Depot Owner Said Move Was Due to Rent Hike

Property owners raised rent by 80 percent, owner says.

The owner of a longtime Arnold business chose to move out of town rather than pay a skyrocketing rent, he said. The Depot Wine & Spirits owner Mike Mangum has been packing the remains of the store's wares since it closed its doors earlier this month. He plans to reopen the store in Annapolis, where he said rent is actually cheaper than Arnold Station shopping center. The new proposed location of The Depot will be in the Gateway Village shopping center, which also houses Safeway and Best Buy, near Defense Highway. Mangum said the property manager of Arnold Station, Continential Realty, recently raised its rent rates by more than 80 percent. For Mangum, that made the prospect of operating in Arnold infeasible. "It's astronomical. You …

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