Ellen Scarano, an Annapolis Roads resident, sent us an e-mail because she noticed the Hillsmere Blockbuster is "really, really closed now; even the signs are gone!" She asked Greater Annapolis Patch what's going to take its place.

The empty space in the Bay Ridge Shopping Center is barely noticeable for what it once was. The royal blue awnings with the bright yellow Blockbuster signs were quickly removed after the video-rental store closed at the end of September. The parent company filed for bankruptcy shortly after.

However, the prime vacant spot is not going to sit empty very long.

An official with the company that manages the shopping plaza, which is home to Grump's Café and Tuesday Morning, said he has all but finalized agreements to fill the void.

Bob Pollokoff, president of Fedder Management Corp., said his firm only has to sign the deals with two retailers to fill the former Blockbuster site. He declined to discuss specifics until the deals were finalized.

He said the plan is to renovate the 6,750-square-foot corner location in the shopping center into two locations.

For now, the store sits empty. The front desks have been removed, along with all the shelving. No visible work has begun on the renovations.

Pollokoff said he should be able to reveal Greater Annapolis' newest retailers in about 30 days. It was also uncertain when the stores would be open for business.

The transition could have been completed a little sooner, but Pollokoff said the proceedings were held up with the timing of the store's closure and the one-time video giant's bankruptcy filing.

The Owings Mills-based Fedder eventually will be dealing with another vacancy in a few years when the plaza's CVS store makes the move down the block to the new one being built on the former site of the Mexican Café on Bay Ridge Road. A CVS official said earlier that the move date has not been confirmed but is not expected until the first quarter of 2012.