A 27-year-old Washington, D.C., area tile company is taking its stone, glass and ceramics designs to Baltimore's Canton neighborhood.
Architectural Ceramics plans to open a 1,600-square-foot showroom at 3500 Boston St. by mid-August, according to Brooke Laura, an executive assistant at the company.
The firm has had an office in the building known as the Broom Factory for about two years. But the office was quickly growing out of space to store enough tiles to show clients, Laura says.
"Our tiles fills up our office pretty quickly," she says.
The showroom will serve mainly residential clients, though the company's Baltimore area clients also include hotels, designers, architects and other commercial business.
Architectural Ceramics' other showrooms are located in Rockville, Chevy Chase, Alexandria, Va., and Falls Church, Va.
The company settled on the location because it's convenient to Fells Point and downtown, and is visible from the road, Laura says.
"It's a prime location that we really like," Laura says. "We wanted to get it while we could. We've been doing well there for two years. We think it will be a great location."
Though the housing market continues to recover, the company hopes it can fill a niche in the area as there aren't many tile companies in the area.
"We'll be filling a void in the Baltimore area," Laura says. "That's our hopes anyway. "
Source: Brooke Laura, Architectural Ceramics
Writer: Julekha Dash