27-03-2025
McClintock, Partnership plan food hall along creek
The space on South Carroll Street in Frederick doesn't look like much right now.
Plaster and debris cover parts of the dirt and rock floor. Light shines in dimly through the windows.
But Braeden Bumpers and Tyler Hegamyer of McClintock Distilling are hoping that the space will become a go-to dining spot in downtown Frederick.
McClintock is partnering with the city of Frederick and the Downtown Frederick Partnership to create a food hall at the distillery's location along Carroll Creek.
The facility will feature four food stalls of between 200 and 350 square feet each, as well as a bar with McClintock's offerings and a market stall in a 6,000-square-foot space within a lower-level space within a historic building owned by McClintock.
The building initially housed the service center and paint shop for a car dealership in the early 1900s, then was a series of shops and other businesses, said Alison Hegamyer, a co-owner of the building.
The project will create a cool venue to showcase new restaurateurs and new styles of food for downtown, said Bumpers, one of McClintock's owners.
He's hoping the location along the creek will help draw in visitors.
Bumpers said they hope to have most of the construction done by the end of the year.
The distillery has had the space, and has been talking to various people and groups about adding a food component to it, he said.
Bumpers said he thinks the space will be conducive to entrepreneurs, especially younger ones or ones without the capital to open full restaurants.
The shared space will allow businesses to have lower overhead and rent, he said.
The hall will provide a spot for start-up culinary entrepreneurs, and expand the business and food offerings available downtown, said Kara Norman, executive director of the Downtown Frederick Partnership.
The project will not be set up as an incubator, with businesses housed for a set amount of time, she said.
Instead, businesses will be able to stay as long as they choose, she said.
'Strategically positioned near East Patrick Street, Carroll Creek Linear Park, the future Downtown Hotel and Conference Center, the Police Headquarters and newly planned housing developments, the food hall is set to become a key attraction for both locals and visitors in the area,' the Partnership wrote in a press release about the project.
Bumpers hopes the location along the creek will help draw in visitors.
'The creek, every year, it's more and more people,' Bumpers said.
The project is supported by a $300,000 grant from Project Restore 2.0, a program by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development that seeks to revitalize vacant buildings and improve commercial corridors in the state.
Tyler Hegamyer said architectural drawings are being finished up now.
Applying for permits from the city will be the next step in the process, he said.
