It?s prime retail real estate in Baltimore?s Inner Harbor on Pratt Street, but the owners don?t want just any tenant to occupy it.
“They have been very selective on who they are leasing to,” said Robert Aydukovic, vice president of economic development for the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, a nonprofit association aimed at attracting businesses to downtown. “They could have leased the building five times over.”
It?s called Lockwood Placeand its third floor is home to a Best Buy electronics retail store, which is the kind of big-name tenant the owners, David S. Brown Enterprises, would like to see at 300 East Pratt St. Lockwood Place sits directly across the street from the tourist-heavy National Aquarium and restaurants and shops in the Power Plant.
No one from David S. Brown Enterprises could be reached for comment.
Lockwood contains “90,000 square feet of prime retail space for a mix of upscale retailers and restaurants in a modern three-story glass and steel landmark building,” according to the firm?s Web site, davidsbrown.com.
Aydukovic said Brown Enterprises? approach to bring high-profile retailers to the site makes sense because of the growing residential units coming to the Inner Harbor area.
“If you look at the way the Power Plant is leased, it?s mostly entertainment with bars and restaurants,” he said.
A retailer like Best Buy attracts tourists looking to get the latest music CD or a camera while in town but also accommodates residents looking to make major electronic purchases, Aydukovic added.
He hinted that Brown Enterprises may be close to signing a deal with a tenant that is part of a major local chain that would offer clothing and other goods.
Brown Enterprises has several other projects and developments in Maryland, including the Symphony Center at 1010, 1020 and 1040 Park Ave. in Baltimore?s cultural district.
Symphony Center features 120,000 square feet of office space with street-level retail suites along with an attached, covered parking structure and landscaped courtyards.
Brown Enterprises also has retail commercial sites in Owings Mills, White Marsh, Fullerton and other Maryland and Pennsylvania locations.
