Sandtown Furniture Co. Opening a 24,000 Sq. Ft. Wood Shop and Showroom in Carroll-Camden

Sandtown Furniture Co., which is currently leasing a space at 1830 Belt St. in Riverside, is under contract to purchase a 32,000 sq. ft. building next week at 1226 Wicomico St. in Carroll-Camden Industrial Area for its new woodshop and showroom, which will occupy 24,000 sq. ft. of the space. Sandtown Furniture will soon begin a renovation on this brick building that dates back to 1900.

Sandtown Furniture, which is owned by James Battaglia and Will Phillips, was started in 2010 when the owners would use old beams from demolished homes in West Baltimore to make furniture. Now Sandtown Furniture has expanded its supply chain for materials as they continue to use wood from demolished homes, as well as wood from trees that have been cut down in Baltimore and old barns in the region.

Battaglia said residents and businesses often come to them for a statement piece like a dining room table, conference table, or desk. Sandtown Furniture also makes coffee tables, consoles, barn doors, shelves and mantles, benches, and other custom pieces.

Battaglia said in most years their work has been split 50/50 between commercial and residential projects, but while this year has seen a bit of a slowdown in the commercial space due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve seen a big boost in the home furniture business as people have been looking to set up home offices and redecorate their homes.

Sandtown Furniture will completely remodel its new building. Battaglia and Phillips are working with PI.KL Studio on a design that will restore the bricks, open up the windows, add new doors, clean up the pitched ceilings that go as high as 45 ft., and create a new 5,000 sq. ft. showroom with glass windows that look into the wood shop.

Sandtown Furniture’s current showroom is only 500 sq. ft. and Battaglia said they need a bigger and more impressive space to bring clients, architects, and business owners to preview the products.

The new space will also have a more modern and spacious wood shop for its team of seven to work.

The owners hope to open the new headquarters in May.

Battaglia and Phillips will sub-lease an approximately 7,500 sq. ft. space along Wicomico St. that is connected to the 24,000 sq. ft. section that Sandtown Furniture will occupy. Battaglia said they are looking for a tenant doing something creative and environmentally-friendly that complements Sandtown.

In their search of a new home, Battaglia and Phillip thought there would be plenty of buildings in Baltimore that would suit their needs, but it was tougher than expected. After coming close on a couple other deals that fell through, Battaglia said it was worth the wait as 1226 Wicomico St. was the best building they saw.

Battaglia said they were attracted to the Carroll-Camden Industrial Area because they are staying close to their current location, it’s close to I-95, and they see it as a safe neighborhood to work and bring clients. He also hopes Carroll-Camden will be an area that can attract more creative manufacturing businesses and more breweries. He is also excited about a new coffee roastery coming to an adjacent building and the entertainment-focused developments opening nearby next to M&T Bank Stadium and Horseshoe Casino Baltimore.

Photo courtesy of Sandtown Furniture Co.

About the Author: Kevin Lynch

Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, father of three, amateur pizza chef, skateboarder, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at Kevin@InceptMM.com and follow me on Twitter at @SoBoKevin.