or nearly 70 years Baltimore-based McCormick and Company, Inc. was headquartered prominently and justifiably at 414 Light Street in the heart of the city. That longstanding landmark was pushed by the wayside when the company decided to relocate to the suburbs of Sparks, MD. But this summer plans are underway for the company to once again return to its home at the harbor. This time…as retail.

The planned 3,800+ sq ft “McCormick World of Flavors” is set to lie at Harborplace and The Gallery, both owned by General Growth Properties. The store, only steps from the old plant and headquarters, will feature products based on cooking, baking and grilling, as well as demonstrations held by McCormick and celebrity chefs. Other products related to McCormick brands will also be featured, like Grill Mates, Lawry’s, Zatarain’s, and Old Bay, a Baltimore favorite.

To see original article from Citybiz, click here.

To learn more about McCormick, visit their website here.

hen Denise Whiting, owner of Hampden’s iconic Cafe Hon, boldly declared in December of 2010 that the Baltimore-coined term “Hon” was now trademarked by her and her alone, city residents made it clear that it just wouldn’t fly. Though it’s not the first controversy sparked by the restaurant (there was the giant pink flamingo fiasco back in 2009), the more recent foul-up has hit Whiting’s establishment hard. She estimates a drop off in sales of up to 25 percent since the trademark.

The drama was heavy enough to spark the interest of Kitchen Nightmares host Gordon Ramsay to bring his crew and help get the cafe back on track. Of the public outcry Ramsay remarked, “There was a level of hatred that was almost untouchable. I’ve never known a restaurant to have such a huge issue.” The episode, set to air on Feb. 24, will address the issue of public relations on a uniquely larger scale compared to that of the typical sloppy kitchen makeovers.

Neighboring businesses on “The Avenue” also look forward to the change, noting that attendance to last year’s HonFest, which centers around The cafe, was down. 

A culminating press conference that took place on Nov. 7 shows Whiting, alongside Gordon Ramsay, relinquishing the trademark back to the city of Baltimore and apologizing for the pain she’d caused. Video here.

For more information on Cafe Hon, visit their website here.

Original articles from The Baltimore Sun here and WBAL here.

Regardless, the demand for restaurants/dry good stores that offer healthier items is more present than ever. People want to be able to live in a neighborhood where they can frequent a place that sells organic products, fresh/local foods, gourmet goods, etc. And if you happen to live in a city (of course many young people do), these places need to be walkable. And if you happen to live in Baltimore, they’re usually not (if they’re there at all). In the case of Federal Hill, for example, 7-Eleven, CVS and Royal Farms have become the go-to destinations to meet these needs. And when you look at what those stores do offer, they’re really not (although CVS has taken the hint and begun to sell a number of products that are “natural and organic”). 

And there’s no denying the lack of alternatives has meant more profit for these generic quick-grab stops. Just walk into any of the three previously mentioned businesses and see what kind of sales they’re doing. Even though Harris Teeter recently opened its doors in Federal Hill (basically Locust Point), you can’t walk there from the residential pockets where most people live! People don’t want to get in their cars and drive through the city. And walkable doesn’t mean miles…it means a few blocks. Hampden primarily offers two options: The Giant at the Rotunda (maybe the most unkempt, shoddy Giant in the country) or the relatively new Fresh & Green’s, which walking into reminded me of Post Cold War Russia.

A smart businessman/woman would see the potential for a start-up in this “new”, niche market, be it great prepared foods, gourmet items, local/organic produce, etc. Places like Gourmet Again in Pikesville do it right, but 9 out of 10 times, these places are only accessible to the car-driving pedestrians of the suburbs. There are great opportunities for an experienced operator in neighborhoods like Federal Hill, Fells Point and Hampden. Think Whole Foods, but shrunk down to 6,000 SF, keeping the prepared food section the same size, and including a beer/wine selection. JBL Real Estate has listings available to meet the need, AND the ability to help build the business, market the business, so it can grow. And rents are low. Give us a call if you want to find out how we can help you to help meet the community’s needs.

  by Jeremy

 has been one heck of a year for Baltimore. There was the Labor Day weekend Baltimore Grand Prix, which came off as a bit of a polarizing achievement…the unfortunate passing of former mayor and governor William Donald Schaefer…the impact of Hurricane Irene and previous earthquake on a portion of the East Coast in August…the fire that devastated Baltimore’s beloved Mt. Washington Tavern early Halloween morning (they’ll be back come the spring)…and of course, the Occupy Baltimore protestors who moved into McKeldin Square in early October and were promptly removed by police in mid-December.

And then there was the real estate. A couple of 2011′s facts:

In 2011, commercial property values rose faster in Harford County than any other MD jurisdiction in the past 3 years. 

The largest sale last year was a portfolio in Gambrills, where CSHV Waugh Chapel LLC bought $98.9 Million worth of properties from JBG/Waugh Chapel Retail LLC.

Harbor East welcomed the opening of the $200 Million Four Seasons to its President Street traffic circle, including 256 rooms, a 13,000 SF spa, and an 84-foot pool that sits feet away from the Inner Harbor. (image below)

The former McCormick spice lot at Light & Conway Streets sold at a foreclosure in early January for $11.5 Million to Baltimore developer Stephen M. Gorn of Questar Properties.

McHenry Row, the $120 Million multi-use development two years in the making, wrapped up construction at the end of the year, boasting 250 apartments and a much-anticipated 61,000 SF, two-level Harris Teeter.

The Fitzgerald apartments in Mount Vernon, just blocks from the University of Baltimore, MICA, the Lyric, and the Meyerhoff, not only completed construction this past year but also easily filled its residential doors. (image below)

Greenberg Gibbons acquired the vacant Solo Cup plant in Owings Mills in September, with plans for a retail complex there to include a Wegman’s.

The Greater Baltimore Committee unveiled renderings in May for a new arena, hotel and expanded convention center at the corner of Charles & Conway Streets that would clock in at just under $1 Billion. (image below)

In July, Under Armour completed a deal to buy its Tide Point headquarters in Locust Point for $58 Million, with plans for a massive expansion of the development.

Baltimore’s plans for a $1.5 Billion State Center complex in CBD/Midtown that was set to begin construction in 2010 continued to stall as legal battles volleyed between downtown property and business owner and the MD attorney general’s office. (image below)

Towson University officials broke ground May 10 on the school’s new $62 Million, 5,200 seat arena.

And things you can look forward to in 2012:

The Fell’s Point waterfront anticipates the further construction of The Bozzuto Group’s Union Wharf, a $72 Million residential and retail development that will include 281 apartments, 4,500 SF of retail space and nearly 500 parking spaces. The project, which broke ground on Dec. 13, will aim to earn a LEED Gold rating, and is expected to complete in the Fall of 2013. (image below)

1111 Light Street, the four-story project in Federal Hill across from the Cross Street Market, is expected to be complete the first quarter of 2012. It will include a 93-unit apartment building with garage parking, 20,700 SF of Class A office space, and a 7-Eleven and M&T Bank, both of which are relocating from nearby locations.

Also expected to complete by year’s end is a $3 Million, 40,000 SF wellness center near Interstate 95 in Howard County by Baltimore developer Donald Reuwer. The project already has an anchor tenant (Select Eye Care – 10,000 SF), with between 8 and 10 tenants expected in all. (image below)

The much-talked-about Canton Crossing, the proposed 375,000 SF multi-anchored retail shopping center along Boston Street in Canton, should hopefully begin construction sometime in 2012. The development, which will sit on land previously owned by Exxon Mobil, is set to be built in two phases…the first to include 275,000 SF of retail space, and the second, 100,000 SF, on land which Exxon is currently cleaning up.

Last but not least, the end of 2012 should expect to see the completion of the Gunther Apartments, a 162-unit apartment complex in Brewers Hill that was once a brewery dating back to the late 1800s. The final product is set to be rated LEED Silver, and will also feature over 5,000 SF of restaurant space with additional outdoor seating. (image below)

And a bit of other good news: Johnny Rad’s of upper Fell’s Point was voted Best New Bar by Baltimore Magazine this year. For a very full list covering the best of Baltimore these days, click here.

Happy 2012.

Let’s be in agreement here: there’s no replacement for the real thing. But in a world culture dominated less and less by physical stimuli and more and more  on the high speed streaming of digital stimuli, it’s no surprise that there’s a website that, with the click of a button, you can find yourself standing anywhere in the world.

Well, almost anywhere. Utilizing the already highly popular and practical technology of Google Maps, specifically Google Street View, the techies behind StumbleUpon have borrowed  the feature, one where the user is typically the one to tell IT what location to retrieve, and done nothing more than reverse the operation. “Map Crunch“, which starts one at whatever location of the day, will randomly take you anywhere in the world (that’s been recorded by Google of course), with the click of one button: “Go!” Once there, a user can decide to use the features of Google Street View to move around, change views, and tour the area further, or decide to move on to a new, unknowable destination once more, on and on until either boredom, or the “i’ve seen too much in one day” effect kick in.

Some might wonder, “Why would some people want to roam around seeing places they have no use for and nothing to do with?” Well simply put: some people do. And Map Crunch can help appease many of us who can’t always afford the cost of actual human travel or escape the busyness of our own lives. And with Google’s impressive cameras and interactive options for moving through these images, after a while you may find yourself forgetting you’re not actually there in the first place.

The effect is really quite beautiful, and many times, what with the scenic countrysides and greater world and cultural perspectives you’re bound to “stumble upon”…calming. And I’d bet that’s something that even the most home-bodied tenants of the world could go for.

ou might have seen him alongside of a road near you this week- steadily pedaling his bicycle, equipped with a couple saddle bags, a tent and two pairs of clothes. He appears at first glance to be just any weekend warrior with a road bike, but there is much  more to this traveler. I had the pleasure of striking up a friendship this week with Darren O’Donnell, a traveler from Washington State, who made his way out to DC/Baltimore as a stop on an incredible summer trip. He embarked on April 29th from Seattle’s Safeco Field and has thus far crossed off 18 of his planned 30 stops. His goal? To visit and attend a game at all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. His only mode of transportation- his sturdy bike.

His reasons for the trip are numerous- love of baseball, an appreciation for the diverse landscapes of America, but also, Darren is a fervent advocate of the conservation, smart growth and sustainable forms of transportation (like bikes). He will readily talk at length on any one of these topics, and if his trip can bring any attention to his quiet causes, then he will be happy. Darren has already logged 8,000 miles and has another 4,000 to go. He has no sponsors and no travel partners- just a bike, an iphone, and an interesting tale to tell.

Follow Darren’s progress on Facebook here.

 efinition (per Wikipedia):

These mobile “restaurants-on-wheels” are popping up right and left in not only this city, but others abroad, and with the leniency in place to set up a mobile operation, why wouldn’t they? There’s less incentive for Joe’s Tacos to rent a space in the city’s dining hot spot when he can simply park his business there instead. Or for a newly successful restaurant to open a second, third or fourth location when they can join the trend and open a food truck for cheaper.

Reason.com recently published an article defending the operation (which IS technically illegal in most occurrences by the way), arguing: “Let people sell food to other people who would like to eat it, and use police power to go after criminals.” They followed up the sentiment with this video:

One nice guy with a cool hat says, “We’re just offering alternative to the people that work in this area.” Another food truck owner calls her business “fair competition”. I sympathize with anyone trying to make a living, I do, and who’s not a fan of cheap, good food? The problem is: These alternatives are NOT “fair competition”. Why? Aside from having a sidewalk advantage (while simultaneously polluting the street and using up street parking typically meant for the city’s visitors and employees), FOOD TRUCKS DON’T PAY RENT OR PAY REAL ESTATE TAXES, plain and simple, making the competition…not so fair. At the very least, street carts should pay heavy licensing fees for their operations, equivalent to the taxes paid by those who took the traditional route and opened immobile restaurants.

hy do it? Why pay more money upfront for a roof system that’s still new enough to be considered “non-conventional”? Why invest in landscaping a piece of your building that, unless you happen to pilot low-flying aircraft for a living, will seldom be seen anyway? Why?

A video I put together for www.goforchange.com, a website celebrating any and all things sustainable in the Mid-Atlantic region, and abroad…

Well for many, the environmental benefits are enough. Foremost, green roofs help improve a city’s air and water quality. Plants, shrubs and small trees replace heat-absorbing surfaces and help cool the air through evapotranspiration (evaporation of water from leaves). Instead of polluted water runoff hitting the streets, a green roof takes it in and recycles it back into the air, just like any green land surface would. Not to mention the roof’s new identity and purpose as a habitat for wildlife.

For those who shake their head at all the “green” hype that’s emerged over the past few years, the green roof “sell” also benefits from having considerable practical reasons for its case. For one, they’re virtually maintenance-free, needing only be inspected and weeded a few times a year. They provide insulating benefits, aesthetic appeal, and all in all have longer lifetimes than standard roofs. And if you’re considering pushing for getting your building LEED certified, a green roof will certainly earn you some credits.

The Baltimore Hilton Convention Center hotel currently boasts the largest green roof in the city, its two towers hosting 32,000 sq ft (more than Ravens Stadium itself) of the eco-friendly option. With help from the local Furbish Company, six different plant species and over 60,000 one-inch plugs comprise the system, sedum being the main plant due to its ability to thrive in shallow soil, and its self-generating, draught-resistant nature.

Baltimore may be catching onto the message. In a study by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, the Associated Press reported that Baltimore rounds out the top four spot for cities with the most green roofs installed, along with Minneapolis, Chicago and D.C.

oon, ground will be breaking in Brewers Hill when Obrecht Properties begins the construction of a 162-unit apartment complex at the site of the former Gunther and National Bohemian breweries. The site sits across the street from the Domain Apartments, built in 2009, consisting of 180 units still relatively fresh themselves. As a recent resident of Brewers Hill, I’m definitely excited to see more housing growth and retail opportunities in the neighborhood.

Tentatively called “Gunther Square” (though the name has since been rejected), the property sits at 1211 South Conkling St. in SE Baltimore. New homes, offices, and shops will replace the outdated brewery building, which Bill Libercci (Vice President of NorthMarq Capital’s Baltimore Regional office who helped facilitate the construction loan) says has been “vacant and deteriorating for 37 years.” He goes on to call the endeavor a “very complicated historic renovation,” but one which “represents the latest phase in the renaissance of Brewers Hill.”

The retail portion of this development, along with the current Broom Factory retail on Boston Street, shows that the demand for neighborhood shopping is growing rapidly. Population continues to grow and consumer confidence seems stable. By 2013 I envision the residents of Brewers Hill no longer needing to travel to other neighborhoods for daily necessities. The areas surrounding Conkling and Boston Streets will become a self-sufficient and pedestrian-friendly community.

For more information regarding Brewer’s Hill news and events, click here.

  by Henry

almart gets smaller, Forever 21 gets much bigger.

I was touring a client through an enclosed mall several months ago when I saw Forever 21’s name scrawled atop a large anchor vacancy once occupied by a “Belk” department store. This step up in size is a calculated move by the popular clothing retailer to step up their sales. They believe that more attractive and larger footprint will boost sales and improve perceptions of their “cheap-chic” image. This will also give the brand opportunity to expand in different product types, such as children’s wear and maternity. Forever 21 has larger concept stores planned for Maryland and California in the coming months. (read the Los Angeles Times article)

Meanwhile, discount juggernaut, Walmart has unveiled some prototypes of a smaller 15,000 SF convenience Walmart that will be a key for the brand’s expansion in both rural and urban areas. (article here) A Walmart or Super Walmart location can occupy as much as 350,000 SF, but this immense footprint causes obvious hurdles for expansion into crowded cities and not-so-dense rural areas. America’s biggest retailer also has introduced a pilot micro Walmart at the University of Arkansas. (read the Huffington Post article) This convenience/pharmacy location will be studied and potentially reproduced all over the country in areas where student populations are receptive to Walmart.

Other retailers will certainly be watching both trends attentively. Most brands of late have seemed to be downsizing- relying more on e-commerce and less on “brick and mortar” stores, which makes Forever 21’s approach more interesting. However, discount brands such as Forever 21 have been growing as consumers in higher income brackets are more interested in value.  Walmart’s approach clearly has continued growth in mind. There is a limit to the amount of mega centers the company can keep rolling out, so a more efficient space and demand-savvy location could be just the solution to its continued expansion. It is still not clear whether more space or less space is the answer, and retailers continue to rethink their models amidst a longer than anticipated recession.