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Owings Mills-Reisterstown Patch readers weigh in with their opinions on potential uses for vacant commercial spaces.
When Lorena de Leon and business partner Amy Eisenberg opened Decals in May 2012, they were hoping to give a spark to Main Street’s historic district. And while de Leon became a familiar face at meetings of the Reisterstown Improvement Association, business never quite took off the way she hoped. The store sold decals for all ages and all purposes, and de Leon saw many markets for temporary decorations – from businesses and doctor’s offices to dorm rooms and temporary homes. The store featured home decals for the kitchen, bathroom, dining room and bedroom, decals for toddlers and kids, …
Vacant stations have become an all-too familiar site in the Reisterstown area. Once littered with gas stations within spitting distance of each other, Main Street near the Chartley Shopping Center now has several vacant sites, including one on the corner of Chartley Drive on the east side of Main Street. What would you like to see in this vacant space? Tell us in the comments. Is there a commercial vacancy you'd like to discuss? If so be sure to email editor Marc Shapiro (marc.shapiro@patch.com) and maybe it will be featured in the next Visions for Vacancies.
The Hess gas station on Main Street in Reisterstown has been vacant since the summer of 2011. It closed its doors and shut off the pumps months before Wawa opened next door. With so many nearby gas stations, including the Wawa with its indoor convenience store, the site might not be dispensing gas again in the near future. What would you like to see in this vacant space? Tell us in the comments. Is there a commercial vacancy you'd like to discuss? If so be sure to email editor Marc Shapiro (marc.shapiro@patch.com) and maybe it will be featured in the next Visions for Vacancies.
The storefront at 46 Main Street in the Reisterstown Village Shopping Center has been empty for a few years now. The site, which used to be home to a T-Mobile store, sits next to a Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins and has many high-traffic neighbors like Village Pizza and MyCare Express. What would you like to see in this vacant space? Tell us in the comments. Is there a commercial vacancy you'd like to discuss? If so be sure to email editor Marc Shapiro (marc.shapiro@patch.com) and maybe it will be featured in the next Visions for Vacancies.
It's hard to forget the fanfare of when Krispy Kreme came to town. The delicious, fluffy, fresh donuts became another option for those looking for a different kind of donut. The store closed its doors in May 2008 when Krispy Kreme closed several underperforming stores. Was it the location? Was it the fact that it was in close proximity to three Dunkin' Donuts locations? Who knows. But that building has set vacant, with Krispy Kreme's awnings still attached (sort of, see the photos) for nearly four-and-a-half years. What would you like to see in this vacant space? Tell us in the comments. Is …
The building at 31 Main Street has gone through several permutations. Before it was home to Micho's, it was the Lamplight Inn, a restaurant and tavern. Micho's served a mix of Mediterranean and American food before it became Memphis on Main Street in May 2011 and started serving Memphis-style barbeque. Memphis On Main Street fell victim to a two-alarm electrical fire on Sept. 16, 2011. The back of the building was extensively damaged and the front also slightly damaged in the fire, which started around 2:20 a.m. No one was injured. As Micho's, the upstairs room hosted live jazz and blues …
The Owings Mills Mall is 55 percent vacant. An eyesore for more than a decade now, the mall was given hope when Kimco announced plans to revamp the mall into an open, pedestrian-friendly retail center with connections to the movie theater and nearby development Metro Centre at Owings Mills. Kimco's future plans are unclear, since Geoff Glazer, Kimco’s vice president of acquisitions and development for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, previously said Kimco would not redevelop the mall if the Solo Cup plant on Reisterstown Road was rezoned, making way for a Wegmans-anchored center called…
The Shoppers at 11120 Reisterstown Road in Owings Mills has been closed since February 2011. The company closed several underperforming stores around that time. "While the decision to close a store is difficult — given the impact on associates and customers — Shoppers has a responsibility to do what is best for the long-term growth and success of the company as a whole," the company said in a press release last year. What sort of business would you like to see in this space? Tell us in the comments. Is there a commercial vacancy you'd like to discuss? If so be sure to email editor Marc …
Frank's Nursery went bankrupt in 2004. Since then, the building at Tollgate and Reisterstown roads has sat vacant. What once held a nursery where area residents could go for all of their gardening needs is now a dilapidated building with a neglected parking lot. What sort of business do you think would you like to see in this space? Tell us in the comments. Is there a commercial vacancy you'd like to discuss? If so be sure to email editor Marc Shapiro (marc.shapiro@patch.com) and maybe it will be featured in the next Visions for Vacancies.
The Reisterstown Shopping Center's north strip was demolished almost a year ago. In May, the community rejoiced when the shopping center's old Exxon gas station, which had been vacant for more than a decade, was also demolished. What remains is a blank concrete pad behind a fence. Over the years, that strip housed a bowling alley, an arcade, a bagel shop and many more businesses. What do you think should go there? What sort of business do you think would you like to see in this space? Tell us in the comments. Is there a commercial vacancy you'd like to discuss? If so be sure to email editor …
Located in Valley Center off of Reisterstown Road in Owings Mills, the space that used to be home to AMC Loews Valley Center 9 has been vacant for quite a while now. The lights inside still go on at night, but it's hard to tell what's still inside since the doors are sealed up. The theater has a bit of an unfortunate history. Paul Schrum, a 62-year-old Pikesville resident, was randomly shot dead about 20 minutes into a showing of "X-Men: The Last Stand" in 2006. The theater remained open for a number of years after the shooting. What sort of business do you think would you like to see in this…

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