Michael’s Eighth Avenue shuts its doors
Popular event venue home to Anne Arundel County Sports Hall’s annual banquet
Sarah Roman married her husband, Andrew, at Michael’s Eighth Avenue three years ago. Amid friends and loved ones, she said “I do” in the place her family built a fixture for brides like her over three decades.
Roman is heartbroken her son Eli won’t have a chance to do the same.
Michael’s, the event venue home to 30 years ofweddings like Roman’s, announced it’s closing up the hall and gardens on Grayburn Drive in Glen Burnie. Locally known for its swanky event hall and lush gardens, the venue has been the backdrop of fundraising galas, family parties and political functions, notably Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman’s victory rally in 2018. It is well-known in the sports world as the home of the Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame annual banquet.
“I’ve had a week to process that this is actually happening,” Roman said, “but watching liquidation is not easy.”
Roman’s father, MichaelWagner Jr., and her grandmother Carol Wagner own the business. Her grandfather, MichaelWagner Sr., opened the event space 30 years ago. Romanran the day-to-day operations of the business along with her partner Kayla Latney.
The two had planned a sort of rebrand after the coronavirus pandemic hit, forcing the business to reschedule its events after the state restricted most indoor events to stave off the pandemic. The two rebuilt a team and planned a vision for hosting parties and weddings while navigating the restrictions still in place amid the pandemic.
They had booked events for 2021 in anticipation of reopening, she said.
“We genuinely saw hope on the other side,” Roman said. “We knew it wouldn’t be easy, and we knew we had bills to pay, but we believed.”
Michael’s landlord for 30 years, St. John’s Properties, sued the business for failure to pay rent in September, according to court records. The hearing, initially set for Oct. 27, was postponed until Nov. 10 and reset again to Nov. 24. The case status remains open, according to court records.
Roman confirmed the business fell behind on rent when customers evaporated early in the pandemic. St. John’s initially worked with Michael’s, Roman said, but eventually filed for the rent amount in court. Reached by phone, St. John’s marketing director Jay Riley declined to comment on the closure.
“We knew it wouldn’t be easy, and we knew we had bills to pay, but we believed.”
Sarah Roman
Riley would not confirm or deny that St. John’s terminated Michael’s Eighth Avenue lease, which was asserted in the Facebook post announcing the closure.
Dozens of community members posted comments expressing shock and lamenting the closure.
“This is so sad,” wrote Julia Little Taylor. “I loved working there and even though I have moved on, all the Michael’s staff have been like family.”
The company’s last day of business was Nov. 27