Development News

Justine Mantua fell in love with Hampden six years ago and liked it so much she made it the home for her new business.

The recent college graduate opened Fleurish Boutique May 13 at 822 W. 36th St. The 700-square-foot store sells an eclectic mix of modern and vintage furniture and home d�cor and gifts. Having studied interior design in college, Mantua offers interior design services.

She started her business in New Market, in Frederick County, but decided the store would be better suited to Hampden.
"I fell in love with the energy and all the people are so nice," Mantua says. "I always thought how much I'd love to have a store there. I just decided to pick up and go."

Though her first few days of opening were slow going, she is hoping business will pick up once word of her store gets around. The location, on Hampden's main thoroughfare, the Avenue, should get plenty of foot traffic, Mantua hopes.

"I love the location. I wanted to be right on the Avenue. I like sharing the area with other businesses," Mantua says.  

One of her goals with the store is to keep prices affordable so that young people like herself can afford to buy "cool vintage furniture." Currently, her most expensive item is $230 for a China cabinet.

She gets her goods from flea markets, barn sales and Craig's list.
"I take people's old, unwanted furniture and fix it up and paint it. It's kind of like recycling it."

She decided to start of small and give herself room to grow.
"I don't want to bite off more than I can chew," she says.

But she would like to expand someday.
"Right now it's pretty small and squished. I hope I could eventually get a bigger space with more room."

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Justine Mantua, Fleurish Boutique

Hampden is home to Cafe Hon, a wine bar and a host of eclectic funky clothing boutiques.

But where's a new, eco-conscious mom to go to shop for her newborn?

Bayla Berkowitz has the answer, with Soft and Cozy Baby, which celebrated its grand opening April 11. The 500-square-foot store at 3610 Falls Rd. sells natural baby products, including cloth diapers, baby carriages, and books on pregnancy.

The store also offers classes on childbirth, car seat safety, using cloth diapers and breast feeding. Berkowitz hopes to eventually expand the offerings to include more classes and sell more clothing, toys, maternity and nursing products.

Many of the store's customers hail from nearby Charles Village and Roland Park. Berkowitz had been running the store out of her Pikesville home, but then wanted to branch out into a retail store.
 
As people are going green, more customers are asking for cloth diapers in particular. "We're growing and the demand for cloth diapers is increasing," Berkowitz says.

Berkowitz and her husband own the store and they have one employee.
"We're having a good response. We're getting new moms and a few families. "

She says the likes the Hampden neighborhood because she can draw from the surrounding communities and young families moving into the Hampden neighborhood.

"It's an up and coming neighborhood. A lot of people are saying there hasn't been a baby store in a while here. So we're excited about that," Berkowitz says.

Berkowitz declined to say how much she spent to open the store.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source, Bayla Berkowitz, Soft and Cozy Baby

A Scottish-themed restaurant chain that relies on a mix of suds, sports  and sex appeal plans to open five or six stores in Greater Baltimore over the next two years, investing about $8 million in the region.

Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery will debut its first restaurant at the Avenue at White Marsh Aug. 3, says the company's Vice President of Development Mark Hanby. The company will spend $1.3 million to open an 8,000-square-foot restaurant at 8133 Honeygo Blvd.

The Tempe, Ariz-based restaurant chain is also interested in opening restaurants at the Inner Harbor, Annapolis, Hanover and near Baltimore Washington International Airport.  It expects to hire up to 800 employees over the next two years and about 140 for the White Marsh location.

Tilted Kilt management liked the White Marsh's area's demographics. According to Baltimore County data, the town has about 213,000 residents who live within a five-mile radius and have an average household income of $60,000.

"The demographic is phenomenal there," Hanby says. The White Marsh store is about one-third larger than the typical store, which is about 6,000 square feet. "We think we'll be really busy. We think we can accommodate as many guests as possible."

Waitresses at the Tilted Kilt sport short tartan skirts and bare midriffs. The restaurant looks for the "girl-next-door cheerleader type," according to Hanby.

It's not just the scantilly-clad servers that bring in the crowds. "The costume gets people in the first couple of times but we have a great menu," Hanby says.

Menu items include the "Fat Bastard's" meatloaf sandwich � an open-faced meatloaf sandwich with a Guinness barbeque sauce � and Gaelic Chicken � chicken breasts with saut�ed mushrooms and onions, and an Irish Whiskey cream sauce. The restaurant also features 24 beers on tap.
Another draw are the plasma TVs. Each restaurant features around four dozen, 50-inch plasma TVs.


Source: Mark Hanby, Tilted Kilt
Writer:Julekha Dash

A business owner has breathed new life into a longtime favorite Hampden restaurant. Patrick Ito and Dan McIntosh reopened McCabe's April 23.  The 53-seat bar and restaurant at 3845 Falls Rd. closed a year ago under different owners.

Ito. who doubles as the restaurant's chef, says he has been updating the classic menu at McCabe's, known for its crab cakes, burgers and steaks, in order to add Hampden's hipsters crowd to the McCabe's devotees from Mount Washington and Pikesville. "We want to please the older customers and at the same time get a younger, fresher crowd without pushing either of the two away," says Ito.

The menu now includes several vegetarian options, including polenta lasagna with grilled vegetables and a fried eggplant sandwich with harisa tomato chutney and goat cheese. Lunch costs between $8 and $14, while a dinner entr�e costs between $14 and $26. "Before it was a classic menu that was a little outdated. I made it trendier and more accessible to people," he adds.

Ito is relying on local bakeries and farms, including Stone Mill Bakery in Lutherville and Hampstead's Spring Hill farm for his meat. "We've put some thought into where the food is being sourced from," Ito says.

Neither owner is a stranger to the Baltimore business community. Ito has worked as a chef at Mount Vernon's Copra and Ze Mean Bean in Fells Point.  McIntosh owns downtown live music joint Sonar.

The partners have spent the last eight months readying the place for customers, adding new paint, floors and redoing the bar and kitchen.
Ito declined to say how much the partners invested in the 800-square-foot restaurant. "It was more expensive than we thought and more difficult than we thought," he admits. 

Ito and McIntosh say they chose Hampden because it is full of thriving retailers and restaurants. "I love the area. There's plenty of potential there," Ito explains. "It's the happening area now."

Read more about what's happening in Hampden!

Source: Patrick Ito, McCabe's
Writer: Julekha Dash

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Readmore from our coverage of Canton!

Source: Dave Troy, Beehive Baltimore
Writer: Julekha Dash

After working for other retailers for more than 20 years, collage artist Luana Kaufmann decided it was time to strike out on her own. The Baltimore native opened Emporium Collagia, a 300 square foot store in Fells Point.

The shop features a variety of home decor items including, custom framed collage giclees, collage designs, jewelry and a host of eclectic home goods, including soaps, Italian stationary and pencils made of twig.  Kaufmann also sells wine bottles that are sandblasted with words like knowledge, understanding, patience, and joy. Shoppers will also find candles for each of the 12 zodiac signs. When the candle has finished burning, the candleholder is now a shot glass and with a drink recipe.

After retail stints as a buyer for furniture stores Bluehouse and Tomlinson Craft Collection as well as with the sales department at Nordstrom, opening her own store allows Kaufmann to blend her retail experience with her artistic skills.

"It feels like an exciting integration of all the stuff that I've done," Kaufman says. "It's a neat integration of retail and display and merchandising that I adore. I love being a buyer."

Kaufmann says she felt Fells Point was the ideal neighborhood for the store. "It's one of the most charming neighborhoods in the city. There's lots of great buzz and vitality in the area."

The store is next to the Cat's Eye Pub and Ann Street Pier � a location Kaufmann enjoys. "I have an extraordinary view of the water," she says. 


What else is happening in Fells Point? Read more here!

Source: Luana Kaufmann, Emporium Collagia
Writer: Julekha Dash

Baltimore's Hampden neighborhood will soon be home to a brewpub that takes its inspiration from the Northern European country known for waffles and chocolates.

Paul Kopchinski, a Maryland Native who currently residents in New York City, will open De Kleine Duivel by July. Kopchinski will spend about $100,000 renovating the former Nutty Pub at 3520 Chestnut Ave.

With a Flemish mother whose family lives in Antwerp, Kopchinski says he knows a thing or two about Belgian food and drink. The menu will consist of classic Flemish and French dishes, includes mussels and French fries, or moules frites. Other items will include Flemish beef stew, fish stew and homemade chocolates and, of course, Belgian waffles.

Kopchinski, who attended the French Culinary Institute, will design the menu but will hire someone in to cook the food. He anticipates having five entrees and a couple of appetizers. As far as beer goes, De Kleine Duivel will only sell Belgian beers, about a dozen on draft and 30 bottles. Kopchinski will concentrate on smaller boutique brewers rather than the larger brands.
"It's a country that takes it beer very seriously," Kopchinski says of Belgium.

Kopchinski has hired woodwork artist Tim Ely to create Art Nouveau style lighting, furniture and paneling in the 1,000-square-foot space.
Why Art Nouveau? One of the originators of that style was a Belgian architect named Victor Horta.

Kopchinski moved out of Maryland 12 years ago after graduating college but was eager to return once he found the Hampden spot.
"It's sort of a homecoming for me," he says. "I looked at a lot of locations and the only place I would consider doing this in Hampden. It's almost like a small town that is right in the middle of a major city. There's a sense of community among business owners that appeals to me a lot."

The business ownerconsidered opening the brewpub in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens, New York , but commercial real estate prices were too steep. Kopchinski also considered Frederick, Asheville, N.C., and Roanoke, Va. before settling on the spot that used to be the Nutty Pub.

Though the economy has not been kind to many restaurants, Kopchinski is confident that his Belgian brews will soak in the crowds.
"People like to drink in Baltimore. Drinking is recession proof. "

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Paul Kopchinski, De Kleine Duivel

The Y of Central Maryland is expanding a Carroll County facility to meet growing demand and is trying to sell another.

By the end of the year, the 24,000-square-foot health center at 1719 Sykesville Rd. in Westminster will expand by another 5,000 square feet.

To begin this summer, the expansion will likely include more family locker rooms, a larger children's play area and fitness center, the Y's Chief Marketing Officer Sara Milstein says. The Westminster Y will also add several multi-purpose rooms that can be used for group exercise classes, meetings and clubs.

"The renovation is very intentionally designed to encourage family and community interaction," Milstein says. Y officials envision their centers as being a place where people can interact with their neighbors and friends.
"In a hurried society where families are under so much stress, the old-fashioned town square doesn't exist anymore," Milstein says. "There's a recognition for a real need for people to connect and not just virtually. We're making the membership about more than fitness but about the spirit, mind and body."

Y officials plan to fund the expansion by using the proceeds from the sales of the building to the Powers Cos. The Y will then lease back the property from Powers for 25 years.

Milstein declined to say how much the Y is spending on the renovations and the building sale. The property is valued at about $2.7 million, according to state property records.

Organization leaders are also actively seeking a buyer for the Westminster Inn, which the Y purchased from the Maryland School for the Blind in 2007. Costs for renovating the historic building have been escalating and given the economic downturn, Y leaders decided it would be wise to sell it rather than spending more money on it, Milstein says.

When the renovation is completed, the Westminster Y will be renamed the Hill Family Center Y in recognition of longtime donors.
The Y of Central Maryland currently operates 11 centers in Baltimore City and Baltimore, Howard, Harford, Carroll and Howard counties.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source, Sara Milstein, Y of Central Maryland

Baltimore might be 958 miles from Miami, but that hasn't stopped a small business owner from bringing some South Beach flair to downtown. South Beach Sandwicherie opened last month in the 222 E. Saratoga Street apartment complex .

Co-owner Adam Gardner says he took the concept from a friend who owns a sandwich shop in Miami, where Gardner lived for six years.

In the sun-soaked, palm-tree lined city, sandwich shops offer a salad on a sandwich, a tasty trend Gardner has duplicated at his Baltimore store. South Beach Sandwicherie offers a host of salad toppings for every sandwich: lettuce, cucumbers, green peppers, olives, onions and cornichons, just to name a few.

Sandwiches are topped with a French vinaigrette dressing whose ingredients Gardner holds close to the vest. "I learned [the recipe] from a French guy but I added my own twist to it," he says.  "It's all about the secret sauce and the bread."

South Beach Sandwicherie offers a choice of croissant, baguette or wheat bread. Sandwiches cost between $6.50 and $8.95, for a prosciutto and mozzarella � the store's specialty. The shop also sells smoothies.

Gardner likes the location because he can count on steady daytime traffic from workers at Mercy Medical Center, the courthouses, government and office buildings. South Beach Sandwicherie has also carved a niche as a late-night munchie spot for the club crowd and late-night workers. Open until 2 a.m. Thursdays, and 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday, the store gets business from folks going to Sonar and the bars at Power Plant Live, as well as hospital workers on the late shift.

Gardner and his two partners Keith Showstack and Lydell Owens invested $50,000  to open the 800 square foot store. "It's taken off a lot better than I expected," Gardner says.

The shop features paintings on the wall depicting Miami's Art Deco buildings that fill South Beach. Baltimore graffiti artist Billy Mode painted the artworks.

We've got more about what's happening in Downtown.

Source: Adam Gardner, South Beach Sandwicherie
Writer: Julekha Dash

You might not think of Beverly Hills and Baltimore in the same breath. But Jeanna Crawford wants to bring a bit of the ritzy and glamorous Los Angeles neighborhood to Charm City with her new tanning salon that opened last month at 906 S. Charles Street. "I'm just really excited to bring this to Baltimore," Crawford says.


Developed in Beverly Hills, the concept behind the 1,400 square-foot Glow to Go offers those who prefer a just-back-from-the-beach glow a sunless tan � a healthier option than baking in the sun or under the ultraviolet rays of traditional tanning salons.Crawford uses an airbrush gun to give on a tan infused with natural products, including antioxidants and botanicals. 

"You can tan in five minutes or less and go as light or as dark as you want to go," Crawford says. "It looks so natural."
Crawford says she invested $150,000 to open the business, much of which went toward buying the equipment and decorating the salon. 


In addition to tanning services, Glow to Go offers anti-aging and hydration treatments. A tanning session runs $55 and $20 for a touch up session.  It also sells package treatment: $313 for six sessions and $522 for 10 sessions. The tans last 7 to 14 days.

A former sun worshipper, Crawford got into the business as she was looking for a way to get bronze without sitting in the sun.
"I'm from the South and have been a suntanner all my life, "Crawford says. "I'm getting older and I didn't want to sit in the sun."

The former stay-at-home mom was also looking for something to do that she is passionate about, yet still make time for her kids.

She chose Federal Hill because friends who own Federal Hill Fitness recommended the area saying it gets a lot of foot traffic. Crawford also thought the area attracted the kind of folks who want a healthy alternative to traditional tanning salons.

Find out more about what's happening in Federal Hill.

Source: Jeanna Crawford, Glow to Go
Writer: Julekha Dash

With consumers wary of spending big bucks these days, a husband-and-wife team in Federal Hill have opened a discount clothing store for thrifty fashionistas.

Ben Abdallah and Anna Dickerson opened the Hill Fashion Consignment at 1201 Light Street last month. The couple thought their store could offer a cheaper alternative to some of the pricey boutiques in the area, Abdallah says.

"People are responding to it really well," Abdallah says of the 600-square-foot store.  "They like the idea of the consignment store because clothing stores in the area are kind of expensive. "

The couple settled on a consignment store because the thought of being eco-friendly  -- since they mostly sell used clothing -- was appealing. "We figured with the economy and global warming and everything else, this is the best idea for the store," Abdallah says.
There's also no other consignment store in the neighborhood.

The store carries primarily modern women's clothing and accessories, including handbags, sweaters, and shoes. Shoppers might pay $50, for instance, for a brand-name purse that would retail for $150 new.

Abdallah and his wife chose Federal Hill because it's full of young people who like to shop. They also like the neighborhood's vibrant, urban feel. "It's city life. It's historic, fresh, and a lot of fun," Abdallah says of Federal Hill.

The couple compare Federal Hill to European cities like Paris, where they spent time traveling last summer. "Life there is very similar in some neighborhoods," Abdallah says. "We're within walking distance to everything, all kinds of restaurants and bars around here."

The store get s alot of pedestrian foot traffic, from neighborhood dog walkers and people going home from work or attending neighborhood festivals.

Although Abdallah decline to say how much the couple had invested to open the consignment shop, he has high hopes for the future. "It's our first venture but hopefully it won't be the last," Abdallah says.

Find out more about what's happening in Federal Hill.

Source: Ben Abdallah, the Hill Fashion Consignment
Writer: Julekha Dash

Anyone who's been to Lebanon's Mediterranean coast knows that Byblos is a city there founded around 5000 B.C. They probably wouldn't know that it's also the name of a new Lebanese restaurant Sami Tabet and his wife Hala Tabet opened in Federal Hill in February. The couple, who hail from the Middle Eastern nation, serve falafel, babaganoush, spinach and meat pies from the  carryout restaurant's 1033 Light Street location.

Tabet purchased the property five years ago and just recently opened the business after former commercial tenants left, he says. The Tabets paid $335,000 for the building, according to state property records. which once housed a grocery store, jeweler and a coffee shop. Because they already owned the real estate, the couple spent just $6,000 to open the new business, Tabet says.

The 550-square-foot restaurant has about 10 tables and walls lined with paintings of landscapes, school mates and houses recalling Tabet's childhood memories of Lebanon.

Tabet, who moved to the U.S. 20 years ago, settled first in Youngstown, Ohio. After just a few weeks, he moved to Baltimore at the suggestion of a friend who said the town had a better city life. And he says he hasn't looked back.

During the two decades he's lived in Baltimore, Tabet says he has seen the city mature and grow with development taking place in all around the city � just as his life in the U.S. grew. "Me and Baltimore, we grew up together," Tabet says.

The couple like Federal Hill because it is a tight-knit community where the neighbors know one another well. He also likes the quaint, urban feel of the area. So far, the restaurant is doing well, he says.

"It's doing very well. I was very surprised. The public has a good idea bout our food and background and ingredients," Tabet says.
"Word of mouth is the best advertising and so far it is working."

Find out what else has been going on in Federal Hill.

Source: Sami Tabet, Byblos
Writer: Julekha Dash

When you think of mall restaurants, chains like the Cheesecake Factory and California Pizza Kitchen spring to mind.

But mall dining is about to go global at Westfield Annapolis. Nando's Peri-Peri Chicken Restaurant will serve up Afro-Portuguese cuisine June 21. Its menu includes flame-grilled chicken, spicy red pepper dip, salads and sandwiches.

The restaurant currently has 850 restaurants in 30 countries, but just two in the U.S., in Washington, D.C. Peri-Peri takes its name from the fiery chili pepper, which Africans introduced to Portuguese explorers in the 15th century.

"We have a cult-like following around the world," says Burton Heiss, managing director of Nando's Restaurant Group Inc. The company, which has acquired the franchise rights to build Nando's in the U.S., is spending $2 million to build the Annapolis store. Constructing the 4,200-square-foot shop will require remodeling one of the mall walls, which has made the building costs higher than the typical store.

The 152-seat restaurant will be one of six to 10 restaurants Nando's expects to open in Maryland within the next five years, Heiss says. After Annapolis, the group plans to open a store in downtown Silver Spring. The company is also scouting locations in Prince Georges, Anne Arundel and Montgomery Counties.


After scouting six dozen locations, Heiss says Nando's selected Annapolis because it is densely populated with an affluent, well-educated crowd.

Though some restaurants are buckling under financial pressures, Heiss says he is confidant Nando's will appeal to thrifty consumers since the average check is $13. Sales at the Washington, D.C., stores have increased by 17 percent in the last year Heiss says.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Burton Heiss, Nando's

Delivering food in a truck is all the rage these days. So it should come as no surprise that one entrepreneur has taken desserts on the road. Christine Richardson this month debuted Icedgems Baking that is roving throughout Baltimore County seeking to satisfy lunchtime sweet tooths.

"Food trucks seem to be the really in thing at the moment ," Richardson says. While delivery trucks in Baltimore are serving burgers and other savory fare, the dessert category had remained untouched until now.

Icedgems' flavors include Red Velvet, Lemon Tang and Rocky Road � an amalgam of pecans, chocolate chips and marshmallow.  The U.K. native also features a flavor called English  Rose, rose-flavored icing on a vanilla cupcake.

"I like to do things a little bit different," Richardson says.

A teacher by trade, baking was once a hobby for Richardson. But once she got her U.S. greencard and could begin working, friends and family convinced her to turn her hobby into a business.

"Baking is my passion," Richardson says. "Cupcake are a mini-celebration. It's a celebration you can have every day."

The business owner has been relying on Twitter and Facebook to spread the word about her cupcakes, which sell for $2.50 each and $24 for a dozen. Richardson, who has invested $15,000 to start the venture, hopes to have a second truck and a small shop within the next year.

"Dream big is what I always say," Richardson says. "You just got to work hard at what you can."


Source: Christine Richardson, Icedgems Baking
Writer: Julekha Dash

With the popularity of the iPad and Kindle, can hard copy books thrive? Andrew Stonebarger thinks so. After running the Book Escape in Federal Hill, Stonebarger this month opened a second location for the new and used bookstore at 10 N. Calvert Street.

The 2,000-square-foot store is the former site of urban apparel store Downtown Locker Room, which moved to the Gallery mall.

Stonebarger selected the downtown site because he saw that the area did not have a bookstore. With the courthouses and office buildings nearby, the business owner expects the store to attract good daytime foot traffic � something that is lacking in Federal Hill.

"It's not like Barnes and Noble, but it makes for a nice little bookstore," Stonebarger says.
"It's a little risky to open another bookstore in this day and age of Kindles and e-readers but I'm pretty sure there will always be a place for books," he says.

Younger folks who can't live without their cell phones and tech gadgets are among his primary customers, Stonebarger says.
"It's almost a novelty but they love it," he says.  "You can't sign an e-book."

Classic books, like "Catch 22" and "Brave New World" are among the best sellers at the Book Escape, Stonebarger says. The store also sells rare and antique books.

The business owner declined to say how much he spent to open the downtown store. He says his Federal Hill store is breaking even.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Andrew Stonebarger, the Book Escape