At the turn of the 21st century, Downtown Frederick’s commercial activity was concentrated within a relatively small geographical area. Despite its renowned vibrancy, visitor foot-traffic circulated within a few block radius of Frederick’s “Square Corner” intersection. Today, however, we are seeing positive pressures of economic growth expand the downtown footprint in nearly every direction.
Just last month, our blog highlighted the arts-driven renaissance underway on Carroll Street that is helping revitalize the south-end of the City.
To the East, the completion of Carroll Creek Park improvements coupled with the adaptive reuse of the Union Knitting Mills has brought a new wave of activity & foot-traffic eastward along the Creek.
Below, we look at the changes underway on the north end of downtown.
New Energy oN North Market
Downtown Frederick has seen a recent surge in business activity above 5th Street on North Market Street. In fact, since the start of the pandemic, five new businesses have started within this two block area …. with more on the way!
AnaVia Boutique
Earlier this fall, Anavia Boutique opened its doors at 4 East 7th Street. The new high-end second-hand boutique features brand name clothing and accessories.
MIDAR Beauty Bar
Nadia Mackey and Darren Sheffield celebrated the opening of two North Market businesses this year, including Midar Beauty Bar located at 624 North Market.
The beauty bar offers hair service for men and women of all hair types, as well as all-natural teeth whitening, eyelash extensions and a noninvasive form of liposuction called lipo cavitation.
The ownership team’s second new business, MIDAR Fashion, opened just a bit farther south at 318 North Market.
When we first moved to Frederick I heard people talk about how all of the customers would walk to 3rd street and turn around because of abandoned buildings. Due to the fact Frederick is a beautiful place to live and is growing, I wanted to be sort of a pioneer and help build that side of Market Street into a thriving environment where people will love to live and shop. So far so good. The community and local government support has been amazing. A breath of fresh air. We are here to stay. — Darren Sheffield, Owner
COMING SOON: ODIN Crossfit
Odin Crossfit has been in business for over 6 years providing group and coach led cross-fit classes on Bowman’s Farm Road. The popular gym has outgrown its current facility and is preparing to move to North Market Street.
Underway now, ODIN Crossfit’s signficant investment at 622 N Market will transform the previously vacant warehouse space behind Whitesell Medical Supply into a modern gym facility with an edgy-feel. Due to the catalytic nature of the project, ODIN Crossfit has received multiple awards to support the project — including Frederick County Chamber of Commerce’s SHE Pitch Competition’s “Growth Stage” Award and The City of Frederick’s GROW Grant.
We are so excited to be able to expand and grow our membership while being a part of the Downtown community. We are ready to spice up the North side of Downtown Frederick and provide people with the best 1hr. of their day! - Allison Jachowski, Owner
Gravel & Grind
After a brief hiatus, the popular coffee and bike shop has resurfaced in Frederick’s up-and-coming North Market area. Originally located on Carroll Street, Gravel & Grind is now located at 15 E. 6th Street -- bringing new life to a post-war era car dealership building.
Requiring significant infrastructural improvements to reactivate the space, this project also received support from The City of Frederick’s GROW Grant program.
Coming SOON: Spacie Gracie
The owners of the popular Bushwaller’s Pub are preparing to launch a second venture at 543 North Market Street (the site of the former Guido’s restaurant).
“Spacie Gracie will be a local cocktail-lovers lounge where luxurious décor meets local appeal. It will be a relaxing and inviting atmosphere with just a hint of the quirky. No need to dress up, come as you are and enjoy a deliciously crafted cocktail and show off your competitive spirit with our game room in the back. Spacie Gracie should be opening up early 2022!” — Amber DeMorett, Owner
The Center: Sound | Mind | Body
Earlier this year, mother-daughter team Maren & Mari Good opened The Center at 28 E 6th Street — just steps from North Market Street.
The new venue offers gong mediations, Pilates, and various styles of yoga and movement classes. The business features on-site parking, heated floors, and a virtually soundproof space, as well as a full line of essential oils and custom aromatherapy.
TAG Artists
TAG/The Artist Gallery of Frederick Inc. is an artist-owned organization established in 1990 to showcase high-quality original art. The organization’s gallery relocated to 501 N Market Street this past April.
TAG’s relocation helps build a growing gallery scene in the upper region of North Market. The area between 3rd and 6th North Market Street now features five arts venues including: TAG, Bravura, Griffin Art Center, NOMA Gallery, and Gallery 322.
Although taking place slightly before the pandemic, we would be remiss not to mention three other fairly recent catalytic projects that are helping spark new energy in North Market’s 500 block —-
Olde Mother Brewing Co.:
After three years in business on E Patrick Street, Olde Mother Brewing Co expanded to 526 N Market Street in August 2018. The popular local company transformed a vacant auto space to accommodate its new brewery with tasting & entertainment space. Since the business’ open it has attracted a significant surge in foot traffic to the area.
“I came across the vacant Top Gun Collision Center walking my dogs downtown one evening and knew I had to see the space to consider for our expansion. We had our minds set on a 10,000 sqft minimum space, and this oddly shaped location worked perfectly! It was perfect for our vision of building a craft brewery in Downtown Frederick right on Market Street.
We are confident that our long term plans will pay off as the gap between the already popular downtown area and us closes. We welcomed our neighbors Gravel and Grind just a few months ago, there is a gym opening soon the next block up, and we are excited for the new concept to come alive across the street at the previous Guido's Speakeasy location. We look forward to the steady growth of our brand & customer base, and continuing to serve our neighborhood & local community.” — Keith Marcoux, Owner
520 North Market Apartments:
Just a few doors down the street, PIRHL Developers, LLC and Interfaith Housing Alliance partnered to develop the 520 N. Market Apartments — a workforce housing development offering 59-units with a mix of one- two- and three-bedroom units. Completed in 2019, the project involved the adaptive reuse of a former 1900’s school building as well as two new construction buildings.
The Affiliated Barbershop:
The Affiliated Barbershop was established at 500 N Market in 2019 by Frederick native & veteran, Chris Foreman. His resilient team of artists pushed through the challenges of the pandemic and are proud to continue to deliver the best cuts, fades, shapes, and shaves at the corner of 5th and Market.
Interested in starting a business in Frederick? Contact the City’s Department of Economic Development at 301-600-6360 or business@cityoffrederickmd.gov to schedule a kick-off meeting today.