Development News

Howard County now has its own Jack Black.

Columbia residents Tim and Cassie France-Kelly have started a new music instruction school that will hopefully inspire kids to form their own rock bands and keep playing their instruments longer.

The Kellys spent $100,000 to open Let There Be Rock School at 9051 Red Branch Rd. in Columbia. Half a dozen music instructors offer
lessons in bass, guitar, keyboards, drums, audio recording, and being a DJ. The weekly lessons include teaching kids how to play with a group.

The couple learned that playing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," wouldn't keep their son Mason, 10, interested in his guitar lessons, Tim France-Kelly says. Rather, the only way Mason would stick with it is if he found other students he could play with and if the music was more along the lines of, say, Green Day.  

So the couple took Mason to a sister Let There Be Rock School in Frederick and found that performing in a band made him eager to practice because he didn't want to disappoint his bandmates, France-Kelly says. A third school is located in Folsom, Pa. The Central Howard County location will hopefully be a draw for parents, France-Kelly says.

"There are talented kids who get bored with music lessons," France-Kelly says. We want to give them a fun place to play music."

With 10 students so far, the owners hope to sign up 60 by summer's end and 150 by the end of the year.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Tim and Cassie France-Kelly

A Harbor East jewelry store is taking its gold earrings and ruby necklaces to a larger space.

Amaryllis, which moved from Harborpalce and the Gallery two years ago to East Baltimore, is moving into the Kashmir Imports' spot next month. At 1,028 square feet, the space at 830 Aliceanna St. is twice as big as its space on Exeter St., says co-owner Allie Wolf.

The owners of the 26-year-old jewelry store like the Harbor East neighborhood, but thought Aliceanna was a better spot because it's the shopping street, Wolf says. The street is home to Arhaus Furniture, South Moon Under, and Urban Chic.

"Aliceanna has established itself as the shopping street," Wolf says. "I feel like as a boutique we should be on Aliceanna Street. The shopping is better."

The larger store will allow it to expand its jewelry selection and sell purses, scarves and other gifts.

"There are so many other artists we want to carry that we don't have the space for," Wolf said. "We want to be the destination jewelry spot" downtown.

The move will come with a makeover, courtesy of Nouveau Contemporary Goods' Co-owner Steve Appel.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Allie Wolf, Amaryllis

A new frozen yogurt shop is sweetening things up in Howard County.

Matthew Park and his wife Diana spent about $300,000 to open Iceberry in Ellicott City, hoping to get a lick at the $8.1 billion frozen yogurt market. The 40-seat store at 9150 Baltimore National Pike reopened last month after a three-month renovation that allowed the owner to add four more flavors, to a total of 10.

The shop sells smoothies and frozen yogurt in taro, green tea, orange, honeydew, and other flavors. The yogurt, along with nuts, fruit, candy, and other toppings, is sold by weight.

The frozen yogurt chain started in Korea 20 years ago and now has eight US locations in Maryland, Virginia, California and Florida. Pinkberry, Red Mango, and Tasti-D-Lite's expansion in recent years have whetted consumers appetite's for FroYo. Unlike the frozen yogurt chains that sprouted in the 90s, the newer frozen yogurt stores sell more tart flavors, making its taste similar to that of regular store-bought yogurt. The chains tout the yogurt's health benefits because it contains probiotics, said to boost the body's immune system.

But the competition is stiff, Park acknowledges. Along Route 40 in Ellicott City alone, Tutti Frutti and Yogi Castle both operate. But given the popularity of the cold stuff in the warm months, he hopes some customers will like Iceberry for its flavor and because it uses only natural ingredients.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Matthew Park, Iceberry

Harborplace and the Gallery may draw more folks who crave clothing and candy.

H&M, the Swedish clothing store that sells trendy, discounted clothes, will open its first Baltimore City store May 19 at Harborplace. And candy shop It's Sugar will open a 3,000-square-foot store on the first floor of the Pratt Street pavilion.

The 20,000-square-foot store will open at noon, next to Urban Outfitters in the mall's Light Street building. The first 200 shoppers in line will get a T-shirt and gift cards valued between $10 and $300.

It will be the chain's 10th Maryland store. Others in Greater Baltimore are in Hanover, White Marsh, Towson, and Columbia. The Swedish clothing company has expanded aggressively in recent years and now has 2,000 stores worldwide. Mall officials hope the store will help it attract local residents and not just tourists.

In addition to gummy bears, Swedish fish, and Nerds, It's Sugar will sell clothing, pillows and other candy-themed novelty items. These include backpacks with gumballs painted on them and T-shirts that say "Nerds Gone Wild."

The Boca Raton, Fla., chain has 33 stores in the U.S., England, and the Middle East.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources; H&M, Harborplace

The Creative Alliance at the Patterson will toast a new bar May 14 expected generate more revenue for the performing arts venue and bring more commercial activity to Highlandtown.

Known for its quirky and eclectic programs that have included everything from African drumming to music from Appalachia, the Patterson has been an economic engine driving the revitalization of the East Baltimore neighborhood.

The Marquee Lounge will seat 16 at its white marble bar and contain 10, two-seat tables in a space that formerly held storage. The $200,000 to build the lounge comes from city bonds and the Creative Alliance, says H. Alexander Satorie-Robinson, chief development officer of the Creative Alliance.

Initially open just on Fridays and Saturdays, the Marquee Lounge will eventually extend its hours and serve food by next year, lounge manager Andre Mazelin says.

The second Thursday of each month, the Creative Alliance will host a local supper club called Food = Art. Highlighting a different chef each time, the event is organized by Puffs and Pastries' Anisha Jagtap and Baltimore tech entrepreneur Heather Sarkissian. The dinner series will hopefully serve as a launching pad for more events that showcase the art of making food, wine, and beer, Creative Alliance Program Director Megan Hamilton says.

The bar's opening will hopefully make the Patterson an economic and cultural anchor in Highlandtown, she says. "It will add to the vibrancy of the Highlandtown commercial district."

As a former bartender, Hamilton says she thought that drinks were a good way to bring income to the nonprofit. Designed by Kroiz Architecture and PI:KL Studios, the bar is expected to initially bring in $50,000 a year in revenue.

The nonprofit Creative Alliance reopened the Patterson, a former movie theater, as an arts center in 2003, The facility hosts gallery exhibits, a media lab, a 180-seat theater, a media lab and arts workshops.

Sources: H. Alexander Satorie-Robinson, Megan Hamilton, Andre Mazelin; Creative Alliance
Writer: Julekha Dash

The smell of sweet-and-savory scones and fresh-baked bread is now wafting through the northeast Baltimore neighborhood of Hamilton.

Ruben Hernandez opened Hamilton Bakery April 29, adding another venue to the Hamilton/Lauraville area that has become a foodie destination with top-rated restaurants Chameleon Caf�, Hamilton Tavern, and Clementine.

The 1,800-square-foot bakery is tapping into local farmers to supply its fruits and vegetables and even its wheat. Other menu items include muffins, danishes, croissants, quiches, pies, and tarts. It's also got its own version of red velvet cake. It's called a Hamilton velvet cake but since the bakery only uses natural dyes the cake isn't exactly red.

Relying on antique-looking furniture and neutral colors, Hernandez is going for an industrial, homey look with the d�cor at the 10-seat bakery.
Having worked spent his entire life in the hospitality industry -- largely chain hotels in Calfornia -- Hernandez was eager to open a bakery.

The entrepreneur thought the Hamilton/Lauraville neighborhood, where his wife Kristin runs a dance studio, would be a good spot. The area is fast becoming a food mecca, but until now had not contained a bakery, Hernandez says.

Source: Ruben Hernandez, Hamilton Bakery
Writer: Julekha Dash

An $11 million apartment building will begin construction in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District this year, bringing more life to an area undergoing revitalization. 

The 74-unit Lillian Jones apartments will break ground at the end of the year and take about one year to complete, says Jim French, president of French Development Co. The Baltimore real estate firm, which specializes in nonprofit and community-sponsored projects, won the development rights after the Baltimore Housing department issued a bid.

The Station North district is home to the Charles Theatre, Tapas Teatro, and a number of galleries and theater troupes, including Single Carrot Theatre and Annex Theater and Gallery. It will lose one of its anchors, Everyman Theatre Co., when the group moves to Baltimore's west side next year.

Located at Greenmount Avenue and E. Hoffman Street, the apartments replace vacant land and homes.

"The idea is to provide better housing for people in the community and create more life on the street by having people living on Greenmount Avenue," French says. The economic conditions aren't strong enough to build market-rate housing, but hopefully in time they will be.

The apartments will include one, two, and three-bedroom units. They are available to individuals and families who pull in 50 percent below the Baltimore metro area media income, or around $41,000 for a family of four.

Designed by Cho Benn Holback+Associates Inc., the four-story building includes a courtyard and exterior made of brick, cement and glass.

Sources: Jim French, French Co.; David Benn, Cho Benn Holback+Associates
Writer: Julekha Dash

The Baltimore Museum of Art has chosen Ziger/Snead to design its biggest capital project in its history, a $24 million renovation to be completed in 2014.

A total of 11 architecture firms competed for the project, of which the BMA selected five for its short list. Those firms were Ayers Saint Gross, Design Collective, Inc,. GWWO Inc./Architects, Ziger/Snead, and RTKL Associates Inc.

The BMA chose Ziger/Snead based on its clarity of vision and design and their success in renovating both historic and contemporary buildings. Its projects include the Maryland Institute College of Art Brown Center and the Frederick Douglas-Isaac Myers Maritime Park and Museum.

The BMA renovation is expected to create 185 construction and other jobs.

The renovation will include upgrades to visitor amenities, infrastructure improvements, and better displays of the museum's 90,000 works of art. Two new roofs and a building automation system to improve care of the museum's art are part of the upgrades.

The project will be funded in part by a $10 million multi-year commitment from the state and $2.5 million in bonds from Baltimore City.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Anne Mannix, BMA

A $2 million downtown park will break ground next month, adding more green space and public art to the Inner Harbor.

Members of the Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance and the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore Inc. hope that the park will enhance the area's appeal for families when it opens in the fall.

"There needed to be a better park this side of town," says Emily Hiller, a board member of the Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance. "There's no outdoor space for children to play."

Baltimore artist David Hess has designed two sculptures on which children can climb. Located in front of the Columbus Center, Pierce's Park will contain a willow tunnel created by New York artist Bonnie Gale. The one-acre park will also feature a musical fence that plays different musical notes when struck.

Half the money for the park came from the state. The rest came from individuals, foundations, and corporations.

The park is named after Hiller's father, Pierce John Flanigan III, who died of a brain hemorrhage in 2008 at age 66. Flanigan was president of his family's transportation infrastructure business P. Flanigan & Sons Inc.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Emily Hiller

Kashmir Imports will move this summer from its spot in Baltimore's Harbor East to a larger store at the Shops in Kenilworth to get closer to its affluent clients in Baltimore County and Baltimore City.

At its new home, the shop will be known simply as Kashmir, co-owner Pat McCarty says. The 1,180-square-foot shop in Harbor East sells embroidered jackets, shawls, scarves, and lacquer boxes from Kashmir India.

Once it opens at Kenilworth in August or September, it will have more space to carry gifts in the 1,880-square-foot store. New store items will include lamps made from a banyan tree in Cambodia and a handbag made from a zipper designed by a Colorado architect. 

Many of Kashmir's top customers are moms who live in Roland Park or Towson, McCarty says. The location at Kenilworth will make it easier to reach more of those clients. Terri Harrington of MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services LLC brokered the lease deal.

McCarty and her husband Javid Mahajan opened their first retail outlet in 2004 with a shop in Washington, D.C.,'s Union Station.

Mahajan's brother works directly with the families who produced the Kashmiri handicrafts that the stores sell.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Pat McCarty

White Marsh Mall is getting four new tenants this year, including Maryland's first P.S. from Aeropostale children's clothing store.

Women's clothing and accessory store Francesca's Collections, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers,and Chinese takeout Master Wok will also join the mall as it looks to beef up its retail roster that appeals to women, teens, and families.

Selling clothes for kids ages five to 12, the 3,265-square-foot P.S. store will open late June on the second floor in the former Aeropostale space, White Marsh Mall Marketing Manager Michelle Jose says. Teen clothier Aeropostale moved into a larger 5,273-square-foot store earlier this month near JC Penney.

Francesca's Collections will open a 1,369-square-foot store in June on the lower level, its fourth in Greater Baltimore. Its other stores are in Westfield Annapolis, the Gallery at Harborplace and Towson Town Center.

Red Robin will serve up burgers in a 6,278-square-foot shop around December of this year while Master Wok will open a 708-square-foot stall at the food court this month.

It will be Red Robin's fifth store in the Greater Baltimore region. Known for its red d�cor, big booths, and offering balloons and crayons for kids, Red Robin's other stores are in Annapolis, Columbia, Owings Mills, and Towson.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Michelle Jose, White Marsh Mall

Towson Town Center will get two new stores this summer, including Maryland's first Free People shop.

Urban Outfitters' Free People brand will open a 1,906-square-foot store on the fourth floor. The retailer appeals to twenty-something women and sells styles that are more feminine and flirty than the Urban Outfitters brand.

Madewell, a subsidiary of J.Crew, will open a 3,155-square-foot store on the fourth floor of the Macy's Wing. It's the second Madewell store in Maryland. The other Madewell is located at Westfield Annapolis mall.

Towson Town Center's Chuck Crerand says the new stores will hopefully appeal to the affluent customers it is targeting. The mall expanded two years ago to include a luxury wing featuring Burberry and Louis Vuitton. Last fall, Tiffany & Co. Inc. opened its only Baltimore area store at the mall.

Crerand says the mall is hunting for more high-end brands with mass appeal.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Chuck Crerand, Towson Town Center

A Baltimore jewelry company that has gotten national exposure will expand its retail presence in the coming year.

American Estate Jewelry will expand its retail presence to Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Texas, Atlanta, and Chicago, hopefully by the end of the year to catch Christmas sales, founder Carolyn O'Keefe says. Next year, O'Keefe says she hopes to sell the jewelry in London and Paris. She also hopes to sell in a Baltimore store.

The company's trademark silver cuff has been featured recently in RobbReport.com and O magazine, which featured actress Mandy Moore sporting the bracelet.

American Estate sells bracelets, brooches, and pendants, which start at $400.

The jewelry is made using a technique known as repousse, in which a metal design is crafted by hammering from the reverse side.
American Estate's line is sold in a handful of places now, including the Tiny Jewel Box in Washington, D.C., and Works Gallery in New York.  The jewelry is also sold on the company's website.

"The designs are so timeless," O'Keefe says. "It's not a trendy thing I've got to hop on right away."

O'Keefe started the company out of a desire to create heirloom quality silver jewelry in honor of her mother who used to wear an antique silver cuff. She teamed up with New York jewelry designer Michael Galmer, who worked at Tiffany & Co. for 20 years.

"There's a time commitment so many aren't willing to make," O'Keefe says of the artisan jewelry. "I hope it's something I can pass onto my children."

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Carolyn O'Keefe

Photos courtesy of Carolyn O'Keefe

Wellness education school Tai Sophia Institute is launching a new masters program in the fall as it embarks on a 10-year growth plan to quadruple its enrollment.

The Laurel school will enroll 45 students in September in its masters in nutrition and integrative health. It may add a second batch of students in January if demand for the program continues, Tai Sophia Provost Judith Broida says.

The school already has enough applicants to fill the fall class without advertising it. The program will take a look at how food is an important component of wellness.

School officials are scouting Howard County for a commercial kitchen they can lease where students can prepare meals to support the program and others. Eventually, it would like to own its own building housing one.

That's not the only real estate it will need in the coming years. The school will require new buildings to house classrooms, administrative offices, and labs as it seeks to add more students.

Broida says she hopes to increase enrollment from 550 students to 2,000 over the next 10 years. That doesn't include students who will hopefully be enrolled online once it begins a distance learning program late 2012. 

The school has launched six new programs in the last year and four new programs in the coming year. These include a masters in integrative health coaching and graduate certificate programs in Chinese wellness systems, specialty acupuncture and Aryuvedic health.

As health care costs rise, people are looking for alternatives to western, allopathic medicine, Broida says.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Judith Broida

Baltimore will get a new museum devoted to black athletes in the Northwest section of the city that officials hope will jumpstart the area's revitalization.

The Druid Heights Community Development Corp. is building the Negro Baseball Museum and Restaurant at 2101-11 Pennsylvania Ave., the site of the former jazz club that hosted legendary performers Billie Holiday and John Coltrane. The group hopes the museum will bring jobs and visitors to the neglected area.

The CDC will put out a bid in June for a construction firm and expects to begin building the museum later in the summer, says Roscoe Johnson, Druid Heights' director of real estate development. The Black Athletes and Lost Legends Association, a Baltimore nonprofit, will operate the museum and an adjacent caf�.

"Hopefully it will attract other businesses to the area," Johnson says. "It's very important that we do this right and it looks good."

Funding for the $9 million museum comes from the state, State Farm Insurance Cos., federal New Market Tax Credits, and foundations.
Baltimore's urban design panel gave final approval for the museum April 14. Druid Heights won the right to develop the project after the Baltimore Development Corp. sought out proposals to redevelop the former Sphinx Club.

The 14,000-square-foot museum and Negro League Caf� will create as many as 85 jobs, Johnson says.

The museum will focus on black athletes from Baltimore in a variety of sports, including boxing, football, basketball and baseball. It will also highlight black athletes who comprised the Negro League, the black baseball players who had their separate teams before the sport was integrated.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Roscoe Johnson, Druid Heights Community Development Corp.