The former convenience store on Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard will soon be the new home of a YoFro yogurt shop, according to the shopping center owner Jenneill Delp.
The space temporarily is housing the secondhand shop operated by Don O'Shea.
Delp, who has owned the strip for about 10 years, said the temporary setup was to protect the vacant store that was broken into and vandalized during Tropical Storm Irene in August when vandals smashed the storefront glass and took a hacksaw to the ATMs.
"It was beneficial to not have the space vacant any longer," she said. "It was during the really bad storm and we kept wondering who would go out and break glass out. What grew out of that helped me clean it up and then board it up."
The U NVR Know shop will be gone by the end of the month, she said.
Earlier this week, some of the U NVR Know inventory was spilling out of the shop, located between the and . Passersby and local merchants said they noticed the racks of clothing, novelties, strollers, pictures and decorations lining the outside length of the store. Delp said she was unaware of the situation until she received a phone call from one of the shop owners in the strip on Thursday. She said it was then taken care of quickly with full cooperation by O'Shea.
As for the future, Delp confirmed that there will be a FroYo yogurt shop occupying the location starting in February.
There was concern among the merchants in the shopping strip that a yogurt shop would create competition for the located across the street in the Severna Park Village Shopping Center and possible parking issues for them. Rob Marcus, owner of Rita's, declined to comment on the new shop.
"It would only benefit all of us to encourage people to come to the area, not discourage it. If you want it to feel like a community, you have to support it. [The merchants] need to work together," Delp said.
And, considering the economy, she said, looking at this as a "half full glass not half empty" would benefit to everyone.
Do you like the idea of a new yogurt shop in that shopping strip?
Answer in the comments below.
at Annette's and Rita's just feet away. Then a new place in Park Plaza (Tasti-Delite?), Maggie's and Baskin Robbins within less than a mile.Go figure.