Technology Meets Tradition in Historic Savage Mill

By Susan Kim







When searching for a business location, entrepreneur Christine Abunassar was able to locate a place where technology meets tradition: Historic Savage Mill. Known by local shoppers for its quirky gift stores, the mill is also home to less visible, yet vibrant, small businesses with a creative bent.



Abunasser is CEO of Think Big, a technology training and e-learning company. Think Big, an Adobe authorized training center, provides technology training for area professionals and also builds custom online training.



After building e-learning systems for Microsoft in Seattle, she found herself returning to Maryland. "I'm a native," she said. "I'm back to my roots. I moved back with my family."



Once people visit the mill for a Think Big training class, they tend to come back, Abunassar said. "We've brought a number of people to the mill that have lived around here, but had never been here."



Considering that Think Big serves large clients such as Fort Meade, the National Security Agency, ad agencies and marketing groups, the mill could play host to a substantial number of professionals in the near future. "We need to be the local learning hub," said Abunassar.







An Informal Incubator



Savage Mill is a unique location that has become an informal business incubator, said Sue Emerson, the mill's director of marketing.



"Most businesses are entrepreneurial or startup businesses," Emerson said. "We don't just lease space. We help them develop their marketing plans and encourage them to work together and help each other."



Building an entire business community is the goal, she said. "The more people that are here, the more it's going to help everybody. It's inherently cooperative rather than competitive. It's not your typical shopping mall."



Yet Savage Mill isn't a space that makes every business comfortable, Emerson said. "It tends to be more creative. It's not for everybody, but it is for people who are looking for a different kind of space."



Wrapped in the past at Savage Mill, fledging businesses often feel the freedom to reach for new technology and creative approaches. "There's something really authentic about that," she said. "You get that sense of history. It's always a good thing."







'Part of a Community'



Symmetry First Architects, a residential and commercial design firm, arrived in Savage Mill in July 2003. Relocating from western Howard County, the firm's leaders were looking for something off the beaten path, recalled Jeanne Green, administrative manager.



"The type of architects we are, we just didn't want your usual high-rise location where you go up in the elevator and every door looks the same," said Green. "We wanted to be part of a community."



The mill is a non-traditional space that lends itself to creativity, she said - but not necessarily to heavy walk-in customer traffic. "It just suits the nature of the partners and the people who work here. We don't really get walk-ins," she said. "We didn't pick our location to get that type of clientele. It's artsy, in a way. It's a nice mix of people."



Businesses at the mill foster a nurturing atmosphere rather than a competitive one, said Green. "We're directly across from another architect we enjoy working with. It's not competitive."



The tenants credit that friendly feeling to the mill's owners, Steve Adler and Jay Winer. "When you move in, they look for people who fit and they want people to be successful."







Eclectic Mix



The mill will continue to grow its eclectic mix of entrepreneurs, said Karen Schlegel, the mill's director of leasing. She has been working at the mill for more than 12 years. "When I first came [on board] there weren't many people here," she said. "Rams Head [Tavern] wasn't here and the bakery [Bonaparte Breads] wasn't here."



Now, Schlegel marvels at the business melting pot the mill has become. "We have several architects. We have graphic design people. We have the retail and the businesses. It's a little community."



The mill seems to be a breeding ground for businesses that aren't easy to categorize. "We have a guy who makes cards. He does plastic cards for the government," said Schlegel. "We have a guy who sells skateboards over the Internet. We have another woman who does rugs and things like that for major hotels."



The mill's latest addition? "A woman who teaches dancing - all kinds of dancing - country line dancing, ballet, tap. She's just vibrant and excited."



And Schlegel hopes the excitement is catching. "We have space if people are interested," she said.