filene's basement stays open after all

It's kind of confusing but, as you probably know, the Filene's Basement chain has been struggling. It had closed two of its three Baltimore-area stores, leaving only the Downtown Baltimore location at Lockwood Place open.

Last week, a bankruptcy court auctioned Filene's off and the winning bidder, the Men's Wearhouse chain, announced it would close the Downtown store. They didn't say why, and you can never really know in these situations. Of course, people tried to read into it. Was this a blow to Downtown? What's wrong with Downtown that they didn't keep the store open? In all probability, it had to do with what other stores the company already has in the area, its distribution system, or the like. But we'll never really know.

And the point is moot because last week's auction was challenged and the court held a new auction today. This one was won by the clothing retailer, Syms, which, we've been told by insiders, will keep the Downtown store open.

We worked very hard behind the scenes to make this happen, as did the Mayor, BDC, the Lockwood Place developers, and the employees of the Filene's store themselves.

There'll be more about this in the press, I'm sure. For the meantime, let's savor the good news.

-Mike Evitts

checking out the hotel monaco

Hotel Monaco staff welcoming visitors for a preview tour

We've been fortunate to get preliminary looks at the new Hotel Monaco that's scheduled to open in the historic B&O building (at Charles and Baltimore Streets) in about a month. It's part of the high-end Kimpton hotel chain and they've done a great job building out this unique space.

There will be a little more than 200 rooms with top amenities - lots of marble, plush fabrics, swanky fixtures, and top-of-the-line service.

a view of the new bar, looking down from the upstairs dining level

There will also be a restaurant with its own entrance on Charles Street. It will be casual but upscale. Yesterday, they were unwrapping the furniture and workers were busy installing fixtures for the bar. At the back of the room, which features a two-story atrium in the front and table seating in an open upstairs area, there's another bar and a special pizza oven.

The restaurant will be a welcome addition to this part of City Center which, aside from the Shula's steakhouse just down the block on Baltimore Street, doesn't enjoy a lot of nighttime dining options.

-Mike Evitts

shuttle launch

The mayor unveiled the new busses and name of the Downtown shuttle. When it begins in late summer / early fall the service will be called the Charm City Circulator.

It'll consist of about 20 clean-energy busses that run on three continuously looping routes. One will go from west Baltimore (near the B&O Museum) through the heart of the Downtown tourist district and terminate in Harbor East. The second will run from South Baltimore (near Cross Street Market) north to Penn Station. The third will run from Harbor East north to the Hopkins medical campus.

Busses will hit stops approximately every 10 minutes and they're equipped with gps messaging so you can get a text sent to your computer or cell phone when one is approaching your stop.

And it's totally free to ride.

We had a lot to do with getting this new service off the ground. From the idea of creating this service itself to identifying a steady source of funding, to bus selection and route determinations. But the credit really goes to the Mayor who felt this is something important for the city to take on. Her department of transportation has worked doggedly to hash out the details and make the circulator a reality.

We hope everyone will give it a try. It's not your typical bus and will deliver superior customer service. Even if you pay to park at your office each day, the circulator will mean you can quickly and easily get to appointments without having to move your car and pay to re-park.

-Mike Evitts