Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co., a fast-growing chain serving traditional Yemeni coffee and spiced drinks, is set to move into a long-empty storefront in Downtown Columbia, filling a space that has sat vacant since 2024. The opening would bring one of the more visible Yemeni café brands to Howard County’s Town Center as the company keeps up a brisk national expansion pace.
Where It's Going
The company is targeting a Downtown Columbia spot that will replace a unit left empty by a 2024 closure, according to Baltimore Business Journal. The outlet reports the Columbia café is slated to be Qamaria’s first location in the greater Baltimore area.
Maryland Rollout and Timeline
Qamaria’s Maryland push is already underway, with a Laurel store planned to open this month and the Columbia shop expected to follow later in the year, per The MoCo Show. The outlet also notes that Qamaria operates dozens of locations across multiple states and that a local commercial broker is representing the franchisee behind the Maryland locations.
What Qamaria Offers
The company says it sources single-origin Yemeni beans and roasts them at a facility in Dearborn, Michigan, pairing traditional brews like qishr with cardamom-spiced drinks and light pastries, according to Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co. Its cafés are typically positioned as late-evening community hangouts, with a mix of standard cafe seating and more casual gathering areas.
What This Adds To Town Center
For Town Center shoppers and nearby residents, a Yemeni specialty café could add some fresh late-night and cultural flavor to an area that has seen steady tenant turnover in recent years. Active property listings and marketing around Town Center parcels indicate landlords are still courting national and regional concepts for exterior-facing spaces, per LoopNet.
Exact opening dates and final hours for the Columbia shop have not been announced. The Baltimore Business Journal notes that company representatives did not immediately confirm a timeline. We will update when the franchisee or Qamaria releases an official opening notice.
