Ned Atwater could have baked bread in a brand new facility.
But the businessman didn't want to take the easy way out when he opened his latest bakery and retail store last month in a historic building in Catonsville.
Picking charm over convenience came with a price tag, however. Atwater plucked down $200,000 to open Atwater's Naturally Leavened Bread. He says he spent that money renovating the 100-year-old building, including upgrading the utilities and plumbing for the 2,700-square-foot store.
He received some financial assistance from the Baltimore County Department of Economic Development with a $60,000, zero-interest loan that the county offers for businesses that open in areas that have been targeted for revitalization efforts.
But spending the extra dough was worth it Atwater. "I love old buildings," he says. Renting out a single-story warehouse would have cost about one-third less, he estimates. But the Catonsville store is located in the town's main thoroughfare � accessible to folks who want to walk to pick up a loaf of bread.
"I wanted to have a neighborhood bakery in town right," Atwater says.
The location is also close to several businesses, including an antiques store and a couple of restaurants, which means he should get steady foot traffic.
"I think we're in the right place," he says.
The bakery includes a full kitchen, where Atwater bakes his baked goods to supply his four other locations in Annapolis, Towson, Lutherville and in Baltimore's Belvedere Square shopping center.
Why Catonsville? Atwater lives in the Baltimore County town.
"I always wanted to do something in the town where I lived," he says. Abundant with historic buildings, Catonsville has a real "neighborhood feel," making it not that different from his flagship store in Belvedere Square, he says.
Atwater, whose five stores employ 125, says he would like to open other stores in Greater Baltimore, though he doesn't know where yet.
Source: Ned Atwater, Atwater's
Writer: Julekha Dash