philadelphia-style cheesesteaks at the Annapolis Towne Centre beginning in mid-to-late August. Donna and Joseph DeCesaris are investing $500,000 to open their second store.

The 65-seat restaurant will add 11 jobs to the local economy. The menu will also serve subs, wings and pizza.Cheesesteaks start at $6.00 and pizza costs about $9.

The first Philly Flash opened in October 2008 at 1901 West Street, in downtown Annapolis. Last year, What's Up Annapolis magazine declared Philly Flash the best cheesesteak venue in town.

Joseph DeCesaris' parents are originally from Philadelphia and her husband developed the special Philly Flash spice blend, a mix of salt, paprika, garlic, black and red pepper that is sprinkled on cheesesteaks and fries.

The store will be outfitted with a drag racing theme because Joseph DeCesaris' family operated Cecil County Dragway in Rising Sun.

The couple chose Annapolis Towne Centre because they thought it was a good opportunity to get high visibility and foot traffic that co-tenants Target and Whole Foods Market attract, Donna DeCesaris says.

Located at 2505 Riva Road, Annapolis Towne Centre is a $500 million retail, office and residential complex that houses a Main Street-style town center. Developed by Greenberg Gibbons Commercial Corp., its other stores include Bed Bath & Beyond, Brio Tuscan Grill, Restoration Hardware and Sur La Table. The development has recently attracted new restaurants. Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar is set to open in September and Cadillac Ranch opened in June.

"It's a destination kind of place," DeCesaris says of Annapolis Towne Centre.

"It's a friendly town," Donna DeCesaris says of Annapolis, where her kids attended high school.


Source: Donna DeCesaris, Philly Flash
Writer: Julekha Dash

The University of Maryland Baltimore County has broken ground on a $170 million  performing arts and humanities building that will be the Catonsville school's largest building to date.

"We have vibrant arts and humanities [programs] here that don't have as high a visibility as science and engineering," UMBC spokesman Thomas Moore says.

"We're hoping this will provide an opportunity for people to get to know us better."

Known for its computer science and engineering programs, UMBC officials hope that the building will boost its reputation in these fields and get more locals involved with the school by showcasing performances and lectures.

The 167,000 square foot building will open in two phases. The first phase, the department of theater and English, will open in 2012.  It will also include the Dresher Center for the Humanities, which will host public lectures and events. The second phase, which houses the department of dance, music, philosophy and ancient studies, will open in 2016.

"We're confident that every student who begins here will end up taking classes in this building," Moore says. "It's a building that will touch of the lives of every student."

The bulk of the building's funding will come from the state's capital budget.

UMBC officials hope the Catonsville location will make it convenient for people from other areas to catch a performance or talk at the new building. The campus is close to Interstates 95 and 695 and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Boston's William Rawn Associates Inc. and Grimm + Parker Architects of Calverton designed the building. William Rawn's other projects include the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's Music Center at Strathmore and Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood.

Moore says the stainless steel and brick structure at 1000 Hilltop Circle will have a reflective quality that will display different hues at different times of the day.

"We hope it will be a very beautiful-looking building when it's done."

Source: Thomas Moore, UMBC
Writer: Julekha Dash

Charles Street's restaurant offerings will soon include fish tacos and one-and-a-half-pound burritos. Ken Diaz will open Gordito's Caf� at 336 N. Charles Street, replacing Milton's Grill, by October. A former restaurant consultant who has worked for Edo Sushi, Mari Luna Mexican Grill and Lebanese Taverna, Diaz is spending $250,000 of his own money to start the 85-seat eatery.

Gordito's offerings will include traditional Mexican dishes, including a gordita, a corn cake stuffed with meat, and a torta, a sandwich with thinly sliced steak or chicken. Flour and corn tortillas will be homemade.

Smaller items will cost between $6 and $10 while the king-size burrito that can feed two will cost $14.  Lunch and dinner entrees will average around $15.

Authentic Mexican drinks will be on the menu as well at the 2,500-square-foot restaurant. Those include Mexican Bloody Marys, a Mexican black and tan (beer and brand) and, of course, margaritas.

Using the tagline cocina, cultura, historia for his new concept, Diaz wants to give diners a taste of Mexican culture and history and not just its flavorful spices. Gordito's will feature Mexican bingo and Mariachi bands every week and display photos of Aztec warriors and cinema stars.

Though some restaurants are struggling now in a down economy, Diaz isn't worried. With no other Mexican restaurants in the downtown area, he has little competition and hopes that if you offer good food and service at a reasonable price, the people will come.

In fact, if things go well, Diaz hopes to open five to seven additional locations in Greater Baltimore within a few years.
 
Diaz chose the Downtown area because he admired the neighborhood's eclectic mix of people and historic architecture. His own building includes an entire wall with exposed brick.

"I fell in love with the space," he says.

To read more about downtown, go here.


Source: Ken Diaz, Gordito's
Writer: Julekha Dash

What does the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing have in common with a new lounge in Fells Point called the Get Down? Both relied on Baltimore lighting designer Scott Chmielewski for illumination.

Bryan Burkert opened the Get Down at 701 S. Bond St. this month in the spot that once held Fletcher's. Burkert, who also owns Fells Point music shop the Sound Garden, gutted out the former space to open the 6,000-square-foot nightclub.

The LED lighting is a key component of the Get Down's design, Burkert says. "Everything glows and illuminates everything all of the time," he says. "I wanted a funky, cool place."

Burkert will rely on DJs from Washington, D.C., to play funk and soul music. But the biggest challenge will be to reach the right audience for the club. "Our fear is that we'd be pegged as the hottest new club which is not what we are trying to be," he says.

Wait, he doesn't want to be called the hottest new club?

His fear is that with a moniker like that, party-goers will assume that the Get Down plays all pop or all hip hop, as is the case at other nightclubs. Burkert wants to reach a more diverse, wider spectrum of the city.

Burkert sold Fletcher's two years ago, then bought it back. But he didn't feel like opening it as Fletcher's. So he remade the space into a venue where he can hold parties, feature live music or DJs.

The business owner says he likes the area for its mix of eclectic, independent restaurants and retail shops.

The club is open seven nights a week, from 7 p.m. until 2 a.m.

Source: Bryan Burkert, the Get Down
Writer: Julekha Dash