Owings, MD – Exactly 13 months after a devastating fire destroyed portions of a local shopping center, a longtime family business is about to reopen its doors. The early-morning fire Jan. 6, 2016 at Bright Center West in Owings started when a motor vehicle veered off Southern Maryland Boulevard (Route 4) and crashed into the strip mall’s southern-most storefront. The unit was occupied by Floral Expressions, a business that first opened in July of 1986. A drycleaners located next to the florist was also destroyed. Two other units—a nail salon and a tax return preparer—also sustained damage but were able to open a few days after the incident.
“Looking forward to going home,” Aut Fuller, owner of Floral Expressions posted on the business’s Facebook page. For the past few months Floral Expressions has been operating out of a temporary location in Huntingtown. On Saturday, Feb. 4—one day after Calvert County inspectors declared the rebuilt portion of the Bright Center West ready for re-occupancy—Fuller and several employees were busy moving merchandise and other items into the restored unit.
Fuller told TheBayNet.com that he intends to have the store open for business Monday morning, Feb. 6. That would mean Floral Expressions will be back in operation at its familiar location in time for one of the busiest occasions of the year—Valentine’s Day.
The company that owns and manages Bright Center West—Brandywine Investment Properties LLC—made the commitment to fully restore the damage days after the fire. Company spokeswoman Cynthia Brown told TheBayNet.com that the drycleaners will not be returning to Bright Center and the owners of that business have relocated it in Prince Frederick.
The early 2016 fire did approximately $750,000 damage to the structure and contents of the building. The driver responsible for the blaze—identified by police as Vincent Troy, 33 of Upper Marlboro—subsequently pleaded guilty in Calvert County Circuit Court to driving under the influence of drugs and driving while revoked. During the sentencing hearing, a family member read a letter from Aut Fuller to the court. Fuller stated that the fire destroyed a business he and his family had worked hard to establish, obliterating numerous sentimental items in the process. Fuller also acknowledged the “outpouring of love and support from the community” after the devastating incident.
The court ordered Troy to serve two years of a four-year sentence plus five years of supervised probation. A record check with the Maryland Department of Corrections and a call to the Calvert County Detention Center indicated Troy is no longer incarcerated. The defendant is also required to pay a substantial amount in restitution to the businesses involved.
Fuller said Floral Expressions is planning to hold a grand reopening at its restored Owings location, possibly sometime in March.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com
