November 2023 Updates

November is a month when the weather starts to cool down even more, making it a perfect time to indulge in outdoor activities like hiking, camping, or leaf-peeping. Additionally, It's a month of festivities including Thanksgiving, Veteran's Day, and Black Friday sales. Its a month to gather with family and friends to enjoy fantastic dinners, watch football games, or go shopping. Moreover, November is a month when many cities start to illuminate with holiday lights, making it ideal for taking a night stroll, admiring the decorations and sipping hot cocoa. It offers plenty of opportunities for entertainment, relaxation, and bonding with loved ones. Anytime spent with family is always appealing to me.

When you are looking for a new place to come to the area remember that they need to hear from you. Tell them you want them here. Also make sure they have locations in the area. A business in Florida isn't coming up here to open one location in southern Maryland. A lot of places are franchises so unless there is a person that wants to invest in opening a location here it may not come.

Coco Bay Kitchen and Tea House is planning to open after Thanksgiving at the Waldorf Shoppers World 3280 Crain Highway. 

White Oak Veterinary Urgent Care opening November 9th in La Plata across from Aldi. 145 Rosewick Corner Place Suite 103.

Bon AppéSweet & Better Black Coffee

Opening November 11th in Leonardtown at the Shoppes at McIntosh. 25805 Point Lookout Rd.

Big Boy Tacos coming to 30265 Charlotte Hall Road. This will be their second location.

Why can't we get a Wegmans in Southern Maryland?

I posted this on my business Facebook page but I'm adding it here as well as a reference.

Every time someone asks please refer them to this post.  I'm trying to educate instead of watching rumors fly.  This is what they require:

Population Density:  "High number of residents surrounding the potential store.   Typical drivetime to store 20 minutes or less."

Charles County population estimate 2022: 170,000

Prince Georges population estimate 2022: 946,971

Workforce: "The store hires somewhere in the area of 500 people.

We operate a high-volume, low-price business; we require a lot of customers shopping in our stores to achieve the volume needed to be successful." 

Daytime Population: Wegmans has food bars and caters to lunchtime crowds.  Approx. 60% of Charles county workforce leaves the area for work pre covid.  Our current restaurants are not busy enough or staffed well enough.  Just because people work from home now does not mean it will stay that way forever.

Store Size:  "Typical Wegmans is 80,00 to 120,000 square feet and requires 15+ Acres."  They also only open 2-3 stores a year.  They are very picky.

These stores decide where they want to go.  Not us, not the county or the commissioners.  This is not build it and they will come.  You can ask them to come until you are blue in the face.  Give them all the marketing material.  They do their own calculations and research and make their own decisions.  

The same goes with Whole foods and Trader joes but they also require:

-household income in excess of $100,000

-200,000 people within a 20 minute drive

-Distribution centers closer to the new stores.

-They also would love a major university or large medical complex close by.

-Large number of college educated residents.

October 2023 Updates

Hello October!  The leaves are changing, the Halloween decorations and Christmas decorations start to clash in the stores.  Screaming ghosts and Christmas songs across the isle from each other. Its a great time!  I myself enjoy the kid friendly version of Halloween.  I was never a fan of the blood and gore and jump scare decor.  Hey that rhymes!  Anyway Its fun to take the kids to a busy neighborhood and trick or treat or trunk or treat at a local church.  Everyone in my neighborhood grew up and moved away so we go where the action is.  Don't know how much longer the kids will want go out so I'm enjoying it while it lasts.  I remember the Halloween parties at school where each kid brought a treat from home and dumped it on your paper plate and then we just got high on sugar and were sent home.  Good times.  I hope everyone has a safe Halloween this year and get lots of good stuff.  But not those plastic witch fingers.  I hate those.

Bad Axe Throwing Waldorf will have its grand opening on Saturday October 8th at the Waldorf Town Plaza.  1140A Smallwood Drive.

Aldi and Starbucks are your first tenants for the Pax River Village Center.  This is what's taking over the current Millison Plaza.  They hope to open late 2024.

The Farmhouse Cafe and Creperie will open in La Plata on October 11th at 5695 Washington Avenue.

Alpas Wellness Center had its open house today at 1014 Washington Avenue in La Plata. Alpas is a treatment center for behavioral health, substance abuse and other disorders. They will offer in and outpatient services and use traditional as well as alternative holistic approaches to mind and body healing. They plan to start taking patients by the end of the year. Pictures are on our facebook page.

At the corner of Billingsley Road and St. Charles Parkway will be a new shopping center called Fairway Village.  The anchor tenant will be a state of the art 63,000 sf Weis Market store like none we have seen in the county.  Its on point with the look of any high end grocery store and not a rebranded food lion like what we have currently in the area.  Along with Weis there will be several pad sites for restaurants and retail.  None that I can mention yet because they are still in negotiations. There will also be apartments on the site as well.  

I had added this on my Facebook page a while ago but didn't add it here so here you go.  Current construction in Pinefield on route 5 / Mattawoman Beantown Road. Proposed royal farms and small 9,300 sf retail strip. The remaining land is planned for 225 town homes, 300 apartments and assisted living facilities. This is all part of the Waldorf Station project. The rest of the main retail center near sonic will be built later as the western parkway expansion is completed. 

Bryans Road is getting an AutoZone near the corner of 210 and Marshall Hall Road at the Bryans Road Shopping Center.  Bids are out for construction.

Berry Pointe is a new 82 acre mixed use business park on Route 228 it will be mostly comprised of warehouse flex space.  There may be a small amount of retail and a few pad sites but the plans keep getting modified.  This is a large project that will be built as the demand is made.  This is being built on land that has been zoned business park for years so it isn't something that was not already in the counties master plans.  There is currently no inventory of available warehouse flex space so this will be a great addition to the area for local trade businesses, etc.

Chipotle in Charlotte Hall has changed their opening date to early December.  30030 Three Notch Road.

September 2023 Updates

 September marks the transition from the warm, carefree days of summer to the beginning of autumn. As the new month arrives, a sense of change fills the air. The days gradually become shorter, leading to cooler temperatures and the vibrant transformation of leaves into hues of red, orange, and gold. September often signifies the start of a new school year, bringing with it a renewed focus on learning and personal growth. It is a time for setting new goals, embracing routine, and preparing for the upcoming challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. With September, there is a sense of transition and excitement, as we bid farewell to summer and welcome the transformative season of autumn.  Plus it starts my holiday season early with my birthday at the end of the month so I got that going for me, which is nice.  But as you get older birthdays aren't as exciting as they once were.  I still get toys but they have gotten a lot more expensive. By the way I used an AI generator for part of this. Can ya tell? 

The Brass Tap now open at the St. Mary's Marketplace in California, MD 44940 St. Andrews Church Road.

Naz's Halal Food will have its Grand Opening September 9th at 3716 Crain Highway, Unit 107, Waldorf.

Five Below will have its grand opening of the relocated store September 15th at the Shops at Waldorf Center next to the former Christmas tree shops space.  Old Navy will take over their old space plus some vacant space next door.

Panera Bread is building a freestanding location between the CVS and Silver diner at the shops at Waldorf center.  The current Panera will move over to that space.  It will have a drive thru.

 August is here.  Creeping closer to kids going back to school.  Early mornings, blah! Not ready to think about cold weather yet.  Enjoy the Summer as long as you can Maryland style on the water eating crabs!

We have lost a few box stores in the area but its not because we don't shop, its the whole company that is losing money as a whole.  Hopefully we can fill those spots back up.

"Don't worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try." - Jack Canfield

Edit date moved: Crumbl Cookies opens August 25th at 3728 Crain highway, Unit 102, Waldorf.

Splash In Car Wash is now open in La Plata next to McDonalds 6365 Crain Highway.

The Brass Tap opens September 4th at St. Mary's Marketplace in California, MD.  44949 St. Andrews Church Road.

Phoenix International School of the Arts will have its ribbon cutting August 8th at 95 Catalpa Drive in La Plata.  They are the first-ever tuition-free art and innovation middle school located in Charles County, MD.

Since this is asked about so much I figured I would mention it here.  Next to Aldi In La Plata they are building a total of 193 luxury apartments.  They were approved by the town of La Plata.  They are not section 8.  I have heard that they may be doing some low income apartments near the park and ride on Washington Avenue but I don't have any information on it.  

Charles County announced their new Waldorf Sports Complex to be built on St. Poplar Hill Road.  It will have five multi purpose fields, two full basketball courts, six three on three basketball courts, twelve pickleball courts, kids basketball half court, ADA accessible playground, and a 59,500 sf indoor facility set up for up to four courts for tennis, pickleball, or basketball. There will also be trails, pavilions, etc. so its a pretty exciting project.  The funding comes from the state of Maryland specifically for this type of use.  Please note this project is a different sports plex from the one proposed by a private group that wanted to partner with the county.

Harbor Freight opens August 22nd in the Laurel Glenn Shopping Center at 45315 Alton Lane in California, MD.