Mall In Columbia

Tonight, after eating turkey and playing board games, Sarah Maxwell plans to kiss her daughters and husband goodbye, drink a Red Bull and go shopping. For the past two years, the Elkridge stay-at-home mother has teamed up with a girlfriend to hit the sales that many stores offer before the sun has risen on Black Friday. But this year, she's taking extra precautions to be sure she will be safe when she goes to Arundel Mills for its midnight opening. "We're definitely going with a group - eight people.

3 retailers due at The Mall in Columbia The Mall in Columbia has signed tenant lease agreements with three national retailers, Janie and Jack, Crazy 8 and Pumpkin Patch. Janie and Jack, a national brand of Gymboree Corp., has opened a 1,200-square-foot store on the upper level of the mall in center court. The shop offers clothing and accessories for children from premature infants to 8-year-olds. Crazy 8, a recent addition to Gymboree's brands, will open on the lower level of the mall in September.

For Katie Essing, transitioning from one Columbia to another has been quite the shift. Essing, 33, began work as The Mall in Columbia's senior general manager June 30, leaving her post as general manager of Columbia Mall in Columbia, Mo. She was hired in May to fill the spot left open by Karen Geary, who resigned in April. "It's a beautiful property. It's got fantastic retailers and restaurants, and it's just an exciting opportunity," Essing said of the Howard County mall, which is owned by General Growth Properties Inc. The Chicago-based company also owns Columbia Mall and Capital Mall, two shopping centers in Missouri that Essing managed since 2005.

Stanley Weinberg started styling hair as part of his physical therapy for a hand injury he received during basic training for the Army. Nearly 40 years later, Weinberg has retired as a hairdresser - and he's leaving behind a slew of saddened clients and co-workers, while taking with him decades of Columbia memories. Weinberg, whose final day working was last Saturday, has been a stylist at Rafet's Hairmasters for more than 39 years. The salon opened in the Oakland Mills village center in 1969 and moved two years later to The Mall in Columbia.

Consultants gave residents a glimpse last week of a Columbia no longer so dependent on cars -- a place where walking, biking and taking a train or bus were all very real options for getting around. "We believe that Columbia will be a very attractive part of the regional transit network," said Matt McKibbin, senior transportation planner for ARUP based in San Francisco. "Columbia will be served by a range of transit options that will increase connectivity. There really isn't good incentive for transit to come to Columbia right now. This development makes that case."

Fourteen years ago, Julie Ostheller was struggling with her health. The stay-at-home mom - a former grade school teacher - was suffering from a type of lupus. Then a job fell into her lap that turned Ostheller's life, and health, around. A young mother with a degree in early childhood education, Ostheller was asked to be part of a talk on children's literature. "At the end of the conversation, they said, `Would you be interested in being the story lady at Owings Mills [Mall]?'

General Growth Properties Inc. unveiled its plan for downtown Columbia last night, with redevelopment ideas that include a skating rink, new office, retail and hotel space and walking routes from The Mall in Columbia to the lakefront and Merriweather Post Pavilion. "What we're trying to do here is lay out what we think is a 30-year plan," said Gregory F. Hamm, GGP's regional vice president and Columbia general manager. "During all this time, we hope we've listened. We hope we've learned, but we're not done."

Customer service rep Patrice Howell loves staying on top of trends and ahead of the season, fashion-wise. But, finding those fashions at a bargain is also a top priority. Age: 26 Residence: Baltimore Job: Saleswoman for Chase's Corner, a clothing store inside Blade Master Barber Shop on Reisterstown Road Self-described style: Vintage. Classy. Elegant. Looking like you paid more than you did. The look: Ruched gray cotton turtleneck drop waist dress. Brown plaid blazer. Brown cotton / spandex leggings.

The Women's Giving Circle of Howard County will hold its sixth annual meeting and social from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. April 16 at The Spear Center in the General Growth Properties Building in downtown Columbia. Donors, friends and members of the community are invited to attend. Wine and refreshments will be served. Diane Schumacher, Howard Community College athletic director, will speak about "A Celebration of Girls and Women in Sports: Title IX at 35." She will discuss the impact of Title IX on women's athletics.

A 17-year-old boy who might have been involved in a dispute with other teens was stabbed multiple times yesterday in the parking lot at The Mall in Columbia, Howard County police said. The victim was in critical condition last night at Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he was taken by state police helicopter, police said. Officers responded to a 3:55 p.m. call at the mall, off Little Patuxent Parkway, and within two hours they had had detained two male teenagers near the shopping center, a police spokeswoman said.