Brian and Jen Andrychowski were faced with a unique challenge when they decided to purchase property at the intersection of Dublin Road and Route 136 — turning a much-loved, decades-old grocery store into an indoor sports facility.
DUBS Sports and Fitness is the newest name to don the building at 3269 Dublin Road, formerly Dublin Market (1994-2024). It has previously been Moody’s Market (1970-1994) — both locally-owned grocery stores. When Dublin Market closed earlier this year, Brian Andrychowski purchased the building in April, buying it with the assets inside.
Andrychowski, owner of Kingsville Karts, said he originally purchased the building to expand his golf cart business, but after seeing the inside of the building, he thought the space would better suit a different industry in an area of the county where demand would be high.
“Our daughters grew up playing youth sports and we spent a lot of time in indoor facilities,” Andrychowski said. “We said, ‘If we can, why not make one?’ There’s nothing like this in northern Harford County, and we figured that with the way youth sports are growing, it would be another avenue for kids to have a place to play.”
Andrychowski said his first decision was to host an auction to sell the grocery store equipment left behind. Some attendees bought memorabilia for themselves as a keepsake, while farmers and other small business owners purchased freezers and refrigerators.
“We literally had one customer, he bought the entire checkout lane. He put it in his pole barn because he grew up right down the road here. That was really neat,” he said.
With the grocery aisles removed, the Andrychowskis began renovations at the end of August, centered around raising the roof from 10 feet to 16 feet and replacing three of the four walls. The front wall was kept original in an effort to pay respect to the businesses that came before, Andrychowski said.
When sourcing materials for the interior, the Andrychowskis researched which turf would be best and consulted a professional installer from Georgia for recommendations. Other materials and equipment, such as padding for the walls, the protective netting and the goals, were purchased from locally owned companies.
“It’s not the biggest place in Harford County, but I feel it’s the best. Everything here is brand new,” Andrychowski said.
The result was a 43-foot by 95-foot indoor turf field tailored to field hockey, soccer and lacrosse teams since operations began on Nov. 15, hosting more than 500 local athletes per week, Andrychowski said. Baseball and cheerleading groups have also expressed interest in renting the facility for practices, but the Andrychowskis said they are still figuring out the scheduling and use of space with coaches.
“DUBS” was brainstormed by the Andrychowski’s daughters, Ella and Sophie, who said the name pays homage to the surrounding Dublin area while also making use of the up-and-coming slang term that means win or victory.
While leasing to some of Harford County’s most-touted youth sports clubs, such as NEMS Lacrosse and Harford Football Club, Jen Andrychowski expressed that DUBS also seeks to benefit the surrounding Dublin community.
“The hope is to get community groups in here and provide community programs,” she said. “We don’t right now because no one local is renting the space, but if there are trainers or coaches in the area who want it, we would love to see that.”
Jen Andrychowski said the facility will also be hosting fitness classes starting in January that will be open to the public. These classes include cardio workout sessions blended with music and eventually, yoga, if local instructors are willing to rent the space.
Despite wanting to embrace the Dublin community, the Andrychowskis admitted they received pushback on social media from local residents. Some commenters expressed frustration from losing a local grocery store, while others criticized the size of the building’s parking lot, saying it is too small.
But that is when neighbor Dolores Moody Wright, daughter of Walter Moody, who originally built Moody’s Market in 1970, stepped in. Tearing down a feed mill that was there previously, Walter Moody founded the first grocery store at the location and employed his children, including Dolores, who was a bookkeeper. Moody also owned a hardware store, Moody’s Hardware, across the street.
“He loved the community, and that was a dream of his to have that store he made,” Wright said. Referring to her father as “the mayor of Dublin,” Wright said her parents were divorced, which limited the time her father had with his children as they traveled between Maryland and South Carolina. To fill the gap, Wright said her father looked to other children in the community.
“That store was a home for people to come and see him. At Halloween, all the kids came to that store because he gave full-size candy bars as a treat,” Wright said.
Moody’s Market switched ownership in 1994, becoming Dublin Market, although Wright still lives nearby. Owner of Dublin Snoball across the street from DUBS, Wright has opened her parking lot to Andrychowski’s clients and worked with members of the neighboring church to offer parking behind the facility. Wright said she took to Facebook to address the commenters who expressed disapproval.
“I said to them, ‘It’s going to be what it’s going to be.’ I told people that my father would be so happy that it is servicing kids. He loved kids. I tell everybody that he gave to other kids what he couldn’t give to his own.”
Inside the facility, Brian Andrychowski hung two large signs, one reading “Moody’s Market,” the other, “Dublin Market,” as another acknowledgment to the location’s history.
Those interested in teaching fitness classes or holding practices at DUBS are asked to email Jen Andrychowski at jen@dub-sports.com. Classes are advertised online at dubs-sports.com.
Have a news tip? Contact Brennan Stewart at bstewart@baltsun.com, 443-800-5902, or @BrennanStewart_ on X.
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