Two venerable Baltimore-based businesses are joining forces to make it easier for Jewish families in Anne Arundel County to honor the memory of their loved ones.
Sol Levinson & Bros. funeral home in Pikesville recently opened an Annapolis arrangement center with the Fram Monument Co., one of the state’s largest memorial providers.
Now, rather than traveling to Pikesville for arrangements or consultations at Levinson’s and Fram’s main showroom and facility in Pikesville, Anne Arundel families can visit the combined satellite office located in the Westfield Annapolis Shopping Mall.
“We have a long-standing relationship with Fram, so it’s a logical partnership,” says Matt Levinson, vice president of Sol Levinson & Bros., which opened its original location in East Baltimore in 1892. “Our hope is that by having a joint presence in the Annapolis area, we can make it more convenient and provide more options for families planning this important life-cycle event.”
In addition to utilizing the arrangement center’s bereavement library and meeting with a funeral director to pre-plan or make funeral arrangements, Anne Arundel families can view sample memorials, design their monuments and make installation arrangements. Coming soon, they can also meet with a state-of-the-art bronze memorial designer to see exactly how their memorial will look.
“We take great pride in helping families memorialize their loved ones to help bring them comfort when they visit the cemetery,” says Steve Venick, president of Fram Monument, which has provided tens of thousands of memorials to customers in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia since 1922, and also operates a Rockville showroom.
Venick says he welcomed Levinson’s invitation to partner in the arrangement center concept, deeming it, “a great opportunity to better serve the Annapolis community,” while building on the solid relationship the two companies have maintained through the years.
The idea for the arrangement center itself came by popular demand, says Levinson.
“Families and rabbis have been asking for a greater Jewish presence in the Annapolis area, so we decided to open an arrangement center there like we did in Columbia in 2014,” says Levinson, a fifth-generation member of his family actively working in the business.
The Columbia arrangement center serves 75 to 100 families per year, and the Annapolis arrangement center has served 12 families since opening last month.
Already, the arrangement center is receiving positive feedback and gratitude from the community.
“Anne Arundel County has a growing Jewish population, and the addition of Sol Levinson and Bros. with Fram Monument serves to make our community even stronger,” says Rabbi Ari Goldstein of Arnold’s Temple Beth Shalom. “I wish them the best of luck.”
Rabbi Nochum Light, spiritual leader of the Chabad of Anne Arundel County in Annapolis, agrees, calling the Annapolis arrangement center a “bonus for the community.”
The Annapolis arrangement center, located at 170 Jenifer Rd., #150 A, in Annapolis, currently operates by appointment only. For funeral planning, visit sollevinson.com or call 410-881-0801. For memorial planning, visit frammonument.com or call 443-606-4955.
Caryn R. Sagal is a Baltimore-based public relations consultant and freelance writer.
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