Q: Is the national upward trend of inventory going to improve our housing crisis here?
A: No.
Owner/Broker Liz Brent explains.
Author Archives: Kyle
Thinking of Leasing a Space for Your Business?
This $125 Registration Could Be the Difference Between
a Landlord Saying Yes or No
You’ve fine-tuned your business plan, hunted for a space, and finally you are ready to sign a lease–but the landlord says no, not without your SDAT. SDAT? What’s that?
Landlords have one go-to tool for getting a quick snapshot of whether or not a small business is legit: the State Department of Assessment and Taxation database. Every business operating in Maryland must register with the state and annually update their account. Setting it up costs $125 and is easy to do online. The Maryland Business Express site walks you through how.
Skip this step in making your business official, and it could cost you the chance to rent the space you want. Registered businesses are ready for business. If the business name doesn’t show in the database, the landlord is taking a risk entering into a contract with a business that’s not real, legally speaking.
If you’ve followed all the filing instructions, up will pop the name of your business, when it was registered, applicable articles of incorporation, and best of all, one line in all caps, loud and clear:
“THIS BUSINESS IS IN GOOD STANDING.”
How About a Pop-Up?
Fleetwood Market Pop-Up Opens Today – January 7, 2022
by Hannah McCann, January 7, 2022
There can be a lot of questions before a new business and a landlord lock hands on a retail lease. Even when all signs point to yes, it can be easy for both the start-up and the landlord to second-guess a commitment that typically extends for three, five, or even more years. That’s how I found myself recently standing outside a vacant storefront on Sligo Avenue asking, “How about a pop-up?”
Business leaders across the country (and as nearby as Alexandria and Georgetown) have embraced short-term, or “pop-up,” leases as a way to reimagine vacant spaces. Typically open for one to three months, pop-up shops bring buzz to commercial blocks that have gone quiet, help market overlooked vacancies, and incubate followers for a new business. Still, it’s a tough sell for many landlords (and their agents) who are used to one-and-done long-term leases (and the fatter commissions that go with them).
Fortunately for downtown Silver Spring, the landlord of a long-shuttered daycare at 629 Sligo Avenue responded differently when I floated the idea of a pop-up. “Interesting concept,” she said. We began a conversation.
The result goes live today. The storefront at 629 Sligo comes alive as Fleetwood Market, a hip pop-up retail apparel shop. The brainchild of Silver Spring natives Julian Labarca and Lewis Andrews, the shop features a curated inventory of collectible sneakers and clothing and a flurry of giveaways and surprise promotions hyped by Fleetwood Market’s busy Instagram handle, @fleetwoodmarket. Stop by the pop-up shop any day between 12 and 6 PM today through January 23.
Julian and Lewis turned their sights on bringing their passion for collectible apparel to their hometown following graduation from Northwood High School, college, and budding careers in Fortune 500 companies. The buy/sell/trade collectible fashion market is a high-growth industry recently profiled in the New York Times and on CNBC that has exploded during the pandemic. Joining Home Court on nearby Philadelphia Avenue, Fleetwood Market makes this part of downtown Silver Spring a destination for today’s fashion collectors, similar to how the area’s record stores have drawn record collectors for the past decade.
What’s next for Fleetwood Market and 629 Sligo Avenue? It’s too early to say. But one thing is sure: nap time is over at the former daycare, and a homegrown venture is off and running.
- What: Fleetwood Market
- When: 12-6 PM every day, January 7-23, 2022
- Where: 629 Sligo Avenue
- More information: fleetwoodmarketdc@gmail.com
Interested in hosting a pop-up space in your property, or bringing your business concept to market with a short-term pop-up lease? Contact commercial agent Hannah McCann with Go Brent Realty at hannah@gobrentrealty.com or 301-787-6749.
Washington Business Journal Profiles Go Brent Commercial
Free Apple Cider Warm Up! November 20th
The Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade is Saturday, November 20th, and we’ll be out in front of our Silver Spring office serving hot apple cider to warm you up. Swing by and say hello! We’d love to see you.
Warm Clothing Drop Off! November 21st
On Sunday, November 21st (the day after our hot cider for parade goers) we’ll be collecting warm clothing donations for our partners at Linkages to Learning. 9AM-5PM.
We are accepting:
- jackets
- coats
- hats
- gloves
- scarves
All styles, all sizes, in dignity condition, please!
Hope to see you there!
Go Brent Brings The Washington Post to Riverdale Park
Our own Don Bunuan explains what makes Riverdale Park so special – “It’s very much like a small town, super close to D.C. and inside the Beltway”
Click here to read the story
“Pick Me” Letters? No! Liz talks with CNN.
Liz talks with CNN’s Anna Bahney about “Pick Me” letters and why they’re a problem for Fair Housing.
Stop the “Love Letters” – Liz Brent Talks with Washingtonian
Owner and Founder Liz Brent talks with Washingtonian‘s Marisa Kashino about “Love Letters” and why we discourage them.
Liz Brent Talks to CNN About Our Unprecedented Market
“People want to think that this is coronavirus-related,” Brent said. “Yes, there are people who don’t want to sell because of the pandemic, but we are in a housing crisis that has been building for years.”
