A Visit to the Vibrant Lyttonsville Business Community
David Petr and Daniel Parra visited the Lyttonsville area district on May 17 to meet with business owners, discuss opportunities and share community updates. We were joined by Signarama owner, Stacey Brown, and business community liaison, Leonor Chavez, for a fruitful (and rainy) day and great opportunity to connect directly with local owners.
We had a great visit with members of the local business community, sharing ways in which MCEDC can offer resources and provide information to help local businesses continue to be successful. We enjoyed the positive exchange of ideas with this dynamic, close-knit business community, one that dates back to the 1850s. During our visits, we were able to pass along updates about zoning, the bridge rebuild project, the purple line and other key points of interest. It was especially meaningful to connect with the Lyttonsville business owners, many of whom have been an integral part of the community for 25 years, some much longer. Business owners expressed appreciation for the positive changes that have taken place in the area, including safety improvements.
We conveyed to the business owners that zoning would not be changing. We updated business owners about the bridge rebuild project, detailing specific work-around plans for traffic as the new, improved bridge is rebuilt, all part of the construction project for the 16.2-mile purple line. The historic bridge is more than 100 years old and MCDOT has plans to preserve some of the steel girders, an important piece of history for the community. Signage will show alternative routes to get to businesses during the repair period, with the bridge rebuild project on an expedited schedule for a quicker completion. Once repairs are completed, the bridge will be a renewed gateway to the strong Lyttonsville business community.
Some of the owners also expressed interest in learning more about available energy tax credits.
Our group had the pleasure of walking through Brookville Road today in Montgomery County. We visited with a variety of business owners, including the following:
- Signarama – Stacey Brown
- CleverDog – Jean Redmond
- Ecoprint – Robert Firestein
- Moorenko’s – Mathew Klein
- Bell Flowers – Chad Mangum
- Vaccaro's Desserts – Nick Vaccaro
- Superior Plantings – Patrick McCarthy
- Creative Cakes – Randi Brecher
- TW Perry
Signarama moved from Georgia Avenue and is taking advantage of the less expensive rent in the area, and using that savings to fund various projects. Clever Dog has grown during their time in the area and now has two facilities: one for grooming and another for boarding. Ecoprint is housed in an ecological building producing a high percentage of the energy they use. Moorenko’s is a hometown favorite ice cream shop, very involved in the community. The shop receives visits from schools giving them the opportunity to showcase their production process.
Bell Flowers, a long-time floral business in the Silver Spring area, received a certificate of excellence from the Governor’s office. We were able to present them with their honor. Vacarro’s Desserts celebrated its centennial a few years ago, and continues to create its unique, traditional Cannoli recipe, and is very well known in the bakery industry across the country. New kid on the block is Superior Plantings, a company that is very excited about their prospects and the vibrant business community they have found in the area. Creative Cakes creates beautiful custom cakes for special occasions and gets orders from people around the region and beyond.
Our visit to the Lyttonsville area helped us engage directly with the community, address questions, and provide information to help fuel the continued success of the local Lyttonsville business district.