What Do You Want To See In Bowie? Our Readers Share Their Ideas

BOWIE, MD — Once again, our readers in Bowie overachieved. We asked them on social media and in Neighbor posts what types of businesses, restaurants, and amenities they'd like to see come to their neighborhood — and boy did they tell us. We received a flood of responses.

MJ Domen had a lot of ideas: "A book store! Miss having options, although I like Barnes and Noble, you had room to visit at Borders. And, yes, we miss Glory Days and the Dairy Queen! (and Outback. We like Texas Roadhouse but it's always noisy. Bed Bath and Beyond?) I prefer not to go to Waugh Chapel/Gambrills. I try to shop Bowie first!"

Rhonda Johnson took advantage of the opportunity to call for a revitalization of South Bowie 301.

Eunice Funderburk suggested a coffee shop with a book store. "A place to browse and be with friends," she said. "I miss Borders. Nice restaurant - not fast food. Stores that offer things we want to buy."

Here are the types of businesses readers would like to see come to Bowie.

• A really good bakery with bread and pastry and a locally-owned ice cream shop with interesting flavors (like Annapolis Ice Cream Company). — Kim Evelyn
• A microbrewery would be nice, please bring us Chop't, but I do love Mezah — Rhonda Washington
• Chop’t or another great salad place(not Sweetgreen), a wine bar, a medium-sized venue for live entertainment like The Soundry in Columbia. Trader Joe’s might be nice. — Nisha Smalls
• I wish there was more to eat on 214, around MeMom's. We drive by often and would like to pick up dinner on the way home & that is the only place available to do so. — Sonya Muhly
• An independent place to get coffee and dessert. — Molly Holloway
• An organic restaurant. And a sports bar. — Patricia Lopez Klein
• A grocery store that offers good quality and lower prices than Giant, Aldi and Lidi — Bonnie Pruitt
• Trader Joes, Chopt, Cafe Rio, Sephora or Ulta, a wine bar, a microbrewery sounds amazing — Taisha S. Williams Johnson
• Trader Joes, Cracker Barrell, a decent bagel shop (Panera runs out of some nearly every day by 8 am!) — Debe T
• Trader Joe’s and a real upscale restaurant — Debra Lattimer Pinales
• A consignment store & Cracker Barrel — DeTonda Clinkscale
• TRADER JOE'S! ... also a farm-to-fork, restaurant/neighborhood bar like The Daily Dish (Silver Spring) or The Dish & Dram (Kensington) — Dawn Eberly
• Cracker Barrel, good Indian and Thai restaurants. — Erato Eidothea Phanessa
• Trader Joe’s and Sweet Greens — Neisha Blagrove
• Zoes and Trader Joes. — Libby Pocock
• Hobby Lobby, Trader Joe’s, Chopt — Bonnie Botner
• Bring back Glory Days !! — Jeff Compto
• Cracker Barrel and Hobby Lobby — Donna Nagy Corbin
• Trader Joe’s! — Sarah Misailidis
• Red lobster — Cathy MacFarlane Dean
• Sonic — Marilyn Dunscomb
• I’d like to see vegan options like: Shouk, Sticky Fingers, Fare Well, Garden Grove Market, HipCityVeg, Fancy Radish, Fruitive, Chaia Tacos, Elizabeth's Gone Raw — Tanti Rowland
• Bring back Little Caesars — Charles Gantz
• A sports bar!!!! — Kathy Kelly Chamberlain
• Cracker Barrel for sure — Arlene DeVaughn
• Manny & Olgas pizza! — Tiffany Wright
• Vegetarian — Debra Brown Miller
• Sonic — Doug Halloran
• Wawa — John Lehman