Towson Town Center

The riots this past weekend in Towson should not be a surprise, and the disturbance was not an isolated incident. The weekends in downtown Towson have been a time bomb waiting to explode. The colleges in the Towson area continue to grow with inadequate housing, thus nearly every apartment and condo complex in Towson has college students living in it. Add to this, the daily influx of teens coming in from Baltimore City to hang out at the Towson Town Center, and you get more confrontations and an increase in crime.

Tonight is Fashion's Night Out, and not only in New York City. Baltimore area shopping destinations are getting in on the fashion world's "shopping extravaganza," a single night that started in New York in 2009 to highlight fashion, restore consumer confidence and give retailers a boost during the recession. Last year, 18 countries participated and 4,500 events were held in the U.S. alone, designer appearances, celebrity guests, fashion shows and musical performances, according to Weinberg Harris & Associates, which represents Towson Town Center.

As a resident and small business owner in Charles Village for more than 20 years, I applaud Rotunda owner Hekemian & Co. for advancing and sticking to their plan to turn the mall-styled shopping center "inside out" by re-orienting the stores to face the sidewalks and street ("Rotunda's owners tweak redesign," Aug. 16). While I greatly respect the views of the city officials who think otherwise, their position in favor of a more traditional, inward-facing mall are not in sync with well established community development best-practices.

With colorful dishware gleaming and bins stuffed to overflowing with every possible kitchen gadget, Sur La Table opened in Towson Town Center Friday. Music sung by French vocalists played and espresso was flowing as visitors surveyed the new 4,800-square-foot store managed by Anthony Harris. The store, which will employ more than 20 full- and part-time workers, is still hiring, Harris said. Sur La Table began in 1972 in Seattle's Pike Place Market with a philosophy that the kitchen is the center of the home.

Sur la Table the “hardware store for cooks” will open tomorrow at Towson Town Center. This is the first Sur la Table in Baltimore area, which means cooks here no longer have to trek to Annapolis, D.C. or Virginia to get their cookware or tools. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays; noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays. The 4,800-square-foot store is located near the Crate & Barrel entrance, one level below the food court. During tomorrow's opening, shoppers can get free espresso, lattes and other coffee drinks during demonstrations of coffee machines.

  Consumers who buy clothing and footwear under $100 will get a break on the state's sales tax during Maryland-Tax-Free Week from Sunday, Aug. 12 to Sat. Aug. 18. Managers at Towson Town Center said they plan to lure shoppers on the first day of the week with gift card prizes ranging from $10 to $500. Starting at noon on Sunday, Aug. 12, the first 500 shoppers to visit the mall's customer service booth in the food court on level three will get a scratch off game card, a chance to win a gift card.

The forecast isn't pretty, with highs predicted in the high 90s, and thousands of people are without power. What's a parent to do to keep cool? Here's a roundup of some places with air conditioning that are open (subject to change, of course, and assuming you can see this on a wireless device before your battery runs out): Howard County Libraries are open normal hours today, according to the Howard County Government Facebook page . (Glenwood is open but has no A/C. UPDATE: Miller Branch is now closed due to power outages.)

The luxury wing of Towson Town Center will get its biggest influx of new or relocated stores since the upscale addition opened nearly four years ago, with cooking shop Sur La Table and resort-wear retailer Lilly Pulitzer among those planning to open by late August. Other tenants unveiled by mall managers on Wednesday include Marbles: The Brain Store —specializing in games, puzzles and books — and L'Occitane —offering fragrances and personal-care products. Both will open in August.

Clarks, a British footwear store, is opening a store in Towson Town Center in late April. The store will be in the Nordstrom Wing on the fourth level. The retailer has more than 250 stores in the United States and Puerto Rico. Among them are three stores in Maryland at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, the Mall in Columbia and Westsfield Annapolis.        

Towson Town Center is hosting National Wear Red Day on Friday, Feb. 3, in conjunction with Go Red For Women, a program of the American Heart Association. The event is designed to increase awareness of the threat to women of heart disease and heart attacks. Shoppers are encouraged to wear red to Towson Town Center on Friday. During the day, they can also visit the Grand Court on level 1 between noon and 6 p.m. and have their picture taken, while explaining why they decided to "Go Red. " For each photo taken, Towson Town Center will donate $1 to Go Red for Women, up to $5,000.