Barry’s Magic Shop Closing in Montgomery Co.
Posted: May 25, 2012 Filed under: Retail, Washington, DC | Tags: barry taylor, barry's magic shop, montgomery county, nicholson lane, susan kang, white flint mall Leave a comment »
n July 15, Barry’s Magic Shop, which has been “serving the magic community since 1974″ in Montgomery County, will close its doors. The store is owned by Barry Taylor and his wife Susan Kang. In addition to selling merchandise, the location has offered lectures, performances, lessons, and one-on-one advice. All items have now been discounted to 30% off.
Five years ago, the shop moved from a much smaller space on Georgia Ave to Nicholson Lane, near the White Flint Mall. Its current location has been called one of the largest magic shops in the country.
Read more at The Washington Post here.
For more information on Barry’s Magic Shop, visit their website here.
Luxury Theater to Join New Rock Spring Center in Bethesda
Posted: May 10, 2012 Filed under: Baltimore, Development, Dining, Retail, Washington, DC | Tags: bethesda, cinema, rock spring center, silverspot, theater Leave a comment »
ethesda will see construction breaking on Rock Spring Center some time this summer. The 1 million square foot mixed-use development, located at Old Georgetown Road and Rock Sprind Drive, will include two office towers, a hotel, residential units and retail space. And Silverspot, a luxury movie theater owned by one of the largest theater companies in South America, will be included in the mix.
This will be the third location for the cinema, with a current home in Naples, FL and one set to open soon in Miami. The theater distinguishes itself with leather seats, spacier foot room, and above average snack offerings. In addition, they provide a full restaurant and bar to cater to the dinner-and-a-movie outing.
For more information on Silverspot Cinema, visit their website here.
Hotel To Break Ground as First Phase of “Megadevelopment” at NoMa’s Capitol Square
Posted: May 8, 2012 Filed under: Development, Retail, Washington, DC | Tags: capitol square, hyatt place, jbg, macfarlane partners, noma Leave a comment »
oma’s “Capitol Square” currently refers to an old office building that sits on DC’s triangular site bounded by New York Ave, First St, and N Capitol St, along with a defunct car wash, a nightclub, and a youth shelter. This coming summer and as construction continues for the next 5 years, “Capitol Square” is expected to refer to the entire site, a mixed-use “megadevelopment” proposed under partnership between JBG and MacFarlane Partners.
The first phase is to be a 200-room Hyatt Place hotel, planned for completion by the end of 2013. Following that will be office, residential, and 85,000 square feet of ground floor retail. When completed, the entire project will have brought over 2 million square feet of leasable space to NoMa.
Read more at DCMud here.
New Clothier at Lockwood Place Brings Harbor Attraction One Step Closer to Full Tenancy Once Again
Posted: May 2, 2012 Filed under: Baltimore, Business1, Retail | Tags: baltimore city community college, best buy, david s. brown, filene's basement, inner harbor, kirby fowler, lockwood place Leave a comment »
ilene’s Basement closed its doors to its Lockwood Place location on Pratt Street back in January, along with all of their stores early this year. But lease terms are currently being negotiated with another retailer to take over the space, though no details yet on specifics. Baltimore City Community College owns the building, while David S. Brown Enterprises manages it and handles leasing. Other tenants include P.F. Chang’s, Fogo de Chão, Panera Bread, and, until May 12, Best Buy…
Best Buy announced it would be closing 50 of its stores this year as part of a “transformation strategy”. Though closing, they still have four years left on their lease at the 37,000 sq ft space. During that time, they have control over what happens to it, whether to sublet it or not. But Kirby Fowler, president of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, is “confident Brown will work out a solution for the site.”
New Restaurants/Retail Coming to Mass Court in DC
Posted: May 2, 2012 Filed under: Dining, Retail, Washington, DC | Tags: 300 massachusetts ave, carving station, cbre, fai pizza, mass court Leave a comment »
wo new restaurants and a dry cleaner are expected to start tenancy late this summer at the mixed-use apartment complex in DC known as Mass Court. Located at 300 Massachusetts Ave NW, the 4,370 sq ft of street level retail space has sat vacant for some time, and all of it will be leased between the three new tenants.
One of the restaurants, Carving Station, will serve bistro food, sandwiches, and alcohol. The other is a new pizza restaurant called FAI Pizza. Taking up the rest of the space will be Mass Court Cleaners. The property was bought by CBRE one year ago, though its retail space has remained vacant for eight years.
New Plans for Downtown Baltimore’s Mechanic Theatre
Posted: May 2, 2012 Filed under: Baltimore, Development, Retail, Sustainability | Tags: baltimore, baltimore city commission for historical and architectural preservation, david s. brown, downtown, mechanic theatre, shalom baranes Leave a comment »
ince 2004, the Mechanic Theatre has sat dormant in the heart of downtown Baltimore. Now, David S. Brown Enterprises is seeking a permit for the theatre’s demolition. With the help of architects Shalom Baranes Associates, they’re hoping to build two 30-story towers to include 600 market-rate apartments and 150,000 sq ft of retail. Construction could begin in as early as six months, pending approval of the permit by the Baltimore City Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation.
The group had previously planned one hotel tower back in 2009, which could be what the above (top) rendering shows. In that plan, much of the infrastructure of the theatre was kept intact. No word on whether that will remain the case with the new design. The Mechanic Theatre opened in 1967 but after a few decades could no longer meet the production needs of major shows. Its demise coincided with the restoration of the Hippodrome Theatre.
Read more at the Baltimore Business Journal here.
Canton Crossing Loses Della Rose’s Tavern
Posted: May 1, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized, Development, Dining, Retail, Business1 | Tags: canton crossing, harris teeter, target, boston street, della rose's tavern, first mariner Leave a comment »
fter 5 years of trying to survive, Della Rose’s Tavern closed its doors this past weekend at its Canton Crossing location. The area has remained undeveloped since the recession and financial troubles of First Mariner stopped any progress, and foot traffic hasn’t been enough to keep the tavern alive. They are the second tenant to leave the tower building.
If the retail development ever comes to fruition, it would mean much different activity of course. Public renderings in August showed a 140,000 sq ft anchor tenant with other shops and restaurants on a 31-acre site, and investors are pushing for Harris Teeter or Target to join. The site sits by the Merritt Athletic Club on Boston Street.
Cafritz Property’s Mixed-Use Proposal for Riverdale Park In Development Limbo
Posted: April 30, 2012 Filed under: Washington, DC, Development, Retail, Business1 | Tags: cafritz family, whole foods, prince george's, evidentiary hearing, cafritz property, riverdale park Leave a comment »
n what members of the Prince George’s County business community are calling another example of the difficulties developers face, the District Council is reconvening today for a proceeding over a proposal for a mixed-use development in Riverdale Park that includes a Whole Foods. Seventeen people have signed up to testify at the proceeding, known as an evidentiary hearing. The last hearing of its kind occurred back in 1996 over approval for the Washington Redskins stadium.
The development, proposed by the Cafritz family, is part of a bigger push from county officials to bring high-end retail to the county. But residents and officials have been amazed at how unproductive recent meetings have been.
Read more at The Washington Post here.
For more info on the Cafritz Property at Riverdale Park, click here.
Angelos Lawsuit Against Superblock Redevelopment Thrown Out
Posted: April 30, 2012 Filed under: Development, Retail, Baltimore | Tags: baltimore, court of appeals, lawsuit, peter angelos, superblock Leave a comment »
lawsuit by Baltimore attorney Peter Angelos against the city’s $150M redevelopment of the “Superblock” has been cited as one of many to stall progress on the project. While Angelos and preservationists tried to argue the city had a duty to preserve portions of the site, the Court of Appeals has thrown the suit out, ruling that Angelos doesn’t have the standing to challenge redevelopment of the city-owned land.
Read more at the Baltimore Business Journal here.
New Retail Should Make Harbor East an Even Hotter Shopping Destination
Posted: April 4, 2012 Filed under: Baltimore, Retail | Tags: anthropologie, baltimore, christopher janian, hampden, harbor east, harborplace, j. crew, landmark theatres, legg mason, lululemon athletica, mac cosmetics, promenade, retail, the avenue, the gallery Leave a comment »
arbor East may not be ready to call itself a “shopping district” just yet, but gaining four new big-name retailers this summer should make it one step closer. As the Baltimore Business Journal reports, Anthropologie, J. Crew, Lululemon Athletica and MAC Cosmetics all plan to open locations there by the end of summer.
Anthropologie will take, 9,581 sq ft on the ground floor of the newly opened Four Seasons Hotel at 280 International Drive. J. Crew will occupy 7,188 sq ft at the Legg Mason building on 701 Aliceanna St. Lululemon Athletica will take 2,775 sq ft of space at 820 Aliceanna St. And MAC Cosmetics will replace Benjamin Lovell Shoes at 618 S Exeter St with 1,347 sq ft. This will be the first Baltimore City location for all four retailers.
Aside from the city’s tourist-y Harborplace and The Gallery, the closest true shopping destination has remained “The Avenue” in Hampden, a Baltimore melting pot that’s looking trendier by the day. But these four new additions should help solidify Harbor East as a popular daytime and nighttime hotspot for Baltimore. They join a growing list of shops and restaurants already in place, as well as the uniquely chic Landmark Theatres. As development manager for Harbor East Christopher Janian puts it, “The neighborhood is redefining urban life in Baltimore City.”
To learn more about what Harbor East has to offer, visit its website here.
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