Commercial Real Estate : Development News

Fells Point has got a new boss in town. Clothing boutique Kingpin Baltimore opened this month at 1924 Fleet St.

Co-owner Jennifer Wiseman thought the store name Kingpin � which means a group leader � was appropriate for the fashion-forward street wear clothes the store sells.

The 1,700-square-foot store also features a personal training studio operated by Charles Wiseman, co-owner and Jennifer's husband.

The store sells trendy activewear brands including Margarita, a brand from Israel and Psycho Bunny, a menswear brand from British designer Robert Godley who is engaged to "30 Rock's" Jane Krakowski.

Having worked in the fitness industry, the pair wanted to come up with fun fitness-related concepts. "I wanted something for people to feel better about themselves," Wiseman says.

After months of searching for the right space, the Wisemans found a "wonderful" landlord who would finally rent out a space to the first-time business owners, Wiseman says.

Wiseman declined to say how much the couple spent to open and design the store. The store is outfitted in black-and-white checkered gold-and-green walls and will feature a live DJs on the weekends.

The couple chose Fells Point it gets a lot of foot traffic and is easy to reach from downtown and other areas of the city.

"The location is perfect because everyone can get to it," Wiseman says.

Source: Jennifer Wiseman, Kingpin
Writer:Julekha Dash

A Timonium caterer is moving into bigger digs so it has more space to hold events -- and its owner is dreaming up a concept inspired by the Food Network's "Iron Chef."

Chef's Expressions is taking over 3,500 square feet of space from a former bakery adjacent to its office in the Timonium Commerce Park. The new space at 9524 Deereco Road will give it nearly 10,000 square feet by the end of the summer.
 
The expansion will allow Chef's Expression to host cooking classes, train staff and hold events in its current kitchen. These events would include cocktail parties and tastings for prospective clients.

Chef and owner Jerry Edwards also envisions using the space to hold an "Iron Chef"-style kitchen stadium outfitted with closed-circuit flat-screen televisions that will allow clients to see the chefs at work. The goal is to great a "high-tech fashionably designed catering space," he says.

What does Edwards like about the neighborhood? It's four minutes from his house and just 30 minutes from downtown, making it convenient for clients.

Edwards is also talking to an interior designer about making the Old World Tuscan-style event space look more contemporary. He plans to spend $150,000 on the move and renovation.

The 29-year-old company employs 14 full-time workers and up to 80 part-time workers. Edwards expects to pull in $3.2 million in revenue this year, with about two-thirds of the business coming from weddings and the remainder coming from corporate events.

Source: Jerry Edwards, Chef's Expressions
Writer: Julekha Dash

A furniture store has found a new home in Federal Hill.

Home on the Harbor opened a store at 1414 Key Highway April 3. The 4,400-square-foot space is four times the size of its former store in Mount Washington.

Though the economy has hammered the housing market and sales at some furniture stores, sales at Home on the Harbor have increased 25 percent in the last six months, Owner Karen Graveline says.

Whereas customers were once putting off big purchases, Graveline says she is now seeing stronger sales of sofas, rugs, and lounge chairs. Graveline says her $100,000 investment on the expansion is an "offensive move," that she hopes will help it prepare for an uptick in the economy.

"Now is a good time to get ready for the economy to pick back up," she says.

The move to Federal Hill is a homecoming of sorts. It started out in Federal Hill nearly 8 years ago before packing up for Mount Washington. The waterfront location was the inspiration for the store's name.

Graveline is returning to Baltimore City because it can attract shoppers coming the city for the museums and other waterfront attractions. The spot is also close to Interstate 95, making it a convenient location for shoppers who live in the counties, she says.  She also liked the warehouse space with its big windows and good visibility from the harbor.

The store specializes in mid-20th century-style furniture and its brands include Knoll, Gus Modern Blue Dot and Kartell.

"I feel like I know what the customer wants. I'm not really worried," Graveline says. "I'm confident we will succeed here."

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Karen Graveline, Home on the Harbor

When Daniel Cherky and Errez Segman bought the building in the 1100 block of West Baltimore Street, the idea was to renovate it and sell it. When the economy took a nose a dive, however, Cherky says their plans changed and Back Alley Jazz was born.

"I figured that I would do something to help the neighborhood. We want to make [this part of] Baltimore live again and bring a little bit of the feel of New Orleans to the city," he explains.

Familiar with Baltimore's illustrious musical history, Cherky and Segman decided to do something to help restore the city's reputation as a major player in the world of jazz.

"I said let's create something like back in the '20s because Baltimore used to be a real swinging place," Cherky says.

Just a few blocks west of University of Maryland's Biopark, Cherky says the neighborhood needs some help. "I have done a lot of the work on the building myself and in the beginning I would put my tools down [and go do something in another part of the building]. Five minutes later, the tools would be gone and ten minutes after that someone would be there selling me back my own tools," he laughingly recalls.

So far, the pair have spent more than $400,000 rehabbing the building, painting the facade, adding a rooftop deck and creating three floors were jazz lovers will enjoy national, regional and local jazz artists as well as amateur acts.

With the backing of the the city, which changed the name of the alley next to the building to Back Alley Jazz, Cherky says the upscale club will take visitors back to the days when speakeasys were the place to be. The clubs entrance will be located at the back of the building that is adjacent to Hollins Street Market. Valets will park guests' cars while security guards will ensure that both remain safe.

The staff will be dressed in 1920's era-style clothing. In addition to a variety of cocktails, the club will offer a light menu of New Orleans-style cuisine that will also include an homage to its Maryland location with some local favorites.

Back Alley Jazz will open around the end of April or beginning of May. The hope, says Segman is that the club will attract guests from Virginia, DC and the Greater Baltimore area. According to Cherky, eventually, the club will host a variety of street festivals on its parking lot.

Sources: Daniel Cherky and Errez Segman, Back Alley Jazz
Writer: Walaika Haskins

When George Dailey, chef and owner of On the Hill Cafe in Bolton Hill, learned that the former home of The Bicycle at 1444 Light Street in Federal Hill was available for lease, he knew it was the opportunity he and his wife had been waiting for to open a second restaurant.

"The Bicycle was a very famous restaurant in Baltimore and a gorgeous spot. When we saw that the place was coming up for rent, we jumped at it. We'd been toying with the idea of opening a second restaurant for a while and couldn't find the right spot. We came, we looked at it and we knew it was the right time," he explains.

And so Centro Tapas Bar was born. The couple settled on a tapas bar, he says, because "we love that way of eating. You have a choice of ordering four or five dishes at a time and then you share. That family-style way of eating, sharing with friends is fun and a different way. Other restaurants that don't have that but have appetizers, we actually go for the appetizers."

And rather than being a potential hindrance, the economy proved to be a boon, according to Dailey. "That's the reason why we're here. The economy is giving people who wanted to do a restaurant or another business the opportunity to do it. In a good economy we wouldn't be able to do this because this place would not be available and [its leasea] would be stronomically priced."

Opening a tapas bar is smart business in the current economic climate says Yvonne Edwardsen, managing partner. "This is the perfect type of thing for people now. They can stop in get a glass of sangria and a few small plates and leave full at a reasonable price."

Dailey and Edwardsen say they've made only a few cosmetic changes to the space. Adding a gray monochrome color scheme that allows the food to take center stage. Other than that the restaurant's three dining rooms, open kitchen and enclosed garden remain pretty much the same with seating for about 100 people.

Centro Tapas serves a variety of tapas and big plate dishes, some classic Spanish dishes and others with a Latin American influence. "The Latin American are kind of a new tapas with things like Mexican dishes, Peruvian dishes and from all over Central and South America. We're trying to do a combination of the New and Old Worlds," Dailey explains.

As the weather becomes warmer, diners will be able to enjoy seating in the enclosed garden and Edwardsen says there are plans to start a Sunday brunch in a few months with traditional breakfast fare as well as some dishes from the tapas menu.

Sources: George Dailey, Yvonne Edwardsen, Centro Tapas Bar
Writer: Walaika Haskins

For Sean Dunworth, owner of the Catonsville Gourmet, popular seafood restaurant and market located on Frederick Rd,  the time just seems right. Two years after he opened the seafood restaurant, Dunworth is ready to launch a new venture, Regions.

"We were thinking about expanding [Catonsville Gourmet], which is about 80 percent seafood, but we wanted to open something smaller that we could use as a banquet facility and would allow us to expand our cuisine," he explains.

Scheduled to open in about a month, Regions will be located at 803-805 Frederick Road in Catonsville. It will feature cuisines from seven  regions around the world including Italian, French, Asian, Cajun, classic Maryland, Southwestern, and a comfort food. Each week the restaurant will feature small (tapas) and big plate selections from each of those regions.

"You can come and get a selection of small plates. And we'll be doing a lot more chicken and beef, not just seafood. The comfort food will be like spaghetti and meatballs or chicken pot pie done in a little more gourmet way," Dunworth says.

The restaurant will seat about 35 people and have a much more intimate feel. "Regions is going to be more contemporary and hip than Catonsville Gourmet. It will have chocolate/burgundy walls with handpainted murals and subdued lighting," he says.

According to Dunworth, Regions will be a good place for a first date or a special occasion. And, unlike Catonsville Gourmet, the diners will need to make reservations for Regions.

A Catonsville native, Dunworth says that something like Regions will be a good addition for the area, providing an alternative to the quick food restuarants selling hamburgers and sandwiches on Frederick Road.

Source: Sean Dunworth, Catonsville Gourmet
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Hanover, Md.-based Frank Parsons, Inc., a wholesale office supplier, has opened a Frank Parsons Express plus, the company's next generation of wholesale stores. In addition to the usual inventory of paper, envelopes, and ink, which have been the foundation of the company's existing stores, Frank Parsons Express plus will stock a full line of office supplies as well as an extensive selection of colored and textured papers that are unavailable at most office supply stores.

The Fresh Market, a gourmet grocery market chain, has increased its presence in the Mid-Atlantic region this month with a new store in Annapolis, marking the company's second store in Maryland.

Baltimore City officials closed a deal on March 10, with Recreation Pier Developers, LLC, for the sale of the Fells Point Recreation Pier. The deal marks a significant step in the Fells Point Recreation Pier redevelopment project. The transaction will require pier restoration, which is expected to be an $8.8 million dollar expense. 

When complete, the site will house a 132-room Aloft-brand hotel with a second floor restaurant. The entire project will be valued in excess of $35 million and will ultimately increase the tax base of the City through sales tax, room tax, and real and personal tax revenue. The project will also create a new job base for the City.

"The closing of the sales transaction marks the beginning of the Fells Point Recreation Pier redevelopment project," says Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. "The restoration of this historic pier will stimulate the development of new businesses that will greatly enrich the community."

The next step is for Moran Towing Corporation, the sole remaining pier tenant, to relocate to its new facility on S. Clinton Street in Canton. The move is expected to occur by May 2010, allowing Recreational Pier Developers, LLC, to begin restoration of the site.

Built in 1914, the Fells Point Recreation Pier was once used for social and educational gatherings. A ballroom on the second floor of the Head House was used for weddings and dances, as well as for basketball and soccer games. More recently, the site has been used as a
filming location for the television series "Homicide: Life on the Streets" and two movies, including "Step Up." As part of the pier restoration, the developers will replace many of the piles that are sinking into the water. The project will receive federal and state historic tax credits from the U.S. National Park Service and the Maryland Historical Trust.

"Baltimore Housing recognizes the unique character of Recreation Pier and its historic significance to Fells Point, Baltimore City and the State of Maryland," says Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano. "We have been working for years to identify a viable and appropriate reuse for this legendary landmark. With the recent closing of the sales transaction with the developers, I am pleased that we can now move forward with the project."

Source: Housing Authority of Baltimore City
Writer: Walaika Haskins

A California frozen yogurt chain is sweetening up Annapolis with its first East Coast location. Menchie's Frozen Yogurt will open early April at Annapolis Towne Centre, next to Target and Arhaus Furniture Co.

The growing Encino-based company currently has about 30 locations and is planning numerous new stores in Ohio, Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania. Chains like Pinkberry and RedMango have expanded nationally in recent years, but the FroYo craze has largely left the Greater Baltimore region in the cold.

Menchie's co-owner Mary Carney says she chose the Annapolis Towne Centre location because she expects to get good foot traffic from the neighboring anchor tenants, Target and Arhaus. She also hopes that restaurants in the outdoor mall like Gordon Biersch Brewery and P.F. Chang's will pull diners craving dessert after their meal.
 
Located at 2505 Riva Rd., Annapolis Towne Centre is a $500 million retail, office and residential complex that includes a Main Street-style town center. Its other stores include Whole Foods Market, Bed Bath & Beyond, Brio Tuscan Grill and Real Seafood Co.

"It's an upbeat place," Carney says of the outdoor mall.

She declined to say how much she is spending to open the store. But the average Menchie franchisee spends between $340,000 and $400,000 on real estate, equipment, and franchise fee.

Menchie's will feature 14 frozen yogurt flavors and 50 toppings customers can add to the mix -- not unlike the concept behind ice cream franchise Cold Stone Creamery except that it is self serve. Patrons pay by the weight and can choose from low-carb, sugar-free and dairy-free options.

Source: Mary Carney, Menchie's
 Writer: Julekha Dash

Break out the banjo: Blue Grass is coming to town. Blue Grass restaurant, that is. The former chef and general manager of Ryleigh's Oyster, Patrick Morrow and Jorbie Clark, will open the Southern-inspired eatery this month at 1500 S. Hanover Street.

Morrow, who has lived in Federal Hill for nine years, had been looking for a restaurant space for a while and jumped at the chance when the spot that once housed the Vine became available. Though the economy has not been kind to some restaurant owners, Morrow sees a business opportunity in the downturn. He's able to find plenty of qualified staff and get better deals on kitchen equipment.

"You have a lot of people hungry for work, " Morrow says.  And a lot more people are willing to give you good deals because they are hungry to make a sale, he says.

Morrow also liked the spot in Federal Hill because it sits at the intersection of two major roads, Fort and Hanover, that should hopefully attract a lot of drive-by traffic. The business partners hope to capture Federal Hill's young professionals in their 20s and 30s, says Jorbie Clark. This is an age group that is not weighed down by a massive drop in their stock portfolio, Clark says.

"They still have disposable income and will still go out," Clark says.

Morrow and Clark both declined to say how much they are spending to open the 75-seat restaurant. Blue Grass will serve up contemporary American food, including Southern game and meat dishes. Pork chop with baked beans, crawfish hush puppies, and braised gunpowder short ribs reflect Morrow's culinary influences growing up in North Carolina and Texas. Entrees will cost between $19 and $25 and appetizers will cost between $6 and $13.


Sources: Patrick Morrow, Jorbie Clark, Blue Grass
Writer: Julekha Dash

How's this for a restaurant concept: the name Tony? As in Tony Bennett, Tony Danza, and Tony Romo.

"Google the name Tony and you're going to come up with a lot of Tonys," says Kamran Assadi, who plans to open Tony's Diner on Baltimore's West Side.

All the famous Tonys will get a pic on the wall, says Assadi, whose nickname is, by the way, Tony. Assadi, also the owner of Luna Del Sea is spending $600,000 to open Tony's Diner at 8-14 Park Avenue. Assadi picked the West Side location with the hopes of getting business from the convention center, hotels in the area, and people attending plays and concerts at the Hippodrome Theatre and First Mariner Arena.

He also chose the west side over Baltimore's east side because he didn't want to compete with his cousin, who runs Mo's Seafood in Little Italy.

"I didn't want to compete with him," says Assadi, who has helped run Mo's in the past. "He has the east side covered."

Tony's will encompass sthree businesses in one: a deli, bar and diner with a total of 142 seats. Each will have its own entrance. The deli will serve sandwiches that cost between $5 and $12. The dining room will serve up pasta, steaks, chicken and maybe steamed crabs. Dinner entrees will cost between $12 to $24.

The Baltimore City Liquor License board granted Assadi a new liquor license that is available to restaurant owners that invest at least $500,000 in a new establishment. Assadi also received a live entertainment license and plans to occasionally feature piano, guitar and violin players.

The 4,000-square-foot restaurant will employ up to 30 workers.

Source: Kamran Assadi, Tony's Diner
Writer: Julekha Dash

A startup technology company that counts Toyota and United Airlines as clients is moving next month to Canton's Emerging Technology Center. Business partners Ryan Doak and Scott Calhoun say they hope the move from their current office in Fells Point to the business incubator will give them the resources they need to grow NV3 Technologies LLC.

The incubator will offer them professional advice on everything from accounting to getting funding to legal counseling, Managing Partner Scott Calhoun says. Being close to other startups should also help the nine-person company form valuable relationships, the partners said.

The company makes kiosks where folks can charge their cell phones. The kiosks also feature LCD screens that display multimedia ads, information and signs. NV3 charges companies anywhere from $1,000 to $8,000 for the custom-built kiosks.

Doak and Calhoun also hope the ETC will give its product more exposure. The incubator's lobby will house a kiosk listing the companies at the ETC at 2400 Boston Street.

There's another reason Doak chose the waterfront neighborhood of Canton: He loves boating and sailing.

The partners hope to make inroads among major hotels, restaurants, convention centers and hotels who could use the kiosks to display meeting schedules, directions to the bathrooms, and menus. NV3 managers also hope to enter the festival arena and are in discussions currently with a media company that would use the kiosks at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

NV3 recently changed its name from Nuvo.


Source: Ryan Doak, Scott Calhoun, NV3 Technologies
Writer: Julekha Dash

A group of leading architects and university officials have formed a nonprofit design collaborative and are looking at 10 N. Charles Street as a possible home. The space would hold classes, lectures, design exhibits and host events.

D:Center 15-member board includes staff at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Morgan State University and the University of Maryland College Park.

"What's missing [in Baltimore]  is a center or place to figure out what is going on in the area of design," says Klaus Philipsen, a Baltimore architect and D:Center's president.

The members are talking to 10 N. Charles Street's landlord, Peter Angelos' Artemis Properties Inc., about taking 40,000 square feet of space in the building once the Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business leaves in the fall for the Legg Mason Tower in Harbor East. Runing the physical location would cost between $300,000 to $1.5 million to operate, Philipsen says.

D:Center, whose board includes architecture firms Cho Benn Holback + Associates and Brown Craig Turner, already has an ongoing program called "design conversations" in which speakers present design-related ideas. The concept is not unlike Ignite Baltimore, Philipsen says.

Having a physical home could enable the group to house a center on Baltimore design and architecture that would attract tourists, Philipsen says. The participating universities could also host inter-collegiate architecture courses.

The downtown spot is centrally located and could attract students and tourists, Philipsen says.

"It seems like a wonderful place," Philipsen says. "We don't want to be in a neighborhood that is not central."


Source: Klaus Philipsen, D: Center
Writer: Julekha Dash

Would you pay as much as $9 for a cup of coffee? Jay Caragay is hoping you will to get some java grown by El Salvador farmer Aida Battle, known for producing small batches of award-winning coffees.

Caragay will sell Battle's brew and less expensive varieties at his new Hampden caf�, Spro. Located on the neighborhood's main drag, Caragay expects the 600-square-foot shop to at 851 W. 36th Street to open later this month.

With about $100,000 invested in the venture, Spro is Caragay's largest business to date. He also runs an espresso bar at the Towson Public Library of the same name and is best known for his Jay's Shaved Ice business. Though he closed the Timonium store in 2006, he still sells the shaved ice at summer festivals.

"We had a vision," Caragay says of his new cafe. "When you build a place that expresses that vision, people will respond to it."

His vision is to offer custom-brewed coffee. Customers will get to choose between seven different brewing methods -- iFrench press, a vacuum pot, an AeroPress, and something called the Clever Coffee Dripper, a manual coffee maker --for their cup of Joe. 

Caragay says he chose Hampden's Avenue because he thought the cafe would fit in with the eclectic shops in the area. He also expects the shop to get plenty of pedestrian traffic at that location.
 
Spro will employ nine and initially sell light pastries. Caragay plans to add more items depending on the feedback he gets from his customers.

Source: Jay Caragay, Spro
Writer: Julekha Dash