Maryland Stores

Retailers have had a difficult few years, especially the small shops that make up the bulk of the Maryland Retailers Association's membership. As the trade group's president since June 2010, Patrick Donoho has seen the effects of the recession as many longtime members were forced to close shop. Now with about 250 members, including hardware stores and other independent merchants, grocers, department stores and national chains representing 1,200 locations, the trade group is rebuilding.

Wine is one of the last bastions of old-fashioned retailing. In some ways that's good. In most it's awful.The good part is that a well-run liquor store that specializes in wine can be a place of great personality -- "where everybody knows your name," as the song goes. The owners take a personal interest in customers, make good recommendations and even call customers when an item of interest comes in.The problem is that these stores are rare, especially in Maryland. Out of hundreds of liquor outlets in the state, maybe two dozen offer superior selection and service.

Channel Home centers in Pasadena and Annapolis will close at the endof March if a new owner is not found.The bankrupt home improvement retailer has started negotiating with several potential buyers, but no Maryland stores have sold yet, spokesman Alan Barrington said.The Whippany, N.J.-based independent chain wants to sell 11 Maryland stores as a group, Barrington said. He could not predict the likelihood of the stores selling by March.Channel employs 34 people at Giant Festival At Riva and 35 at Festival at Pasadena on Ritchie Highway.

Do-it-yourself home-improvement retailer Channel Home Centers Inc. has been approached by potential buyers interested in purchasing the 11 Maryland stores it is planning to sell or close as part of a bankruptcy reorganization plan, Channel President Joseph Nusim said yesterday.According to Mr. Nusim, "several" potential buyers, including rival hardware chains, expressed interest in Channel's Maryland outlets -- seven of which are in the greater Baltimore area."We are in the process of attempting to sell all those stores as group" he said, adding it was too early to tell when or if the sales would actually occur.

Channel Home Centers Inc. filed for protection under Chapter 11 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Newark, N.J., yesterday and announced it will sell or close its do-it-yourself home-improvement stores in the Baltimore-Washington area.Channel's 11 Maryland stores -- seven of which are in the Baltimore area -- will be put up for sale as part of the reorganization, said Sandra Sternberg of Sistrick and Co., Channel's public relations company.Managers at Channel stores, who as late as 7 p.m. yesterday had not heard of the company's bankruptcy filing, were to be told of the company's plans later last night by Channel executives, Ms. Sternberg said.

The kerfuffle over the proposed wine store in Wegmans' newest location in Columbia heralds the next looming battle in consumers' fight to modernize Maryland's alcohol policy. The recent Howard County liquor board hearing demonstrated the intensity of both sides' arguments. The local retailers, backed by the alcohol distributors, fear increased competition — while consumer groups clamor for greater convenience and selection, and lower prices. The alcohol industry in Maryland has traditionally dictated its own regulations.

American Retail Group Inc., the parent company of Norcross, Ga.-based Uptons department stores, will close the 75-store chain, which has two outlets in Maryland.More than 4,000 people, including the 99 employees of the stores in Columbia and Gaithersburg, will lose their jobs.The stores will close by the end of the year after liquidating their inventory."It's a very competitive industry," American Retail spokeswoman Shira Weissman said yesterday."Our financial performance is not meeting our expectations."

An article in The Sun yesterday stated incorrectly that all Leggett department stores in Maryland will now be open on Sundays. The article failed to mention the Leggett store in California, Md., which will not be open Sundays.The Sun regrets the error.Responding to changes in customer shopping habits, the Leggett department store chain is breaking with family tradition and permanently opening its stores on Sundays.The 45-store chain's two Maryland stores -- at Cranberry Mall in Westminster and Francis Scott Key Mall in Frederick -- will be open from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays, beginning July 18."

A New York company that makes vanilla rugelach sold in Maryland stores is recalling the product because it contains undeclared eggs, which may cause a life-threatening illness if consumed by anyone with an allergy or severe sensitivity to eggs. Bloch's Best Inc., doing business as Laromme of Monsey, N.Y., is pulling its Laromme brand vanilla rugelach because the 14-oz. round containers do not list eggs among the ingredients. The product was distributed in stores in Massachusetts, Maryland and New Jersey, according to the release posted on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website.

John Minutella rushed through the doors of Ace Hardware in Waverly on Friday evening, his shirt dampened with sweat and face flushed red. "Please tell me you have batteries and flashlights," he pleaded to anyone who would listen. "Please tell me yes. " The response: blank stares. Then a salesman, Anthony Williams, spoke up, looking toward an empty shelf. "I can tell you where they used to be. " As people crowded stores across the Baltimore region looking for storm necessities in preparation for Hurricane Irene, the demand for batteries reached a fever pitch and seemed to outpace the clamoring for bread and bottled water.