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Annapolis reports steady small‑business activity; Black Market Bakers expands with 40 new jobs
Summary
Economic development manager Adam Straut told the Economic Matters Committee that updated permitting data show modest new openings and relocations and an existing employer, Black Market Bakers, expanded on West Street adding about 40 full‑time positions; staff described steps to improve outreach and permitting support for local businesses.
Adam Straut, the city’s economic development manager, told the Annapolis Economic Matters Committee on Jan. 7 that three years of permitting records show modest recent business growth and a notable downtown expansion. “We’re leveraging the data that we have available to us to be able to draw inferences regarding businesses in the city of Annapolis,” Straut said.
Straut said that in the most recent reporting window (December, with comparisons back to October) the city recorded two new businesses and seven relocations, expansions or changes of ownership that together accounted for about 26 full‑time and 16 part‑time positions. He identified one December expansion that added roughly 40 full‑time employees and noted another employer earlier in the year added 73 jobs. “That was an expansion of an existing business,” Straut said, and confirmed the December expansion was Black Market Bakers’ West Street commercial‑kitchen unit.
The presentation included caveats about data anomalies: Straut flagged a September change‑of‑ownership that temporarily inflated part‑time counts and reminded the committee the figures come from permitting logs covering 2023–2025. He also reported ward‑level patterns — for example, Ward 6 recorded only one permitted business in the three‑year set (a Head Start through the YMCA), while Ward 3 shows larger average square footage per permitted entity, suggesting different development footprints across wards.
Committee members pressed Straut on retention and closures. When asked whether the city conducts exit interviews, Straut said the city currently lacks a mechanism to be notified when businesses close: “When a business closes, it’s not required to disclose that to the city in any way,” he said. He described the office’s role in facilitating permits and acting as an internal liaison to move complex applications forward, and said staff are developing automated outreach so the city can engage struggling businesses earlier.
Members also raised concerns about burdens during special‑exception and planning processes that can favor larger, better‑resourced outside firms. Straut said his office prioritizes hands‑on support for new and small operators and is exploring ways to scale personalized intervention without sacrificing responsiveness.
Straut and committee members characterized downtown seasonal events such as the so‑called "midnight madness" as benchmarks for foot traffic and noted opportunities to build collaboration among business associations. The presentation closed with Straut inviting committee input on ways to reduce friction for small businesses and to bring forward proposals for programming or design experiments that could increase patronage downtown.
The committee did not take formal action on policy changes at the Jan. 7 meeting. Straut said the economic development office will continue outreach and follow up with the committee on items raised.
