The marquee at Capital Plaza Mall in Landover Hills says Santa Claus is coming soon. But if he's going to make Janie Wiggins happy, he'll need an awfully big sack.
She wants a new restaurant for Christmas.
Her current establishment, J's Soul Food, is in the food court at Capital Plaza, at 6200 Annapolis Rd. But come January, she may have to move out to make way for a Wal-Mart. The way she sees it, it's the case of the Grinch who stole her chitterlings.
"I could lose everything," Wiggins said yesterday, struggling to hold back tears as she stood over a pot of collard greens cooking on her new stainless-steel stove.
A countertop was adorned with photographs of her with football notables Sonny Jurgensen, LaVar Arrington and Darrell Green at a barbeque rib feast that she had catered to celebrate Green's retirement.
"I'm trying to find a new location, but I don't see anything that I can afford," she said.
Of course, Wal-Mart moving in and forcing out the little guy is not a new story. And it's never personal. It's just business.
Wiggins, 50, began serving her soul food on Oct. 22, having invested about $30,000 of her life savings on renovations and commercial kitchen equipment.
Less than a month later, on Nov. 19, she received notice from mall owners that they had "agreed to terms with Wal-Mart for a redevelopment of Capital Plaza Mall. . . . If Wal-Mart does decide to proceed with the deal, then the mall will need to be closed (and demolished)."
From the outside, Capital Plaza is not much to look at it. The largest sign on the multi-block-long white building reads, "FLEA MARKET."
Inside, about 60 stores do business. There are shops selling dresses, sports outfits, jewelry and shoes. Others offer a variety of services, including hair care, shoe repair, dry cleaning and tailoring.
"It's been difficult to keep the mall economically viable," said Randal J. Levitt, president of the Rockville-based Nellis Corp., the property manager for the mall. "We've been working on redeveloping the property for many years. Each tenant is told about this before signing a lease. They know the risks involved. That's why the rents are so low."
The price was right for Wiggins: $500 a month for 535 square feet. But there was a catch: She had to sign a revocable, month-to-month agreement.
Cathleen Mullen, who works for Nellis, said she tried to warn Wiggins against investing too much.
