Golden Mile Area Of Frederick Is Making A Comeback

Several new businesses have opened along that stretch of West Patrick Street.Frederick, Md (KM) At one time, it seemed like the Golden Mile in Frederick had lost all of  its luster. But not anymore.Chris McDonald, the Senior Executive Director of the Golden Mile Alliance, says the area of West Patrick Street between US 15 and the US 40/40A split has seen a lot of businesses come in. “If you’re familiar with Spinners Arcade which used to located over on East Street. They’re now moving over to  the Golden Mile on the backside of Warehouse Cinemas where the old Frederick Town Mall was and really still is,” he says. McDonald says Spinners will take 500 times more space then they had before “so it’s enormous.>The Frederick Town Mall was a shopping center which fell on hard times. It’s being converted into an entertainment complex, and is now known as District 40.But McDonald says there are a number of restaurants in the Golden Mile area. “You can taste your way all the way through the Mile all the way around the world. So we’re working on an event to even  highlight that. There’s going to be more on that in the next couple of months,” he says.One of the reasons for the success of the Golden Mile is the residential areas along West Patrick Street. McDonald says people who live there can walk to many of those businesses. “From an economic development standpoint, it’s imperative that we have that ease of access from not only from a commuter standpoint in a car, but from pedestrian   standpoint making that safe,” he says.And there’s another reason. “The Golden Mile is the most inexpensive place to open a business in the city. So that’s why we’re seeing a lot of those businesses take place,” says McDonald.McDonald was a guest recently on WFMD’s “Mid-Maryland Live.”He says there is something coming this year to the Golden Mile. “We are in the process of working on an international holiday market at the end of the year. We’re trying to finalize a site location for that, and we’ve got plenty of businesses that want to take part in that,” he says. “But I think with those types of things that we do is what’s going to separate us not only the city, but in the county in showing that we’re a place and destination you really can’t experience anywhere else.”By Kevin McManus