Green Owl Design is revamping more storefronts along the Route 1 corridor.

With Three Little Birds Sewing Co. planning to move in next door, owner Erica Riggio talked to the owner of the row of shops in the 5300 block of Baltimore Ave., next to Yes! Organic Market in Hyattsville, about updating the facade.

Riggio told the Wire that these small-scale projects make a big difference in an area that still has a higher-than-usual number of vacant buildings.

“Many facades could be immensely improved, so when an exterior is updated, it makes a huge impact,” she said, adding that the changes then lead to other improvements. “Small changes can make a huge impact. Seeing the transformation and how the spaces are received is a great reward and serves as continued inspiration.”

Green Owl Design is playing a major role in reversing that trend, revamping a historic strip near Streetcar 82 Brewing Co. and two buildings at 5804 Baltimore Ave., renovating a local doctor’s office, helping @sangfroiddistilling build a tasting room, along with several other design projects along the corridor.

Riggio said that the Route 1 corridor could do more to have consistent design standards so that other improvements are more strategic.

“It does not always take as much as you think to create a sense of place and improve what it is existing,” she said.

Meanwhile, a block of downtown Mount Rainier is slated to get a major makeover this fall thanks to two federal grants through the city’s Facade Improvement Program..

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