Another Blow for Odenton Shopping Center

The this week was another big blow to the Odenton Shopping Center, which was already dealing with the loss of its main supermarket tenant.

The center, located near the traffic circle on Annapolis Road, now has two big empty spaces that landlords acknowledge could prove hard to fill immediately in the current economy. The space once occupied by Superfresh, whose parent company declared bankruptcy earlier this year,

“I don’t have to tell you the mathematics. It’s a significant vacancy percentage, and it’s all in two spaces,” said Richard Toran, a principal with Nellis Corp., which owns the center.

Toran said Nellis Corp. was aware that Spunk Fitness was having financial difficulties and could close, but were not told the gym would shut its doors on Tuesday night.

“We knew they were not doing well, so it’s not a surprise, but we had no idea they were closing up [Tuesday] night,” Toran said. “Tenants usually close because there’s not enough business, and that’s what it was here.”

The Odenton Shopping Center is comprised of two main buildings. The main strip, which included the Superfresh, still has many tenants including , , and .

A vacant spot at the west end of the building will soon be occupied by Rent-A-Center.

Spunk Fitness was housed in a separate building at the center’s east end, next to the Daily Diner. There remains a small, vacant space in between the and former gym.

Nellis Corp. has engaged broker KLNB to seek tenants for the center, and placed a public listing for the Superfresh site earlier this month.

“We’ll find out real quick what’s out there,” Toran said.

Privately, many tenants on the site have expressed hope that the center will be revitalized in order to take advantage of the being constructed across Annapolis Road.

Nellis Corp. has plans to make some cosmetic upgrades to the center. In July, the company presented plans for façade improvements and awnings at the building that housed the Daily Diner and Spunk Fitness. Toran said that if weather allows, Nellis plans to paint the area where signs hang from the main part of the center. Earlier this summer, the landlords resurfaced the parking lot asphalt.