Maryland Community Newspapers Online
A turnover of businesses is nothing new in downtown Wheaton, but a turnover of paint jobs is a pleasant surprise to landlords and city planners alike.
In the past few months, a domino effect of new facades has rolled down restaurant row on Elkin Street, bringing renewed hope that a fresh coat of paint is exactly the kind of face-lift the town needs to attract new customers to the area.
"It's like having neighbors," said Maritza Rivera-Cohen, the director of The Gilchrist Center for Cultural Diversity, a county program with headquarters on Elkin Street. "If one neighbor spruces up the lawn, the other neighbor spruces up the lawn, and so the next thing you know, everybody is doing it."
Rivera-Cohen said some sprucing up was sorely needed in downtown Wheaton after the area east of Georgia Avenue lost some spark when Ferdinand's restaurant on Price Street closed. The beloved Wheaton staple, which served upscale continental cuisine, went out of business in June as a result of the economic downturn.
But despite the growing gloom, the owner of Mexican bistro Matamoros Restaurant, which sits at the head of Elkin Street on University Boulevard, decided several months ago to paint over his faded, chipped orange building with a rich burnt-orange shade. The threat of a shiny new Chinese restaurant opening across the street did not hurt, either.
"We need some changes so the customers can eat in a place that's more beautiful," owner Mario Rivera said. Although he had not painted his restaurant for nearly three years due to the expense, he said he eventually decided the fresh aesthetic was worth it to try to draw in more customers.
The new look at Matamoros was apparently the catalyst other neighboring businesses with washed-out exteriors needed.
Soon after, workers at El Boqueron, a large Hispanic restaurant and night club bordering the other end of Elkin Street on Price Avenue, broke out their rollers and painted their faded red building a butter cream yellow.
Then Wheaton Speedy Car Wash just across the street on Price Avenue took notice, and owner Bill Kim revived his dark blue business by layering on shades of rose and cotton candy pink.
"The other businesses were painting," he said, explaining his inspiration.
The new colorful coats of paint obviously make the car wash more attractive to customers, and it might also make the property safer, Kim said.
"A lot of homeless people, they were trying to sleep in the back of the car wash," he said.
Planners say the new looks on Elkin Street also signal the owners' willingness to take care of their properties, which could help advance overall revitalization work in Wheaton, said Sandra Tallant, the lead planner for updating Wheaton's 19-year-old sector plan.
But for the most part, Elkin Street's chameleon shift is an anomaly in Wheaton. The sheer number and diversity of Wheaton businesses have made any cohesive aesthetic changes to downtown nearly impossible, said Brett Schneider, a property owner in Wheaton and chairman of the Wheaton Urban District Advisory Committee, which is a panel of residents, business owners and county planners that advises the Mid-County Regional Services Center on matters affecting downtown Wheaton.
"There's a challenge in Wheaton to get businesses to clean up their appearances," he said.
As cash flow decreases, rents shoot up, and a lot of landlords do not have an incentive to make their buildings sparkle. Nor do business owners usually have the time or money to gamble on a paint job, he said.
But these businesses on Elkin Street are a glimmer of hope, planners said.
So far, the fresh and vibrant look has enhanced the entire street, said Benildo Feria, owner of La Cabanita, a tiny Peruvian restaurant with a red-brick exterior that shares a wall with the newly painted El Boqueron.
"The street is more presentable," he said.
But planners are keeping their fingers crossed that for Wheaton, the simple act of painting an exterior can mean something much grander.
"A can of paint and a few hours work really begin to change the physical environment," Tallant said. "And that's what needs to happen."
