Moving out, moving forward for Red Apron Shoppe while less seasoned entrepreneurs shine at chamber’s Small Business Awards ceremony

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi

and Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services

The end of May saw a flurry of activity at The Red Apron Shoppe at 4A Riggs Avenue as the establishment held a closeout sale with prices slashed as much at 75%. Though merchandise was moving fast, the shop still held onto the homey, neighborly feeling it was known for.

Owner MaryAnn Neal, who opened the Red Apron Shoppe with husband Cam in May of 2021, was busily overseeing sales inside the shop while simultaneously greeting friends and customers.

An attractive hearth painted white nestled between some high-end purses, an easy chair and matching footstool and a rack of clothing that included some vintage pieces.

Outside, behind the shop, lawn and garden items were for sale. A sign saying “Estate Sale Today” surprised no one familiar with the Neal’s primary business, Red Apron Estate Sales.

MaryAnn initially created her Red Apron brand in 2012 in order to sell pieces of furniture she’d been collecting and refinishing from estate sales. She sold them at a series of Second Sunday Markets she organized at what is now Boone Station Hall. That same year, she ran her first estate sale as a favor for a bereaved neighbor and found she had a knack for the complicated process of organizing one. Soon thereafter, she and Cam opened Red Apron Estate Sales.

MaryAnn always hated the idea of “one more thing going into a landfill that didn’t need to when it still had a great life left”. Consequently, she continued collecting good quality pieces that didn’t sell – pieces that became the inventory when she and Cam opened The Red Apron Shoppe nine years later in the historic Riggs Avenue building that was built in the 1920’s. (It was home to Dr. Francis Codd’s pharmacy for over a decade before becoming Cliff Dawson’s variety store featuring liquor sales, a soda fountain and a slot machine. It next was home to the Antique Marketplace until the owner decided to retire and the Neals opened The Red Apron Shoppe.)

The couple’s vision for shop was to feature items that would bring back that neighborhood feeling that Olde Severna Park had for many years, including while Cam was growing up there. They largely accomplished that goal.

The store featured old, new and local treasures and was notable for its history and because it carried items well-loved in the past that we can love once more. Every item – from penny candy and vinyl records to fine China and wooden furniture – stirred memories and kindled our imagination to envision what it might become. The Red Apron Shoppe sold homemade breads from local bakers, fresh eggs from a local farm and items from local craftspeople.

It was a place where you could find drawers of vintage hardware and glassware or beautifully refinished and repurposed pieces of furniture by local crafters.

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The shop also served as a hub for family and friends to gather for special occasions like watching the Severna Park Independence Day Parade together or watching the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber’s Community Tree Lighting celebration in December.

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Sadly, The Red Apron Shoppe’s days at 4 Riggs Avenue are over. The Neals noted that there may be some renovations to the building, but the rents were doubling which made staying there untenable. For the time being, they’ll continue to sell their inventory online while keeping their eyes open for another location…but probably not in Severna Park. As The Red Apron Team said in an Instagram message, “This isn’t goodbye, just cya later”.

Meantime, the Red Apron Estate Sales part of the business is booming. According to MaryAnn, estate sales no longer take place only when people pass away. They’re most often held because folks are downsizing to a smaller house or condo. They have too much stuff and no idea how to dispose of what they don’t need. That’s where Red Apron Estate Sales comes in to help them liquidate those no-longer-needed belongings.

Curious to see what a Red Apron Estate Sale was like, we ventured to one two weekends ago. Arriving at the estate sale property, we saw cars lining both sides of the street and people coming and going – some carrying packages or pieces of furniture.

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Entering the garage, we spotted MaryAnn checking to be sure everything was shipshape. Early in the day, things were pretty much intact but later the garage swarmed with prospective buyers.

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A collection of tractor models apparently impressed some shoppers as much as it impressed us. When we later visited the garage as it grew busier, we noticed that the tractor models had been sold.

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A separate machine shop located down the hill from the back yard held woodworking, gardening and mechanical tooling items that were going like hotcakes.

There were many attractive baskets, lots of dishes and, luckily for me, there was an extensive collection of well-priced glassware. I ended up buying some blue glasses to complete a set I already own

There was jewelry to browse through but little was left in the way of clothing save a single pair of cowboy boots.

Among the shoppers preceding me to the Red Apron check-out table was a gentleman buying a dozen faux poinsettia plants that would make perfect Christmas decorations, a woman buying and ornamental grate, and another woman with a wooden box full of CD’s and other items.

You can follow Red Apron Estate Sales & Shoppe online at Estate Liquidator | Red Apron Estate Sales & Shoppe | Severna Park, on Facebook at Red Apron Estate Sales | Severna Park MD | Facebook, and on Twitter at Red Apron (@redapronprod) / Twitter and on Instagram at Red Apron Shoppe (@redapronshoppe) | Instagram.

A new crop of entrepreneurs honored at Chamber’s Small Business Awards

The patio at Garten on Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard was the setting for the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber’s Small Business Awards presentation last Thursday. The evening was beautiful and the garden at Garten welcoming, so the event was something of a social occasion for the chamber members gathered to honor the award nominees and winners.

Sidestreet Framers and Gift Gallery owner Dawn Wilson (who was a Small Business Award nominee) arrived with Stephanie Lavis, the shop’s well-known framer for 31 years. After being greeted by Chamber CEO Liz League, the two split up to circulate.

League was soon seen chatting with Heather Barnstead from Severna Park High School and Christine Joyce from Long & Foster. Joyce serves as “kind of an ambassador for the chamber” at various functions. Barnstead, who’d come to support Small Business Award winner, Zachary Yeatman, was also spotted chatting with Zachary’s parents, Dr. Holly Yeatman and husband Jeffrey.

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Meantime, it was thumbs up from Mad Soaps’ Christian Buchleitner, an award nominee who, along with business partner Travis Wray, fell into conversation with longtime chamber member Betty Winkelmeyer Wells, Voice Media, Inc. publisher Dianna Lancione and Voice Media’s VP of Business Development Jonathan Katz. Buchleitner said Mad Soaps does auto and boat detailing and ceramic coating and just built a shop in Edgewater at Gingerville Marina.

We spotted other winners in the crowd as well as a lot of long-time members of the chamber. Members Jennifer Miller and Theresa Connelly from Chesapeake Think Tank even drove up from the company’s Stevensville office on the Eastern Shore.

Nancy Greer, owner of Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi, and Amy Clark from M & T Bank traded the latest news from the business community while Nkongolo, League and Lancione chatted with Logozone Promotions’ Tommy Sommers about the recent SHOP LOCAL event at Park Plaza.

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Once all of the winners arrived, Liz League announced the nominees for each category and the winner. We list them here:

Rising Star Student of the Year, Zachary Yeatman, JZ Power Washing, LLC – WINNER!
Accounting Advocate – Christy Bennet, Emerald Financial Partners
Financial Services Champion – Jason LaBarge, LaBarge Financial
Minority Owned Small Business – LaToya Nkongolo, Work Life Behavior Health
Woman Owned Small Business – Diane Whittles, SERVPRO
Home Based Business – Karima Davis, Tutor Partners
Young Entrepreneur – Christian Buchleitiner, Mad Soaps, Inc.
Veteran Owned Small Business – Angela Meggs, Angie D Entertainment
Family-Owned Small Business – Dawn Wilson, Side Street Framers

Winner, Zachary Yeatman is a student at Severna Park High School who recently started his own power washing business. He notes that he was trained by someone who has been professionally power washing for 10 years and offer very good prices and premium quality work.

For information about the chamber’s other activities including their next big occasion, the annual Severna Park Independence Day Parade, visit Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber of Commerce (gspacc.com).

The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center.)

and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high quality consistent care.