Officials Call National Harbor a Success, But Some Ask Where the Life Is

Since 2008, Prince George's County has averaged an 8 percent tax-revenue growth each year, which can be directly attributed to more shops and restaurants opening up in National Harbor.

What struck Boston resident Karen Manikowski on her first trip to National Harbor recently was the mint condition the complex was in. Everything from the buildings to the sidewalks were clean and kempt. While this may be due to the diligent efforts of the staff, it may also have something to do with the lack of foot traffic. "It was a little bit like ‘(The) Truman Show,’" said the 29-year-old Manikowski, "because it's very pristine, it's very nice, but there's really no sense of realness. It's just kind of like you’re living in a prefabbed world." Like many of the visitors to National Harbor on a weekday, Manikowski was there for a conference at one of the six hotels on location. While the weekends bring families from the surrounding area …

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Greg Thrasher

11:45 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

NH is a work in progress besides the commercial aspect of NH there is a growing residential community as well. As a resident of NH I intend on supporting the business establishments, visitors, and my fellow residents. Please join me and the rest of us in NH as we make this a destination venue.   more ›

CookieRide Brings Cookies to Columbians

Local business bakes, sells and delivers fresh cookies in Columbia.

  Local Columbia resident Casey Dyson wants to sell you a gourmet cookie from her scooter.  Dyson is the self-described sassy, scooter-driving owner of CookieRide, a roving cookie catering business. She started the business about eight weeks ago by selling her homemade cookies at Lake Kittamaqundi, office parks and outdoor pools. "I was inspired by the cupcake trucks in D.C. and Baltimore," said Dyson. "I investigated getting started in that direction, but I wanted something more environmentally friendly than a truck, so I went with a scooter." Dyson said she has been baking cookies for 15 to 20 years now and had long dreamed of opening up her own baking or cookie business. Prior to starting CookieRide, Dyson said she worked for about …

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Guide to Ellicott City Fall Fest 2012

What do you hope to do at this year's Fall Fest?

Downtown Ellicott City will host its first combined Main Street Music Festival and Fall Fest on Saturday, and Patch is helping you plan your fun and music-filled day. See below for the times and locations of the Fall Fest activities, and follow this link for a list of five must-see music acts playing among the 53 bands. Ellicott Mills Stage in Lot D (Behind Howard County Tourism Office): Music: 12-12:30 p.m. Kelsey Abbott 12:45-2:30 p.m. Bendt Fendyr 2:45-4:30 p.m. Chris Wojtal and the Hilltown Getdown 5-7 p.m. Soul Island Rebels Entertainment: 4:30-5 p.m. Jedi and Sith Light Saber Duels Food and Drink: Ellicott Mills Brewing Company Pure Wine Cafe River House Pizza Company Vendors: Flower Child Tie Dye Company Out of the Box Guitars Ooh …

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SPEAK OUT: What’s Better: Main Street or Shopping Malls?

A national expert says malls are out, downtowns are in. Do you agree?

It’s a tension being played out across the Baltimore-D.C. region: Are customers spending their money more at shopping malls or in downtown retail districts? There are some indications that downtown retail districts may be on their way to winning the battle for shoppers. Richard Florida, a national expert on cities and development, wrote recently on an Atlantic Cities blog post that, “After years of neglect, decline, and abandonment, downtowns across the United States are poised to come back—and not just as redoubts for hipsters, artisanal food, indie music, and trendy boutiques, but as major shopping destinations.”  Florida pointed to examples of downtown entertainment districts, such as the D.C. corridor that includes Gallery Place Mall …

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The Howard County Bucket List

Howard County 'Bucket List' – Chick N' Friends

Chick N' Friends is a draw in Columbia. No utensils needed.

Fried chicken is a staple of classic American cuisine, and a local couple has been perfecting its homestyle goodness in Columbia for years. Chick-N-Friends at the Long Reach Shopping Center boasts a menu of fried chicken, fish, greens, yams, corn muffins and more. With made-to-order items, this chicken joint is a must for chicken lovers and regular picnic-goers. Rhodney Lloyd, who co-owns the restaurant along with his wife, Cassandra, says what sets his business apart from the fast food establishments like KFC and Popeye's is the freshness of the chicken and the quality of the ingredients, which guarantee a "homestyle" taste. "We don't batch cook [dozens] of pieces and have it sitting under the lamps," Lloyd told Patch. "We're trying to do…

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Savage Mill Spotlights

Check out the latest happenings in Historic Savage Mill.

Behind the Counter: The Travel Boutique

These ladies are professionals of leisure.

The Travel Boutique, a uniquely personal travel agency, is one of the newer additions to the Savage Mill family of businesses, but owners Bonnie Wecker and Yvette Shaqir are far from rookies in the travel industry. Wecker recently spoke to Patch about the business of relaxation. How long have you been in the travel sales business? BW: Yvette and I each had our own travel companies–she was Europe and the Middle East, I was concentrated on the Caribbean. We had known each other for years, and bounced questions off of each other. And then, a couple of years ago we just said, "Why don't we just put this together?" We created our agency together, so now we have someone with experience with the Middle East and Europe, and I know the Caribbean. …

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Chamber Holds 'Jingle Mingle' at Savage Mill

More than 200 business owners and local business representatives attended a holiday networking event at the Mill on Thursday evening.

Savage Mill is a hub for local business year-round, but Thursday night it was host to the annual Jingle Mingle event put on by the Howard County Chamber of Commerce. More than 200 people came to network, discuss local business strategy and graze on some holiday catering.

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Dispatches: Cutting Corners, But Not of Fabric

Thirty years of handcrafted care has made fashion designer Yolanda Voss recession-proof.

Yolanda Voss has more than three decades of experience making special occasions perfect for her clients. She has designed clothes for everyone from Maryland State Delegate Liz Bobo to the late First Lady Betty Ford. Voss, an Ecuadorian immigrant and owner of the Yolanda Voss Fashion Gallery in historic Savage Mill, came to America in 1962 with an artistic dream--to become a successful clothing designer. She started out in the basement of her Columbia home in 1971, using the dining room table as a cutting surface. Within the decade, she had set up shop in the Wilde Lake Shopping Center in Columbia and had her designs in the businesses along Rodeo Drive and Madison Avenue. But Voss, now 75, said the recession of the late 1980s taught her the…

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Neighbor Profile: Steve Adler

Get to know the people in your town with the help of Savage-Guilford Patch.

Name: Steve Adler Birthplace: Washington, DC Occupation: Managing Partner of Historic Savage Mill What I wanted to be as a kid: Three things–either a professional baseball player, professional football player or a veterinarian. My ideal weekend: Bethany Beach with family, friends and crabs. Where I see myself in 10 years: In 10 years I'm going to be 69. So, for one, I hope I'm still standing. I could be doing similar things to what I do now because I get to work and play in pretty reasonable moderation. Through Real Estate, board of directors [at JPB Enterprises], consulting–I'll always have my hands in something. The local issue most important to me: Right now, everything really revolves around the economy and jobs. I think it affects …

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