Busboys & Poets Breaks Ground For New Columbia Site

COLUMBIA, MD — The nation's largest Busboys & Poets in the Baltimore region planned for Columbia broke ground Sept. 25. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball helped with the ceremonial shoveling of dirt for the two-story restaurant, bookstore and event space boasting 10,700-square-foot building in the Merriweather District of Downtown Columbia.

Busboys & Poets currently has seven locations across the Washington Metropolitan area and is a cultural hub for artists and activists. The groundbreaking ceremony featured a HoCoPoLitSo spoken word performance from Lady Brion, as well as remarks from County Executive Calvin Ball, Council Chair Christiana Mercer Rigby, council member Deb Jung, Howard Hughes Columbia President Greg Fitchitt and Busboys and Poets founder Andy Shallal.

“Howard County, a place where we value inclusion, culture, learning, empowerment and the arts, will be the perfect home for the flagship Busboys & Poets, as we continue to create a vibrant, fun, and walkable hub in Columbia,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball in a statement.

The new Columbia Busboys & Poets will be a stand-alone, two-story building featuring indoor and outdoor seating, all-day dining options and a curated book collection. The store will showcase books and authors—on both a local and national level—who have contributed to conversations around social change. The grand opening of the Merriweather District, including Busboys and Poets, is scheduled for 2020.