BALTIMORE, MD—Fifteen years after founding and successfully operating Just Audio in the Parkville area of Baltimore County, owners John and Monica Panzer and Lenny Florentine started thinking seriously about the next 15 years of their operation. The company markets itself as a “Home Audio Store with superior customer service” and is confident that there are few similar concepts that sell and repair new, preowned, vintage and home audio equipment. With the intention to move near its future customer base, Just Audio recently signed a lease with St. John Properties, Inc. for 4,974 square feet of space at Greenleigh and will relocate their operations to 11615 Crossroads Circle, this summer. Brooke Harlander of St. John Properties represented the landlord and Hunter Brewer of Thornhill Properties represented the client in this transaction.
“We confidently believe we have little competition within a five-state area, based on the depth of our product offering, combined with the level of expertise and professionalism we offer for audio equipment,” John Panzer explained. “We specialize in fixing and restoring vintage products including amplifiers, eight-tracks, reel-to-reel equipment and home theaters. We are an authorized Service Center for more than 50 manufacturers and have serviced over 1,200 different brands. Unlike the environment consumers experience with national and even locally-owned competitors, we genuinely care about our customers and aren’t shy about demonstrating this attitude.”
“We considered acquiring or renting a standalone building initially, but were unable to locate an asset that was big enough,” Panzer said when describing the company’s search for a new location. “As a family-owned enterprise, it was important to find a landlord that presented principles that were similar to ours, including hard work, honesty and transparency. Unparalleled customer service was paramount, of course. Upon our initial tour of Greenleigh, we immediately recognized the tremendous opportunity for growth and the community’s uniqueness. Quite simply, both Greenleigh and St. John Properties are mirror images of us. We work extremely hard to be different, separate ourselves from the competition and understand the value of placing the needs of our customers first.”
Just Audio represents more than 20 manufacturers for the sale of professional and home audio equipment including KEF USA, Klipsch and Yamaha.
St. John Properties, together with partner Somerset Construction Company, initiated development activities on Greenleigh, a 1,000-acre mixed-use business community that includes multiple real estate classes including multifamily, in 2007. Greenleigh reflects a “New Urbanism” concept, with approximately 500 acres carved out for a range of housing options, mid-rise commercial office buildings and complimentary retail and hospitality amenities.
Upon completion, Greenleigh will include 1,900 residential units including single-family homes, townhomes and multifamily units, along with nearly two million square feet of commercial office space. In total, the development will support more than 2.5 million square feet of commercial, retail and hospitality space.
11615 Crossroads Circle is a single-story building containing 31,920 square feet of flex/R&D space located adjacent to MD Route 43 (White Marsh Boulevard). It was constructed with 16-foot ceilings, rear dock or drive-in loading, and features a free surface parking lot.
“The flexible design of our new location is ideal for the maneuverability of our technician crew, the warehousing of products, and also provides adequate office space for our administrative and sales team. It is only 10 miles from our former location, while also opening up an entire new market for us in northern Baltimore County and Harford County. There are absolutely no negatives in this move,” Panzer added.
“Just Audio’s niche offerings along with their reputation for providing excellent customer service make them a perfect addition to the tenant mix at Greenleigh,” explained Sean Doordan, Senior Vice President of Leasing and Acquisitions for St. John Properties. “Our Flex/R&D space at Greenleigh can perfectly accommodate all of Just Audio’s needs, while being strategically positioned along I-95 allowing them to capture a broader range of customers throughout the Mid-Atlantic Area.”
[Pictured: Just Audio’s Monica Panzer, John Panzer, and Lenny Florentine]
