At a time when Harford County could use a boost to its economy, a regional furniture retailer is opening its mid-Atlantic distribution center in a vacant Perryman building later this year.

Bob’s Discount Furniture, a private company, expects to immediately employ 70 people when it opens this summer, according to the Harford County Economic Development Office. Eventually, the distribution center could have 200 employees.

“Employment will be a major function,” County Director of Economic Development Jim Richardson said about Bob’s move to Harford County. “They will continue to grow and we’ll get some real property taxes from them. They’ll bring more businesses to the community, which will create more spin-off jobs.”

Bob’s Discount Furniture, which began in 1991, opened its first showroom in Connecticut and now has more than 30 showrooms in seven states, mostly in the northeastern region.

The company, which is based in Manchester, Conn., is known for providing fashionable, affordable home furnishings and bedding.

The new distribution center, about 672,000 square feet at 1511 Chelsea Road in Perryman, is an existing building and has been completed for about four to five months, according to Richardson.

It was built as a speculative building by Ryan Commercial LLC. Bob’s Discount Furniture will be the first tenant.

“It’s rather large,” Richardson said. “To our understanding, it’s the largest square footage deal in the state of Maryland in 2009. It’s quite amazing.”

The company chose Harford County because of its location and close proximity to I-95, business-friendly environment and the workforce, according to Richardson.

“Those are their three big reasons for locating here, as well as our Enterprise Zone tax credits for property,” Richardson said.

In an enterprise zone, real property tax credits are granted to businesses in exchange for creating jobs or expanding their operations to lead to more jobs.

For a company to qualify for the property tax credit, it must either make an investment in capital improvements or hire new employees.

This property tax credit is administered jointly by the county and the Maryland Department of assessments and taxation.

“It should be a positive thing for everybody,” Richardson said.

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