Busboys And Poets To Open HoCo Site In October

COLUMBIA, MD — The new Busboys and Poets location in Columbia, slated to tentatively open in mid-October, will feature an ice-skating rink, a multi-level deck and 10,700 square feet of interior space, making the Howard County site their largest location yet.

The neighborhood coffeehouse, restaurant and bookstore first set up roots in the Washington Metropolitan area. Columbia will become Busboys and Poets' eighth location.

The Columbia site also will offer meeting space and host Columbia's inaugural book festival called Books in Bloom. Named in honor of American poet Langston Hughes who worked as a busboy at the Wardman Park Hotel in the 1920s, owner Andy Shallal expressed excitement for the newest Busboys and Poets during a preview tour with Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and members of the media. Construction on the two-story restaurant broke ground in 2019.

The business will be located at Mango Tree Road and Valencia Lane across from Merriweather Post Pavilion. The $3 million project is part of the 35-acre Merriweather District. For its grand opening celebration, renowned poet, activist and author Nikki Giovanni will join Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of The 1619 Project.