Business Moves: Guitars, Flooring and Medical Care

Ten years after first opening its doors in Mayo, has taken its place in a prime location next to in the Lee Airpark Shopping Center in Edgewater.

Up until mid-November, the shop had been located—for the past seven years—in South River Colony Marketplace.

The new location gives the store 50 percent more showroom space. But what has owner Bruce Packett really excited are the new practice rooms, five in all, where music teachers give students one-on-one and group instruction in guitar (acoustic and electric), voice, keyboards and percussion.

Packett said that they also have been able to expand their inventory to include Takemine acoustic electric guitars, as well as add to what they carried in Fender, PRS and Ibanez. They have also picked up Marshall amplifiers.

The addition of the practice space has allowed new teachers to come in, including Todd Kreuzburg, who teaches guitar, and Kreuzburg's wife J, who teaches voice and keyboards.

One of the things Bay Tunes has become known for of late are the Rock Band performing classes. At the old space, these bands would practice in the showroom, making it difficult to make sales or even talk to customers who came in (something about rock bands being loud).

Now the rock bands have their own practice suite. With a door. That shuts.

"We've got two electric drum kits, so they're all set up to practice here," Packett said.

They've already had an uptick in business. Packett said they've picked up about 10 new students, and they're seeing more foot traffic as shoppers come in and out of Giant.

Across the Street

If you've lived in Edgewater for a decent bit of time, it doesn't seem like that long ago that the South River Crossing shopping center on Solomons Island Road opened up, bringing Edgewater its first stand-alone , a burger joint and a , among other stores.

Back when it opened, Long and Foster anchored the shopping center by taking the large center space. But then the economy took a turn and Long and Foster moved out. For months the shopping center was only two-thirds occupied.

Now the space is looking a little busier since two new businesses have moved in: a flooring showroom and (coming soon) a Doctors Express.

The flooring showroom, South River Flooring, relocated from Central Avenue in Mayo a few months ago. The Mayo location at Triton Beach Road had a showroom as well, but this location gets more visibility and a lot more traffic. The flooring company took a 1,600-square-foot space next to Starbucks.

Also coming soon to South River Crossing is a Doctors Express Urgent Care center. They signed a 10-year lease, so it looks like they are hoping to stay around for a while. The owners, Rick and Ginni Morani, will be opening the fourth Doctors Express center in Maryland. Along with medical director Dr. Rinde Fadirepo, a Baltimore physician, they hope to "establish a high-quality, state-of-the art, walk-in medical center that is comfortable, convenient and affordable for patients," according to a media release.

In total, there are 38 Doctors Express centers open throughout the country, with a future goal of opening 1,000 centers. The urgent care center will offer diagnostics (including X-rays) and treatment of a variety of ailments and injuries. An on-site lab will give quick test results for things such as mononucleosis and strep throat.

Doctor's Express is a walk-in facility. They pledge an average wait time of just 15 to 20 minutes. That facility should be up and running by mid-December.

Is your business new in town? Old in town? We'd love to tell your story. Email Patch Local Editor Mitchelle Stephenson.