Call me a pessimist, but I think a digital kiosk would last for a week before it was out of order or vandalized.

I believe Santa's house is fine where it is. The flag idea is fine. The kiosk, hmm... I would have to see more concrete info on that

Many thanks to Jim Himel for all of his efforts to make our great community even better. Catonsville should enter into the Main Street Maryland Program, http://tinyurl.com/bueu8t7 , which seeks to “strengthen the economic potential of Maryland’s traditional main streets and neighborhoods.” It’s official Main Street designation extends technical assistance, training, and other services to assist communities such as ours. Amy Seitz, State Coordinator for this program, says Catonsville qualifies and is surprised we’ve not applied. If there is anything that either Rebecca or myself can do to assist in this effort, please do not hesitate to call.

I don't think we are a "digital kiosk" kind of town. doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the surroundings not to mention it seems like a waste of money. how many people out there are really going to make it a point to stop by the kiosk to be updated on catonsville happenings?

I too believe the Santa House is fine where it is and also that Catonsville is not a digital kiosk kind of town. The waste of money would be when it's vandalized within
a few weeks. The idea of the flag at the bus stop is fine, I suppose, but would prefer
to see a mural in there. What Catonsville really needs is more public parking. There are many times when I want to go somewhere in Catonsville for dinner only to end up somewhere else because I kind find parking.

No, no, and sure on the flag. A kiosk? In Catonsville? Really?!? We're losing the small town charm....

I agree the Santa House should stay where it is. Most people have computers so they can find out at home what's happening in Catonsville. Unfortunately,the Digital Kiosk.would be a target for vandals. The flag is a nice idea for the bus stop as is the mural suggestion.

I think Catonsville would benefit more from specific attractions to draw people in; destination locations which also help the economic community and continue to grow the friendliness on the streets/sidewalk. Family friendly locales such as a toy store, trinket store, Irish Pub, garden store, and specialty shops to appeal to everyone. There is a town in Ohio that reminds me so much of Catonsville, but it has grown up in such a different way: http://www.visitworthingtonohio.com/
It too is on a main thoroughfare, and with outside restaurants, pubs, tree lined streets, specialty stores for wine, cupcakes, candles, ice cream, trinkets, jewelry, furniture, it has in 2 short blocks, blossomed.

Maybe the question should be more broad? Do visitors need a sign/directory/map to make the section of Frederick Road more accessible for them to shop, eat, park, etc.? Or are they tech-saavy enough to look on their phones, look on Patch, etc. Would this bring more traffic to small businesses by having a map or a visible directory of businesses? I'd love for some business owners to weigh in.

These fun photo shop images that Catonsville artist, Edward Williams provides, allows us to visualize ideas that we would never imagine during our hectic daily routines. Edward's just completed Catonsville Mural on Bloomsbury Ave behind the "House of Time" shop is a must see!! While I find the images of Catonsville's past wonderful and enchanting, I am drawn to the "Dream on the Future" images that are not there .....YET!! This is the challenge that we have..... to create that village image that we dream about. And maybe we will visualize that image of the Catonsville village shops on an i-phone and not a kiosk. That certainly is where Patch is heading!!

Better yet...what if the Friendly's was gone?

Friendly's gone with an Irish Pub/Family restaurant with Shuffleboard inplace would do it...Trader Joe's behind it.

Maybe the question should be broader, i.e. what ideas do you have to improve main street? #1 Get rid of Friendly's.
Until Main Street has been revitalized to a greater extent, the need for a kiosk is moot.

The Santa House should remain right where it is by the fire station. We don't need a digital kiosk, not that kind of town. Doing something with the bus shelter would be nice. And about that Irish Pub/Family Restaurant idea...Maybe the property for that former coffee cafe down the street would lend itself to something like that? Is the land parcel large enough to handle an expanded restaurant and still have parking? And since we have a nice farmers' market in the parking lot behind Friendly's, would like to see that continue.

Music City, Maryland should have an indoor venue for live music.

Santa House should remain where it is located, the location and tradition is what was envisioned when we began this project 17+ years ago.

I love the idea of revitalizing the Friendly's shopping square into something with more current retail venues...Trader Joes...Athleta....a decent shoe store (please not PayLess)...this is where the effort should go because this is where the parking is! Parking is the main reason I do not venture to shop on Frederick Road...and why I travel to ELlicott CIty to go to Target. Friendly's is not my favorite place to go. The service is very slow.

I personally think any additional murals in the community is a great idea. Paintings and additional art work that represents the community is enriching and brings more character to the town. I think we can probably do with out the Digital kiosk idea. As a local business owner, a number 1 complaint that we get is parking. I can't imagine that someone visiting Main st. would park near Friendly's to look at where a business is located to then turn around and get back into the car to drive and look for parking near the store of their destination. I must say in addition, that 90% of the time people are laying and hanging around outside of Friendly's that just doesn't seem appealing to approach the area. However, a directory or a map with a list of business's and area's of parking is a great idea. But. more on a scale of a map or directory laid out in a case form,hung throughout the Main St area or a vinyl type on plastic, similar to what they have in local malls. I think that not only is it cost effective compared to a Digital Kiosk, but the directories and maps could be accessible to everyone shopping and visiting Main st. I wouldn't even be opposed to the idea of hanging a map or directory in my shop. I just hope the if they go in the direction of either, that it would will include a list or show where parking is accessible.

I hope too that in the future more apparel or boutiques will make there way to open shop in downtown Catonsville. I don't think and would hope that big corporate stores like Target would come to Maine st. Stores like that don't normally fit small town vibes and tend to put small business and mom and pop shop out of business. But, to see more stores like the Old Ellicott City Area would be appealing and bring traffic through Frederick rd.

Thanks to Jim Himel and Ed Williams for helping us visualize what the future Catonsville might be. Also kudos to Meg Tipper who had the vision and the perseverance to get the Bloomsbury mural completed.We are fortunate to have citizens like these who are active in creating a better community for all of us.
Who do we beg to get a Trader's Joe's in the area?

In case anyone didn't know, Crystal Jenkins is owner of the new Fetish Beauty Boutique on Frederick Road: http://catonsville.patch.com/articles/fetish-beauty-boutique-open-on-frederick-road

A flat screen kiosk outside of the Chamber of Commerce office creating a "Welcome Center" would be the most cost effective and practical idea. A printed directory would be outdated by the time that it was installed. The Chamber is the perfect organization to connect visitors/ customers and businesses.

I agree with Craig on using the Chamber as a Welcome Center. Great idea!!

Things Catonsville Needs:
- Convert Friendly's into "Cville Gastro Pub"
- Public Parking with signs that draw users from the Beltway into user friendly lots
- Updated Parking meters that accept credit cards
- Public Wi-fi hotspots
- No Kiosk, but a really cool app for list of attractions and directions
- More outdoor seating along the sidewalks
- More boutique and higher end shopping
- A hip grocery store
- A director of marketing
- More people embracing change and looking at the upside...

Another small business owner on Frederick Road weighs in! Todd Marks is CEO of Mindgrub: http://catonsville.patch.com/articles/in-just-a-year-tech-startup-outgrows-frederick-road-space. Thanks Todd! Maybe you all can create the app.

Actually that is what my new company on Frederick Road, viaPlace (www.viaplace.com), does. We have created similar apps for Baltimore, Vegas, Sonoma County. Would be nice to bring it home. Maybe we can get some of the local shops to help sponsor through ads. But happy to release a basic app gratis. Teal, can I get a list of businesses in the chamber, brief description, thumb and address. We'll put in a viaPlace app and stick it in the store.

In case you missed this too, upgrading parking meters has been a request of the Chamber of Commerce to the county for a while: http://catonsville.patch.com/articles/county-will-study-expanding-public-parking. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get an answer from the county as to why this hasn't happened yet. When I know more I'll write another story.

Trader Joe's! Please! And like the Irish pub idea too. Yes to flag at bus stop. No to other 2 ideas. And a big THANK YOU to all concerned!