Homegrown shops feeling forced out in Festival at Riva

By KATIE ARCIERI, Staff Writer

Published 03/01/09

A shopping center owned by the state's $26 billion pension fund is trying to force out small businesses that have been in the Parole development for decades, according to several merchants inside the complex.

The Triantafilledes family has been running Family Barber Shop in the Festival at Riva shopping center since 1989. But after countless haircuts, the family nearly lost the shop at the Forest Drive center last summer, said Nick Triantafilledes, who owns the business with his father, Trifon.

Riva Retail Inc., the landlord that runs the complex for the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System, gave the barber shop an...

This story has expired!
You can purchase the full text in our news archives.

YOUR COMMENTS

RULES OF PARTICIPATION

If you encounter other problems, please email ewiffin@capitalgazette.com and include your name, username, and any errors or messages that are displayed. The more information you can provide, the better able we will be to assist you.

In order to post or vote on a comment, you must be signed in with a hometownannapolis account.

Take a look at a summary of Commenting Guidelines.

Report Abuse or Vote In order to allow the user community the ability to collectively rank the value of comments posted on the Capital Gazette websites we have implemented a thumbs-up/down system. All logged-in users may participate by voting up/down each comment. If others vote on your comment, your individual score will go up/down depending on the votes. Initially, everyone starts with a score of zero, and must earn credits to have significant voting weight. Individuals with higher scores will have more voting weight. 0 0

It's not so much about the rent - 2009-03-24 10:01:36

The issue really isn't so much about the rent. Some of these businesses, who have been here many years, would be happy just to be given the opportunity to renew their lease, even if it means an increase which would bring them up to the market standard.

The real issue is that the businesses are being forced out. Some have been promised a new lease in writing, only to have the management go back on their word and try to terminate it. Others have been forced to pay on a month to month basis, only to have the management terminate that when something bigger & better is found.

Is it within their right to do so? Sure. Is it the way that businesses who have been there 20 years should be treated? That's the issue.

unhide Comment hidden due to low ranking. Why is this comment hidden?

Ryan L. - ANNAPOLIS, MD - Karma: Neutral

Market Rents - 2009-03-01 20:38:43

I do not understand what all of the fuss is about. It sounds like a lot of these merchants were paying way less than market rent to begin with. Pay up or move out. That's why leases are not indefinite.

unhide Comment hidden due to low ranking. Why is this comment hidden?

Jesse B. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral