Caves Valley Partners has signed leases with Sol Oaxaca, a popular family-oriented Mexican restaurant in Bel Air, and Ruxton Mercantile, a modern general store featuring a collection of upscale offerings, to round out its mix of retail, service and food and beverage offerings at The Village of Cross Keys.
Sol Oaxaca is expected to open in the spring of 2025 in a 3,800-square-foot space formerly occupied by Donna’s Café. Ruxton Mercantile is expected to open this fall in a newly-created retail space at Cross Keys, which is located in the 5100 block of Falls Road in Baltimore. Both operations will be offshoots of existing businesses that are coming to Baltimore City for the first time.
Food-oriented businesses now open at Cross Keys include: Always Ice Cream Company, Cece’s Roland Park, and Easy Like Sunday.
In addition to Sol Oaxaca and Ruxton Mercantile, previously-announced businesses opening soon at Cross Keys include: ZaVino Italian Marketplace, scheduled for August 2024; Bluemercury, opening in the late summer; Kneads Bakeshop and California Closets, opening in the fall of 2024; and a Chinese restaurant from the Atlas Restaurant Group, scheduled for winter of 2025.
“Sol Oaxaca is the final piece of the vision to make Cross Keys a dynamic dining destination, with a wide range of food and beverage offerings, for almost any occasion, and at a variety of price points,” said Arsh Mirmiran, a principal of Caves Valley Partners, the company leading the redevelopment of Cross Keys, in a statement. “They will join six other concepts and will, more than ever, make Cross Keys a go-to destination for area residents and business people.”
Sol Oaxaca
The Mexican restaurant is a venture of the owners of Sol Oaxaca Cocina Moderna, located at 16 Bel Air South Parkway in Bel Air. According to Caves Valley Partners, it will feature vaulted ceilings inside and a 3,000-square-foot outdoor patio.
The menu will offer traditional family recipes with a modern twist, crafted with locally sourced ingredients. Complementing the Mexican cuisine will be a seasonally-curated beverage selection featuring a variety of Mexican and craft beers, margaritas, artisanal cocktails, and a large selection of tequilas.
“We’re excited to open at Cross Keys and look forward to our vibrant authenticity establishing Sol Oaxaca as an esteemed member of the community,” said Sol Oaxaca co-founding partner Tom Doxanas, in a statement. “Caves Valley’s vision combined with the heritage location and the void in upscale Mexican food offerings in the immediate area made Cross Keys the perfect location for our next restaurant.”
The company says its menu will be tailored to the local area and inspired by its recently-deceased co-founder, Reynaldo Villatoro, known as the “Heart and Sol” of Sol Oaxaca. More information about Sol Oaxaca can be found on Instagram at @soloaxaca.
Ruxton Mercantile
Ruxton Mercantile is a modern general store that will feature “a broad range of quality goods to elevate everyday living,” including housewares, accessories, men’s and women’s apparel, gifts, and apothecary and wellness products.
With nearly 1,600 square feet of space, the store will be located in one of the newly-created retail suites along the east breezeway at Cross Keys, across from Cece’s Roland Park. Its original location is at 7625 Bellona Avenue in Ruxton, and it can be found on Instagram at @ruxton_mercantile.
“I started Ruxton Mercantile in 2018 with the simple idea of bringing the best to our customers, and since Cross Keys is in the process of returning as Baltimore’s best shopping and dining location, it just made sense,” said founder Caitlin Gibson, in a statement. “Our team members put love and careful thought into all that we do so that customers can enjoy the shopping experience and everything the store has to offer.”
“Ruxton Mercantile will fulfill an important niche at Cross Keys,” Mirmiran said. “Caitlin’s product range, local knowledge and relationships, and customer service philosophy will further our vision of offering an upscale and unique mix of local and national retailers.”
More information about Cross Keys is available at crosskeysbaltimore.com.
