One moves in, two more coming at Long Reach Village Center

One company has moved in to the Long Reach Village Center and two more are on the way.

Now under roof is Roll Up ’n Dye, a tie-dye studio that hosts parties and team-building events, is moving into the first floor as part of the Long Reach Rising Revitalization project led by Howard County.

In addition, two more entities announced plans to move into a portion of the Safeway space in the center. They are Andersen-Becker, which produces art clothing designed by Lee Andersen and sold under the Lee Andersen, ZooLOLogy and Victorian Doll labels; and ManneqART, a nonprofit for Education in the Arts, which will create the DoodleHATCH Department Store, a new tourist and community destination that offers interactive evolving art installations and experience to the public.

Roll Up ’n Dye opened in 2011, serving customers out of owner Erin Cassell’s garage, and has seen explosive growth for nearly a decade. The studio hosts events. Cassell was recently recognized for winning a Changemaker Challenge grant from the Horizon Foundation and United Way of Central Maryland, which she received for beautifying a bus stop shelter off Route 1 in her hometown of Elkridge.

Andersen-Becker has 10 staff, including seamstresses, inspection, shipping and administration. The company will also be creating a new fabric store and opening their fourth factory store in the village center. Andersen-Becker produces approximately 10,000 garments and accessories each year and supplies about 300 independent boutiques throughout the U.S.

ManneqART’s DoodleHATCH Department Store is not actually a department store but is using the organizational device of a pretend Department Store for “mythological creatures, time travelers and galactic tourists” to present interactive experiences to the public.

The Long Reach Rising goal is to help stabilize the area through maintenance, repair, beautification and placemaking. The new tenants join the Columbia Arts Center, the Stonehouse Community Center, the African Art Museum of Maryland, and new Howard County Arts Council artists’ studios, as part of the emerging arts, culture and entrepreneurship hub.