Community : Development News

One of Hamilton's best known restaurants is expanding to East Baltimore.
 
Clementine, the Hamilton restaurant focused on farm-to-table foods and meals will open a new location, Clementine at Creative Alliance May 17, says Clementine owner and chef Winston Blick.
 
The 49-seat bistro will be a slightly more upscale and 'downtown' version of Clementine in Hamilton, which does rustic comfort food, Blick says.
 
The restaurant will be a partnership between The Creative Alliance and Clementine, with Clementine managing the restaurant. The Creative Alliance built out the restaurant and recruited Clementine to fill the space, Blick says.
 
More than four years ago, both parties were interested in a partnership, but Blick thought the space was too small and Blick ended up opening Clementine in a space in Hamilton. Ironically, the restaurant is the same size as the original Clementine prior to its renovations two years ago, Blick says.
 
"The great thing about this is that we have the chance to do it again," Blick says.
 
As for the cooking duties, the current sous chef at Clementine, Jeremy Price, will take over as chef at the new location. Jill Snyder, formerly of Woodberry Kitchen and Top Chef season five contestant, will become the executive chef at Hamilton's Clementine, Blick says.
 
Blick says he's slightly removed himself from daily cooking to work on menus and bringing in fresh, local produce and meats for his restaurants from area farms.
 
Some of the farms that partner with Clementine include Prigel Family Creamery, The Zahradka Farm, and the Hamilton Crop Circle.
 
Blick's other venture, a market called Green Onion, will open this week or early next week up the street from Clementine in Hamilton. The market will carry local dairy products and meats, dry goods, and other locally made products like laundry detergents, jams, and jellies. The market will also bring in chefs such as Snyder to offer classes and workshops.

Blick told Bmore Media that the shop is a cross between Atwater's and Milk and Honey Market. 
 
Sources: Winston Blick, owner of Clementine
 
Andre Mazelin, theatre and rental manager at the Creative Alliance.
 
 
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

Matt Lallo didn't plan on opening up a restaurant when he moved down to Baltimore from Philadelphia two years ago with his wife to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
 
But retired life didn't quite suit him.
 
"I don't golf," Lallo says.
 
After owning three restaurants in the Philadelphia area over his career, Lallo needed a project.
 
Lallo's fourth restaurant, the Blue Sage Cafe and Wine Bar, is expected to open June 1, pending the permitting process, at 1604 Kelly Ave. That's the former location of The Falls in Mt. Washington.
 
Lallo says his family used to have brunch at the Falls when they visited Baltimore and when the restaurant closed, he decided to look into leasing the space. He describes Mt. Washington as a very family-oriented area.
 
The cafe will feature a "pan-global" menu with craft beers, offering light breakfast with good coffee, in addition to a lunch and dinner, Lallo says.

He hopes to provide a neighborhood-based cafe that creates extraordinary food.
 
The 2,400-square-foot space reminds Lallo, he says, of a corner restaurant in Manhattan.
 
While the restaurant was pretty much move-in ready, Lallo says they rearranged it to give it a clean look. The restaurant also plans to hire at least 12 employees when they open.
 
In Philadelphia, Lallo operated the Purple Sage Cafe. He also served as the director of operations for Culinary Concepts Inc., a catering company. 
 
Source: Matt Lallo, owner of the Blue Sage Cafe and Wine Bar
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

Shoppers in the Inner Harbor will soon be able to satisfy their sweet tooth with treats like old school candy and chocolate shaped like crabs.
 
The Best of Luck Candy & Gifts, a specialty nostalgia candy and gift shop, will relocate May 1 from Harbor East to a larger location at 601 E. Pratt St. in the Power Plant entertainment complex, says owner Alexis "Lucky" Thompson.
 
In the new, approximately 900-square-foot location, the business will have double the space and plans to add a coffee bar in addition to new candies, gifts, custom gift baskets, and additional room for events such as birthday parties. Thompson also plans to offer more Baltimore-themed candy and gifts.
 
Thompson expects the new location will receive great visibility from both foot and car traffic.
 
Raised in Baltimore, Thompson says she always dreamed of owning a candy shop. She recently moved back to Baltimore with her husband after working in marketing in New York. The store opened at its previous location on 612 S. Exeter St. last October.
 
The store underwent a month of remodeling as part of a relaunching of the store's brand.
 
While the company has no plans for further expansion in the near future, they do plan to do more events such as bachelorette parties and showers. The company also recently added four new employees for the new shop, Thompson says.
 
Source: Alexis "Lucky" Thompson, owner of The Best of Luck Candy & Gifts
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
 
 

A local nonprofit hopes to bring Christmas in April for some area residents in need of home repairs.

On April 28, more than 800 volunteers will come together for Rebuilding Together Baltimore’s annual Rebuilding Day to provide no-cost repairs for more than 30 homes, says Bonnie Bessor, executive director of Rebuilding Together Baltimore.

The focus of this year’s efforts will be on the neighborhoods of Pigtown in Baltimore City and Colegate in Dundalk.

Between donated materials and volunteer labor, the total investment for the day’s repairs is between $300,000 and $600,000, Bessor says.

The organization and its volunteers take a customized, whole-house approach to repairing homes, and all repairs are made with the intention of making them warmer, safer, and drier, Bessor says.

Between 15 to 20 volunteers work in each house to make repairs that can range from rebuilding a front porch to adding new stairs in a basement. Prior to rebuilding day, an assessment is done to determine the nature of the repair work. Houses can get anywhere between 10 to 50 repairs, Bessor says.

While the organization works year-round doing similar repair work and community beautification projects, Rebuilding Day is the organization’s signature event. After selecting a target community through an application process, the group works with volunteers to do outreach into communities to identify people in need of repairs by speaking at community association meetings and going door-to-door with handouts, says Bessor.

In order for repair work to be done, individuals must meet minimum income qualifications, and own their own home. Additionally, they must either have children living with them, be over 60, or have a disability. Bessor says that individuals often meet all three requirements.

While the organization is in good shape for unskilled volunteers for Rebuilding Day, they are in need of skilled volunteers with plumbing, electrical, or carpentry skills, Bessor says.

“As a volunteer you get to see the immediate results of the work you’ve done, and you’re part of a larger movement to help homeowners stay in their homes, helping to preserve affordable homeownership,” Bessor says.

Many of the volunteers for Rebuilding Day come from the organizations corporate sponsors, some of which include Booz Allen Hamilton and Stanley Black & Decker.

Other community partners for Rebuilding Day include Paul’s Place in Pigtown and the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps based in Perry Point, Md.

For more information about volunteering with Rebuilding Together Baltimore contact AmeriCorps Outreach Coordinator, Sally Dorman, at [email protected].

Source: Bonnie Bessor, executive director of Rebuilding Together Baltimore
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

From children’s hair-braiding to a market stocked with locally grown produce, Hamilton-Lauraville is home to several new and soon-to-open businesses.

Last week, Kinkx Studio, a kid-focused braiding studio opened at 2926 E. Cold Spring Lane. The studio serves children aged three to 14. The studio relocated from Charles Village from an office building to attract more traffic, says owner and CEO, Angelique Redmond.

The studio recently offered a deal on Living Social and more than 100 deals have been purchased, Redmond says. The studio also provides free movies, music, games, and refreshments for its young clients.

Redmond invested about $10,000 in the move, and the business currently has three employees.

On May 1, Supportech MD Inc. will open at 4517 Harford Rd. The business provides computer support for small businesses and will also offer drop-off computer repair services. Previously located in Towson, the relocation gives the business more space for the price, says owner John Lemonds.

For those looking for fresh, local food options, the long-anticipated Green Onion Market will open this spring, likely in May, says Regina Lansinger, director of Hamilton Lauraville Main Street.

Last year owner Winston Blick compared the market to a cross between Atwater’s and Milk & Honey Market.

Sources:
Regina Lansinger, director of Hamilton Lauraville Main Street
Angelique Redmond, owner of Kinkx Studio
John Lemonds, owner of Supportech MD Inc.

Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

It's out with the symphony crowd and in with the college kids for Midtown's Abacrombie Inn. 

Managers of the inn hope a new restaurant taking over the space formerly occupied by Abacrombie Fine Foods and serving Middle Eastern fare will appeal to a growing student population in the area.
 
Alladin Kabob opened this month in the Abacrombie Inn at 58 W. Biddle St. in Midtown, and managers hope that the new restaurant will be a hit with the student community at nearby University of Baltimore and Maryland Institute College of Art, says Todd Powell, managing director of the Abacrombie Inn.
 
The 2,400-square-foot restaurant serves Middle Eastern fare and also offer a hookah bar, Powell says.
 
Alladin Kabob has leased the space and made significant renovations to the former Abacrombie Fine Foods. With its proximity to Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, the previous restaurant was a more upscale, fine dining experience often appealing to concert-goers, Powell says.
 
Powell is optimistic about future of the restaurant along with other businesses that have been redeveloped along nearby Charles Street.
 
The fate of the restaurant may be in the hands of college students who will soon be neighbors with the inn. 
 
This fall, the University of Baltimore will open a 323-bed residence hall at Maryland and Biddle Streets just next to the inn.
 

Source: Todd Powell, managing director of the Abacrombie Inn
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

The Chesapeake Bay Trust is considering applications from towns and cities in Maryland and neighboring states to spur economic development, energy efficiency and sustainable communities. The trust is awarding a total of $400,000 in environmental grants to the Free State and Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. 
 
The grants are for a program called Green Streets-Green Jobs-Green Towns. The program was introduced in 2011, a partnership of the trust, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Maryland.
 
This year’s funding more than doubles the amount available in 2011, when 10 cities and towns received grants from $25,000 to $35,000 each for their projects. A maximum of $100,000 may be awarded for a project.
 
Janna Davis, the trust’s acting executive director, expects to award eight to 12 grants in 2012, depending on the amount requested for the project. The winning projects will be based on EPA criteria.
 
Previous projects ranged from storm water improvement to local roadways, planting trees and creating rain gardens, using energy efficient sources for street lighting, instituting recycling measures and creating and training people in green jobs.
 
“We want people trained in green jobs so they can then become the experts” in that field, says Davis.
 
The grant program is open to local governments and nonprofit organizations in urban and suburban communities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed area.
 
Source: Janna Davis, Chesapeake Bay Trust acting executive director
Writer: Barbara Pash
 
 
 
 
 

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]

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

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.

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

The building that houses the WindUp Space and Cyclops among others in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District will soon be ready for its close up.
 
The façade of the entire North Avenue Market building will undergo a $1 million renovation starting in April, says Carolyn E. Frenkil, co-owner of the space.

Used bookstore Cyclops will renovate to make way for a coffee shop. The market is also poised to add a new tenant within the next two months in a vacant gallery space. Frenkil expects the yet unnamed tenant to plan various events, shows, and exhibits to bring additional visibility to the market.
 
The North Avenue Market building, built in 1928, also houses Liam Flynn's Ale House and Baltimore Print Studios.
 
"You can't tell a book by its cover, but if it doesn't have an interesting cover, who's going to open it?" Frenkil says.
 
Some of the planned renovations include a new paint job, additional lighting for the building, and opening up long-covered exterior windows.

Cyclops' renovations are expected to begin when the façade renovations commence, Frenkil says.
 
The Reinvestment Fund, a Philadelphia-based developer, is working with the owners of the North Avenue Market to finance the renovations.
 
Frenkil hopes the facelift will help to generate business for all of the establishments in the Station North Arts District as part of the resurgence in development of an area has long been affected by crime, vacancies, and urban decay. 
 
"When people drive up Charles and hit North Avenue the lights will be on and people will say 'Something is happening on North Ave'," Frenkil says.
 
Frenkil wants North Avenue to develop organically into a unique destination arts district where customers will find the products of the creative energy of Baltimore's residents.
 
"Why mimic someone when you have an opportunity to create something?  We want to create a destination, not a drive-by. If we do what others do, what makes us different? Why come to North Ave.?" Frenkil says. 

Writer: Allie Wilding
Source: Carolyn Frenkil, North Avenue Market