Over 50 businesses have found their way to Towson since 2020

Business in Towson is booming. 

Over 50 different businesses have found their way to Towson since the beginning of 2020, according to Nancy Hafford, Executive Director of Towson’s Chamber of Commerce.

“Towson has become more of the urban environment in Baltimore County; it’s sort of like a mini downtown, but it’s a safe place to go,” Hafford said. “Towson University is a very important part of making that happen.”

The university, which welcomed its largest-ever incoming class for the Fall 2023 semester, also owns some buildings in Uptown, including the armory and a former-hotel-turned-residential building on Burke Avenue, among others.

Towson students frequent Uptown for its restaurants and bars. Among the most popular bars in the area are the Rec Room, owned by Brian and Scott Recher, and the neighboring Towson Tavern and The Recher. 

Brian Recher credits the shift back to pre-COVID norms as a main reason why his businesses have seen an increase in business over the last couple of years.

The Recher family has been in Towson for over 28 years, and Brian Recher says they’ve been fortunate to make some good business decisions over the years.

Since opening businesses in Towson, Recher has seen more bars and restaurants open in the Towson area. However, he doesn’t see them as competition. Instead, they’re a reason people come to the area.

“We get people from everywhere,” says Recher, who has seen people make a night out of going to different bars in Towson. “Of course, you want them to stay at your place. But the whole idea of community is for everybody to succeed. In a perfect world, they’ll stop at more than one place so that everybody benefits.”

But it isn’t just older businesses that are thriving in Towson. Roggenart European Bakery, Bistro & Cafe opened in Towson in March 2023. Since then, owner Brody Tennent said the business went through a “honeymoon phase” of business right after opening. However, the sales have remained high, especially over the last six months.

“People know who we are and I think people are starting to know we’re there,” Tennent said. “Definitely have seen some growth over the last six months or so.”

Roggenart opened a new location in Baltimore on Monday, marking the seventh open location for the company. When Tennent opened the Towson location, he factored many different things into the decision.

“We look for the right customer bases; that is our clientele, and we try to go wherever that is,” he said. “Towson is such an integral part of Baltimore County. A big workforce is there. There’s also people that appreciate quality food in Towson and I think that really solidifies what we’re looking for in regard to finding the right mix of community, the right mix of business, and the right mix of people that want to come down and have a nice, unique experience.”

Another business that has moved to Towson since 2020 is Aveley Farms Coffee Roasters, which opened in October 2022. Avaley Farms started in Harbor East but was forced to move after the building they were in was sold. Owner Corey Voelkel said the company was already looking to expand to Towson, so it made sense to move there.

Towson is currently the only location, but it was announced on Friday that Avaley Farms is partnering with Diamondback Brewing Company and opening a store in Timonium.

In addition to being born and raised in Towson, Voelkel decided to open a shop in Uptown Towson because of the economic activity in the area.

“You have the college campus, which is a big economic driver,” Voelkel said. “The surrounding area, the suburbs in general. And then you have Baltimore County Courthouse; you have a lot of economic activity, and I just felt like it was an underserved area in terms of coffee.” 

Voelkel said he doesn’t get too many Towson students inside Aveley Farms, but he has partnered with Aramark, Towson’s new food vendor company. Aveley Farms has a cafe on Towson’s campus, part of Local Restaurant Row, an initiative from Aramark to bring local businesses on campus.

Aveley Farms moved into a building that had been vacated for 12-15 years, according to Voelkel. Bringing it back to life is indicative of what is going on with a surge in business in the area.

With the new businesses coming to the area, Hafford said there has been an increased need for more housing. Hafford said there’s a need for housing for students, as well as higher-priced housing for longer-term residents to help businesses deal with the quieter months.

Most students go home over the summer, leaving a three-month gap in the middle of the year during which many businesses see less customer traffic.

“The one slight downfall with student housing when it’s in Towson is that when they go away for the summer, it sucks all those bodies out at one time,” Hafford said. “So you want to have a balance between higher-end liveable housing and student housing.”

To combat the problem, Towson is creating more non-student housing. A 175-room hotel opened recently on Susquehanna Avenue, providing more housing for visitors.