Hampden : Development News

There’s a new place in Woodberry where Baltimoreans can do their downward dog.
 
Respite Wellness Center opens for business at 2000 Girard Ave. Oct. 1. The Center offers yoga, Reiki, and Zumba classes along with massage and acupuncture sessions.
 
Certified yoga instructor and massage therapist Angeline Gentile has partnered up with acupuncturist Tiffany Houchins to open Respite. Gentile, a Hampden resident, found the 1,500 square-foot location on Craigslist and thought it was ideal since the space was already set up for a wellness center with three treatment rooms, a yoga studio, a kitchen and reception area.
 
 “We decorated the space with a Woodberry urban-organic vibe,” says Gentile. Gentile says she plans to work with Artifact Coffee and offer lunch for afternoon yoga sessions provided in the backyard, which she will set up with hammocks as a place to socialize.
 
Gentile, who also holds corporate yoga classes including sessions at Baltimore City Public Schools for teachers, enjoys providing classes for Baltimore workers like artists, writers and small business owners who need to relax but have tight budgets, and she often offers sliding scale prices.
 
Respite is currently offering intro specials, like $70 for 90-minute massage sessions that usually cost $100. Walk-ins for yoga classes are $15, and $10 for seniors and students, or 10 classes for $120.
 
Respite currently employs three acupuncturists and five yoga instructors. There will also be a life coach and licensed social worker later this month. Gentile would also like to add bars and Pilates instructors in the future.

Source: Angeline Gentile
Writer: Jolene Carr

Baltimore Burger Bar, a restaurant specializing in farm-to-table 'foodie' burgers, plans to relocate  from its present location on the Avenue in Hampden to another spot on the same street with a larger kitchen.

Store Owner Anisha Jagtap says she is spending $50,000 on the move and renovation and hopes to open the new location by the end of September.
 
The new space is currently zoned as retail space and Jagtap will go before the city's zoning board Aug. 21 for approval.
 
Currently housed in a two-story, 1,400-square-foot space at 830 W. 36th St., Baltimore Burger Bar will relocate to 840 W. 36th St. to a 1,200-square-foot space.

Jagtap also plans to construct a 166-square-foot addition as well as provide outdoor seating, making the overall space larger and more conducive to table service. The additions and renovations are pending approval and are scheduled to happen along with the restaurant opening this fall. 

 
The Burger Bar sources their food locally and offers "not the average burger," Jagtap says. A current menu item includes "The Squash Blossom," which includes grassfed beef, stuffed squash blossom, smoked bacon, chevre, and strawberry basil ketchup.
 
At the new location, Jagtap plans to take a "classic French approach" to the menu that is still developing, and offer coursed dinners throughout the week. She also plans to add organic, cage-free chicken wings.
 
Additionally, Jagtap plans to add wait staff to double her staff from three to six.
 
Source:  Anisha Jagtap, owner and executive chef of Baltimore Burger Bar.
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

Downtown Baltimore will have a new fitness venue with West Coat flair this fall.
 
Pop Physique, an exercise studio franchise that originated in Los Angeles will add a studio at 339 North Charles St. Sept. 10. Owner Kim Quinn plans on opening more Pop Physique studios in the city within a year, looking at possible locations in Federal Hill, Fells Point, or Hampden.
 
Created by former professional ballet dancer Jennifer Williams, Pop Physique classes are hour-long workouts that combine ballet, Pilates and light weight work designed to tone and sculpt the body.
 
Quinn, originally from upstate New York, wanted to open a Pop Physique somewhere on the east coast and chose Baltimore. “I did research on Baltimore about its young urban population. It fits our targeted age demographic of 25-to-40-year-olds,” Quinn says.
 
According to Downtown Partnership of Baltimore Inc., more than half of all Baltimore residents are between the ages of 31 and 54. 
 
Pop Physique instructors from California will come to Baltimore next month and select five local instructors after a tryout. Quinn will also be trained as an instructor.
 
Each class holds 20 people. New clients can get 30 days of unlimited classes for $100. Other package deals will be available as well.

The Baltimore will be Pop Physique’s 13^th location nationwide.
 
Writer: Jolene Carr
Source: Kim Quinn, Pop Physique

A new, locally brewed beer is coming to a pub near you.
 
After months of preparation, Union Craft Brewing in Woodberry will launch two styles of beer this month. The brewery also plans to open its tasting room to the public in mid-July. Union Craft is one of several new breweries and beer-themed restaurants to debut in the last year. 
 
On June 29, Union Craft Brewing will launch Duckpin Pale Ale and Balt Altbier, a German-style Altbier at a launch party at Max's Taphouse in Fell's Point. The beers will be on draft and also in specialty firkins, or small kegs, with slight variations to the original which make them one-off rarities, says Union Craft Brewing Co-owner Jon Zerivitz.
 
"I'm super excited, really nervous, but really ready to take the plunge into this. I'm feeling incredibly humbled and grateful for the support the city has shown us so far," Zerivitz says.
 
Following the launch, kegs of the two styles of beer will roll out to "better beer bars around the city," Zerivitz says.
 
The company launched with an $800,000 investment from private sources and Zerivitz says it has taken the whole investment to build the company.
 
Located in a 7,200-square-foot space in Woodberry right outside of Clipper Mill and near the Jones Falls River, Zerivitz says he found an ideal setting to start Union Craft Brewing.
 
"Manufacturing is often pushed to the outsides of the city. We tried to find a space within city limits. We have a reverence for Baltimore and its history, and Woodberry was ideal," Zerivitz says.
 
The space was at one time an annex for the original mill and has served a variety of different functions over the years including a furniture company and most recently a large-format sign company.
 
The tasting room will be open to the public and offer tastings, tours, and beer to-go.
 
Zerivitz started Union Craft Brewing with co-owner Kevin Blodger, an award-winning brewer with nine years of experience at various breweries in the area.
 
"Him and I collaborate on recipes…he uses his vast knowledge to make them come alive," Zerivitz says.

The company plans to brew about 1,000 barrels in its first year of operation. They expect to launch a seasonal as well as some special single-batch beers. 

"There is no limit to the number of styles we might produce except for fermentation capacity and demand for our flagship Pale Ale and Altbier. We do also plan to expand the flagship line," Zerivitz says.
 
Source: Jon Zerivitz, co-owner of Union Craft Brewing
 Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
 
 
 

A new boutique at 3610 Falls Road offers women another place to shop for vintage threads in Hampden.
 
My Dear Vintage opened June 2. Owner Brandi Foster rents the 200-square-foot space from entrepreneur Sue Caldwell above her shop Lovely Yarns.
 
My Dear Vintage sells fedoras, purses, dresses,  jackets, among other items, ranging from $3 to $65. The selection is a mix of both lesser-known brands and high-fashion designers Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Hermes. Pieces date from the 1950s to the 1980s.
 
Foster wants to keep My Dear Vintage in Hampden but look for a larger location as the physical store becomes profitable. Within the next few months, Foster plans to add apartment items to her collection. In the next year, she hopes to offer retro clothing for men and kids, which she says she  believes are in high demand but often overlooked by shops.
 
Foster named the boutique in honor of her grandmother who sparked her passion for vintage clothing and whom she affectionately referred to as “my dear.”
 
Foster originally established My Dear Vintage as an online store in the summer of 2010. Once she was successful, the former Pikesville native wanted to scout out a physical location for the boutique in Hampden.
 
“Hampden has really changed. It’s a great place with young hipsters who like to shop,” Foster says.
 
She now lives 3 blocks away from her shop and enjoys perusing the boutiques of fellow Hampden merchants like Avenue Antiques for household gadgets. She runs the boutique solo. 

Writer: Jolene Carr
Source: Brandi Foster 

Once a grocery store, The Food Market's rebirth as a restaurant will happen just after Memorial Day.
 
After months of construction and a complete gutting and renovation, The Food Market plans to debut chef Chad Gauss' concept of chef-inspired comfort food in approximately two weeks in its new industrial-modern space, says General Manager and Co-owner, Elan Kotz.
 
Kotz describes the menu as known and approachable food, but executed from a chef's perspective. Dishes that Gauss prepared at other locations include Kobe beef meatloaf, linguine with crab meatballs, duck-fat fried cashews with fried catfish served on micro greens, and Heath bar crunch bread pudding. The 3,000-square-foot restaurant on the Avenue will seat 90 people, and will include a 14-seat bar. The restaurant plans to offer free valet parking and a dinner menu available until 1:00 a.m. The restaurant will employ approximately 45.
 
Prior to being a restaurant, The Hampden Food Market was a grocery store that also sold beer and lottery tickets.
 
Kotz and Gauss signed a lease to take over the space in June.
 
Kotz and co-owner Gauss were drawn to Hampden's originality and personality in a place that Kotz says is as much of a neighborhood as it is a destination for visitors. The boutiques, restaurants, and lack of big-box retailers gives Hampden a down-home feel, Kotz says.
 
Baltimore Magazine recognized Gauss, formerly executive chef at City Cafe, as the Best New Chef of 2010.
 
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
Source: Elan Kotz, general manager and co-owner
 

A new Hampden shop selling vintage clothing and threads from smaller designers hopes to appeal to both men and women in their search for that perfect T-shirt or unique accessory.
 
Hunting Ground opened last month in a 170-year-old church on Falls Road near the Avenue in Hampden.
 
Co-owners Jessica Soulen and Jenna Hattenburg have years of experience working in retail and decided to open a store where both men and women can shop together. They were looking to fill a void in Baltimore.
 
"Guys especially have a hard time finding stuff in Baltimore," Soulen says.
 
The 1,100-square-foot Hunting Ground aspires to create a casual atmosphere where shoppers can find interesting items, and neat accessories. Additionally, the shop buys clothing from people looking to sell items. The store's owners sell items that fit into a modern wardrobe versus having costume pieces, Soulen says.
 
The shop wanted to work with small designers to acquire its new clothing. The shop carries no big labels or anything you could find at the mall, Soulen says.
 
Soulen says that she and Hattenburg wanted to open a shop in Hampden to be close to a major shopping destination for Baltimore locals, but they didn't want a narrow space on the Avenue for their shop. Instead, they waited for a spot with more space and ended up with what Soulen describes as a very unique, warm, and inviting location with big windows and lots of light.
 
After acquiring the property, Soulen and Hattenburg worked on building out the space starting in November.
 
"We did everything ourselves from building racks to painting. Everything is custom-made," Soulen says.
 
The new project for the owners is to establish their e-commerce site to extend their sales to an international market.
 
 
Source: Jessica Soulen, co-owner of Hunting Ground
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

A local developer plans to spend $1.2 million to open a three-story, 12-unit apartment building in Hampden by the end of the year.
 
Eric Dashner, owner of Finer Remodeling in Roland Park, will renovate a 3,000 square-foot property in Hampden that dates back to the 1880s. He hopes to construct an 8,000-square-foot addition, pending approval from the city's zoning board. Dashner expects to break ground within four to five months on the property, located just blocks from The Rotunda. 
 
The developer says he hopes that the apartments will appeal to young, single professionals who want to live in a neighborhood that offers great restaurants and live music in a friendly, tight-knit community. The apartment market is one of the few bright spots in real estate these days as some former homeowners who can't get loans are renting instead of buying.
 
Dashner says he plans to restore the facade of the building at 3849 Roland Ave. and anticipates renovating the remaining shell of the building to create one and two-bedroom apartments. The rental prices of the market-rate apartments are expected to run from $900 to $1100 per month, Dashner says. The plans also call for 14 off-street parking spaces.
 
The developer says he left the plans "loose" so as not to be pigeonholed into a single idea, and will meet Tuesday evening with the Hampden Community Council for their input.
 
Dashner has renovated two other rental-housing units in Hampden, one at 3649 Keswick Rd. and another on Dellwood Avenue.

Source: Eric Dashner, owner of Finer Remodeling, Inc.
Writer: Alexandra Wilding

Woodberry Kitchen’s Spike and Amy Gjerde will open a coffee shop at Hampden’s Union Mill this spring.

The 1,500-square-foot café will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Allie Caran, the lead barista at Woodberry Kitchen will manage the store, Spike Gjerde says.

Also still in the works is Half Acre, a fast-casual eatery that the Gjerdes will open at 3801 Falls Rd. in the middle of this year. The 75-seat restaurant will serve lunch and dinner and employ 30, Gjerde says. The restaurant is also opening an office at Union Mill for about half a dozen employees at the cafe and restaurants.

The café will be under construction next month and open in March or April, says Michael Morris, the real estate manager for the Gjerdes’ restaurant ownership group behind Woodberry Kitchen, Artifact and Half Acre.

One of the area’s first farm-to-table restaurants, Woodberry Kitchen is one of the Baltimore area’s most popular restaurants. It earned the accolade of Bon Appetit magazine, which named it one of the Top 10 Best New Restaurants in America in its September 2009 issue.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Spike Gjerde, Woodberry Kitchen; Michael Morris, real estate manager

Friday and Saturday night karaoke at Hampden’s Clipper Mill Inn will return in February after being shut down by the city in May for lack of an entertainment license.

Employees say they anticipate its return as the singing had boosted the bar business by nearly 70 percent. The karaoke night drew a young crowd of college students as well as locals, featuring songs from the 1960s to current popular music, and had been a neighborhood fixture for more than 10 years.

The bar received preliminary approval for a live entertainment license Dec. 8 from Baltimore City’s liquor board. The license is conditional upon inspections by various city agencies including the city’s health and fire departments.

The license also contains conditions that were agreed upon between the bar owners and local groups, including the Hampden Community Council. Those conditions include limiting the live entertainment to karaoke, and hosting karaoke only on Friday and Saturday nights and setting a decibel limit, says Hampden Community Council President Adam Feuerstein.

Voted Baltimore’s best karaoke night by the City Paper two years ago, the bar received several noise complaints from neighbors in May. In November, bar staff met with the Hampden Community Council to win community support for the karaoke nights, Feuerstein says.

Bar owner Robert Markarovich could not be reached for comment.

Writer: Alexandra Wilding
Sources: Clipper Mill Inn employees Randy Cullison and Donna Tingler; Adam Feuerstein, Hampden Community Council

ShopRite is opening two Maryland stores July 28, following the auction of 11 Maryland SuperFresh shops.

ShopRite in Timonium and D.C. suburb White Oak will each employ around 200, many of whom are former SuperFresh employees, says William Sumas, vice chairman of ShopRite parent Village Super Market Inc.

Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. Inc., the parent company of SuperFresh, filed for bankruptcy protection last year. It auctioned 12 SuperFresh stores, all but one in Maryland, as part of its restructuring plan. That has opened the door for other grocery chains to expand in Greater Baltimore. Fresh & Green's opened in the former SuperFresh downtown and plans to replace the former store in Hampden. Shoppers Food opened this month in Ellicott City.

Located at Fairgrounds Plaza, the Timonium ShopRite store will include a bakery, pharmacy, and full-service floral department. It will also feature an international aisle and prepared foods with hot entrees and side dishes, soups, brick-oven pizza, an olive bar, a salad bar and sushi.

An on-site registered dietitian will be on hand to educate customers on preparing healthful meals and proper nutrition. Customers can also take weekly cooking classes taught by professional chefs.

"It's a great opportunity for date night, a fun family activity, or a get-together with friends," Sumas says.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: William Sumas, ShopRite

The owners of popular Remington restaurant and bar the Dizz have opened a second location in Hampden.

The Dizz Grandview opened Sept. 15 on the 15th floor of a high rise for senior citizens.

And next door to their original location at 300 W. 30th St., the restaurant now has more space to sell T-shirts blazoning the TV show starring neighborhood baker Duff Goldman.

The 76-seat restaurant currently serves lunch and dinner. By mid-October, it will begin serving breakfast � as well as alcohol, the Dizz Manager Elaine Stevens says. For now, the Hampden restaurant is BYOB. Stevens says she expects to get a liquor license next month.

Surrounded by glass, the restaurant at 3838 Roland Ave. offers diners a view of Baltimore City that will hopefully be its main attraction, Stevens says.

"The view is beautiful," she says. "That's what's going to sell the place. It's a nice little spot."

The restaurant's menu is the same as the Remington location. That includes steaks, seafood, sandwiches, and burgers.

The Dizz' owners (Stevens' brother and his wife) chose the location hoping to attract the young professionals in Hampden and the older residents in the building.

Stevens hopes to get customers from Remington on busy nights when the wait to snag a table at the original location can be as long as 90 minutes.

Folks who are waiting now have a place to buy "Ace of Cakes" paraphernalia, including T-shirts, mugs, and water bottles. The Dizz was selling more than 200 "Ace of Cakes" T-shirts � at $25 a pop � per month, prompting the owners to open a separate gift shop next door. The store will also sell jewelry, photography, and paintings by local artists who frequently dine at the Dizz. Sports fans can also get gear supporting the Baltimore Orioles and the Ravens.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Elaine Stevens, the Dizz

Hampden's main thoroughfare, the Avenue, will soon be home to a new caf� and art gallery.

The Arthouse will open the first week of November at 1115 W. 36 St. With seating for about 100, the two-story restaurant will feature an espresso bar and works from local artists, says Lou Catelli, who is helping to get the 2,000-square-foot restaurant up and running.

The restaurant could grow its own produce on site if the owners get zoning approval for a rooftop garden, Catelli says.

The owners, Joan Delina and Deb Smith, are applying for a new liquor license, which requires that they invest a minimum of $200,000 into a restaurant of that size.

The Arthouse will be open from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m., serving lunch and dinner.

The menu will be "eclectic," Catelli says, featuring local produce, free-range meats, and Maryland wines. Entrees will run about $15 and include seafood, meat, and vegetarian dishes.

Catelli has worked with several local restaurants including Sotto Caf� in downtown Baltimore and 13.5% wine bar in Hampden.

Catelli says "bohemian" Hampden seemed like the ideal spot for an art gallery and caf�.

"Hampden is the center of excitement," Catelli says. The area has got a mix of young professionals, students, and professors who patronize local shops, along with a tight-knit group of merchants.

"There's no other neighborhood that's happening like Hampden right now," he says.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source Lou Catelli, the Arthouse

In the Middle Ages, alchemists sought to transform ordinary metals into gold. Now, a couple from Harford County hopes to conjure the same spell to bring in business at their new Hampden restaurant Alchemy.

Debi Bell-Matassa and Michael Matassa expect the eatery at 1011 W. 36th St. to open the first week of August. "We want to create something magical on the plate," Bell-Matassa says.

Dishes include house-smoked trout crepe, snapper with pancetta and butternut squash soup. Bell-Matassa will bake all the pastries and desserts in house. Brunch items will include cinnamon rolls with cream cheese Limoncello frosting and a breakfast souffl�.

A graduate of Napa's Culinary Institute of America, Bell-Matassa caters a lot of weddings and bah mitzvahs and her corporate clients include Boordy Vineyards and Northrup Grumman.

The couple are investing $225,000 to open the restaurant, the bulk of which was spent to purchase kitchen equipment and redo the heating system. 

Coming to a curb near you: burritos to order. Lesa Bain and Shawn Smith bring their version of the Mexican classic to the hungry lunchtime crowd gratis of their 12-foot truck. The two have been cruisin' through Hampden and neighborhood festivals for the past two weeks.

In the next few months, Bain says she and her husband hope to make their burrito wagon, Curbside Caf�, a full-time venture. Just five bucks a piece, the burritos come filled with ingredients --some traditional and some not so traditional -- including pulled pork, black beans, tofu and veggies.Curbside even sells an Indian-style burrito stuffed with chana masala, or chickpeas with Indian spices.

"We have a variety of burritos. We're not trying to go for a Mexican theme," Bain says.

Why a food wagon? The couple wanted to launch a business and thought a food venture would be perfect since Smith is a good cook, Bain says.

They chose a food wagon instead of a more stationary location because they wanted to start small. Bain got the idea after seeing food delivery trucks in California, Philadelphia and New York. She estimates that the couple have spent about $10,000 to cover start-up costs.

"They're everywhere in other cities, but not too many in Baltimore," She continues. .

One of the biggest challenges to starting the business has been figuring out what will sell well and knowing just how much food they will need for an event. 

A number of food wagons have taking to trolling the streets of Charm City in recent months. Icedgems Baking roves throughout Baltimore County selling cupcakes and other sweet confections. Patrick Russell, owner of Koopers Tavern in Fells Point, started Kooper's Chowhound, a burger wagon, last year.

Bain and Smith will eventually take their truck beyond Hampden's border, but for now, the neighborhood suits them fine. The couple live in the area and know a lot of business owners there. "There's a lot going on in Hampden," Bain says.

There's more happening in Hampden. Read about it here.

Source: Lesa Bain, Curbside Cafe
Writer: Julekha Dash