A medical marijuana dispensary held its grand opening in Hyattsville Friday, as Maryland moves closer to recreational sales later this year.

Located at 2486 Chillum Rd. near the intersection with Queens Chapel Road, Story Cannabis Co. sells edibles, vape cartridges and leaves for smoking. The chain also has locations in Mechanicsville and Waldorf.

Under state law, Maryland residents can register to buy marijuana for medical purposes after supplying a current photo, government-issued ID, a Social Security number, proof of state residency and a recent passport-style ID and paying a small fee.

But applicants also must provide a written certification of need after an in-person visit with a health-care provider with whom they have a “bona fide” relationship.

About 160,000 Maryland residents already have these cards, and state dispensaries sold about $600 million worth of medical marijuana in 2021.

After two-thirds of voters approved a referendum in November, the state will begin selling marijuana to recreational users who are at least 21 years old starting on July 1, meaning that market could expand to more than 4 million residents.

The state legislature will need to pass enabling laws that will set rules on taxing recreational marijuana and licensing of dispensaries. Based on the experience in other states, it can take several years for the recreational market to be fully up-and-running.

Due to federal laws against marijuana possession, it will be illegal to transport any marijuana, whether for medical or recreational purposes, across state lines.

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A New York-based chain of Mediterranean restaurants has opened a location in the new College Park city hall.

Located at 7401 Baltimore Ave., Taim Mediterranean Kitchen (pronounced ty-eem) has a Chipotle-style fast casual approach to dishes like falafel, golden eggplant, cauliflower shawarma as well as its own dishes like fries with garlic aioli.

For the College Park location, which takes up about 1,540-square-feet, the restaurant also offers a variation on the fries made with Old Bay seasoning.

Taim first opened in the West Village in New York City in 2005 and has expanded to a dozen locations in New York and New Jersey and one in D.C. near Dupont Circle.

The company’s chief development officer, Matt France, is an alum of the University of Maryland.

You can also order Taim for delivery through its own website and DoorDash.

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A 24-hour convenience store is coming to a key space along the Route 1 corridor in Brentwood.

Built in 1964, the B&J Auto Supply building at 3910 Rhode Island Ave. was once a typical commercial spot when Route 1 was a haven for car dealerships, auto supply stores and used car lots.

In recent years, the neighboring lot was demolished — although the giant metal arrow was saved — to make way for Artisan 4100, an upscale apartment and retail complex that opened in 2020 just before the pandemic hit.

The new tenants have not moved in yet, but a bright orange sign advertises “24/7 Tobacco & Grocery.”

The building is located in the middle of the Gateway Arts District, across the street from the Brentwood Arts Exchange, Studio 3807 apartments and the miXt Food Hall, and down the street from new Route 1 hotspots like Little Miner Taco.

The space had been marketed as a prime commercial location, with on-site parking and an average of 22,600 cars passing by on Route 1 each day.

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Wawa is coming back to College Park after a 16-year absence.

The Pennsylvania-based chain of convenience-store-slash-eateries will open a new location at 10050 Baltimore Ave., next to the College Park Ikea store.

The 4,736-square-foot store will be the first in the city since 2007, although it has one farther north at 10515 Baltimore Ave. in Beltsville and another at 9100 Riggs Rd. in Hyattsville as well as five in D.C.

To the uninitiated, Wawa looks like a somewhat-fancier version of a gas station with a small restaurant and convenience store inside.

But since starting in 1964, the chain has developed a loyal following who love the fresh hoagies, self-serve soda fountains and reputation for friendly service. It now operates nearly 1,000 locations from Pennsylvania to Florida, with locations in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky planned.

When Wawa closed its previous location in College Park, 2,000 students joined a Facebook group threatening to hold a sit-in and tore souvenirs off the walls in its final hours — customers who were “loyal to a point that I didn’t understand” in the words of one employee.

The location in College Park fits with Wawa’s current strategy of expanding in the D.C. area as well as targeting college students.

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An upscale steak-and-seafood chain opened a location at the Hotel at the University of Maryland in College Park on Wednesday.

GrillMarX, which has locations in Olney and Columbia, is a traditional steakhouse and raw bar restaurant that will also be available for private events and large gatherings. It is located off the hotel lobby at 7777 Baltimore Ave.

One of the restaurant’s co-owners is University of Maryland head football coach Mike Locksley, a D.C. native.

The restaurant is currently accepting reservations for lunch and dinner seven days a week and promises to add a brunch option soon.

The menu leans heavily on steakhouse favorites like prime rib, blue point oysters and a crab cake sandwich, though there are gluten-free options and a handful of trendier dishes like an ahi tuna poke bowl.

GrillMarX also has a “business casual”and “conservative” dress code that bars “excessive skin” and offensive T-shirts.

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Route 1 baker Kareem Queeman was nominated for a prestigious James Beard Award.

Known as “Mr. Bake,” Queeman moved his ghost-kitchen dessert shop from Mount Rainier to Le Fantome food hall at the Station at Riverdale Park last year.

On Instagram, he called the award the equivalent of a food Oscar, saying he was “full of thanks” for the nomination.

Currently, Mr. Bake sells various flavors of cupcakes, mint fudge brownies, a spice cake donut with maple glaze and banana pudding.

He also offers seasonal specials, like a Valentine’s Day charcuterie board with fruit, two kinds of meat, two kinds of cheese, brownie bites, strawberry sugar sandwich cookies, shortbread cookies, a hazelnut spread, and macaroons.

Queeman also has a burgeoning reality TV career, with appearances on “Beat Bobby Flay” and other shows as well as his YouTube channel, “Baking With Mr. Bake.”

You can order online through Le Fantome or on his website or through delivery services like DoorDash, GrubHub and Uber Eats.

For Valentine’s Day, Mr. Bake will offer a cupcake decorating class on Saturday, Feb. 11 at Le Fantome food hall. You can purchase tickets here.

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Zeke’s Coffee is planning to open another location at 4602 14th St. NW, north of Upshur Park in the Petworth neighborhood of D.C., in addition to its exisiting shops on 15th St. NW and Rhode Island Avenue.

The Woodridge roastery, which got its starting in Baltimore, is already hiring for the new Petworth location, which is expected to open sometime in February.

Meanwhile, Zeke’s is also still planning to expand next door at its Route 1 roastery at 2300 Rhode Island Ave. NE, just minutes south of Mount Rainier, giving patrons more room to work and mingle.

Earlier this summer, Zeke’s announced it would take over the former home of Kaaos Gym in Woodridge next door after the gym announced it would be focusing on at-home training. The roaster is still waiting for permits to be approved and is focusing on its 14th Street opening before moving ahead, however.

The extra space on Rhode Island Avenue will be used as Zeke’s main coffeeshop and will designate its current space at 2300 Rhode Island Avenue, which it’s been at since 2013, for roasting beans and other production needs.

Last summer, Zeke’s Coffee upgraded its outdoor sidewalk patio facing Rhode Island Avenue, due in part to the pandemic, with a more permanent sidewalk seating structure after receiving a grant from the D.C. Building Industry Association’s sidewalk improvement program.

Coffee has become a hot commodity on the Route 1 corridor in recent years. Along with Zeke’s, Vigilante has locations in Hyattsville and College Park, and you can get a good cup of coffee everywhere from miXt Food Hall in Brentwood to Manifest Bread Co. in Riverdale Park and the Board and Brew in College Park.

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