Neighborhood Life: Waverly Businesses Show the Value of Resilience

Washington and Wall Street may say the recession is over, but in Baltimore's Waverly neighborhood, small business owners protest that they're not quite out of the mud.

"We're on the front lines," says Ricky Herman, manager of Hermans Discount.

"Business is down at least 50%," Trinidad Gourmet owner Chuck Lochan calculates.

And Rupert Wondolowski of Normals Books & Records puts it plainly: "Last year was the worst."

Despite the difficulties, a mixture of loyal customers and local resilience is keeping the trio of businesses in action.

Entrepreneurs along the northern stretch of Greenmount Avenue have watched the main street transform over the past two decades. Memorial Stadium on 33rd Street once helped keep the area buzzing, while movie theaters, banks, and sit-down restaurants catered to middle-class Waverly residents between sporting events and concerts. The ballpark hosted its last game in 1997, the year before Hermans Discount opened.

Ricky Herman's family wondered if they had picked the wrong spot for their new store when the Provident Bank across the street shut down, but then a Korean couple bought the property and turned the building into Waverly Grill. The Hermans own their lot, too, and Ricky thinks that's what keeps Greenmount from turning into a ghost town dotted by fly-by-night beeper shops the way Howard Street did on the west side. And to the delight of Wondolowski at Normals down the block, the Hermans have worked to secure even more property, like the row of storefronts where Normal's sits. The Hermans stepped in and gave Wondolowski and his partners -- in business together for 20 years now -- security that despite the downturn, they'd have a roof under which to sell their array of brain and ear candy.

As the name might indicate, Normals has its share of repeat customers. Japanese record buyers used to ding the bell just above the door every week, but now Baltimore's status as a live music hub is the biggest boon to business. "We're getting a lot more touring bands coming in and buying stuff," Rupert says. "Those guys need something to do during the day." August was a strong month for sales, he adds, cautiously. As for the autumn? "We'll see," he says -- which is about the only honest forecast he or anyone else can give.

Across 31st Street, Trinidad Gourmet's owners/chefs hope to lure new Normal's customers in to try their Indian-tinged Caribbean cuisine, hoping to regain some of the vigor of pre-meltdown foot traffic.

Chuck Lochan grew up poor in Trinidad, but culturally he was rich -- a West Indian by birth and East Indian by heritage. He and his wife, Donna, opened their restaurant in 2006 after many years of planning, and it quickly drew effusive reviews and a regular clientele. "The first year, business was fantastic," Chuck remembers. Then the sub-prime crisis struck and halved his business.

That decline itself isn't unique. What's amazing is that Trinidad Gourmet could be its own economic indicator. Though revenue is half of what it was, Chuck says the same customers come in. They just buy less, or they buy less often.

That's a result of an ox-tail stew its proud creators proclaim as delicious enough to put Top Chef winners to shame, and off-menu items like spicy chicken that you have to dig deep and visit often to discover. As one-timers become regulars over the years, Chuck has become something like a bartender. Hearing about financial industry layoffs or school budget cuts from those directly suffering, he can offer up a warm roti or bake sandwich to take the edge off. The result of that rapport is that even if it's an occasional treat instead of a weekly indulgence, Trinidad Gourmet's customers keep coming back.

That's a theme throughout the neighborhood. Ricky Herman knew the recession was coming before news anchors and politicians could sound the alarm, and he'll be the last to give it a kick out the door when the time comes. "We know the customers by face, if not by name," he tells me, standing in front of a rack of shirts embroidered with the crests of local schools like Belmont Elementary and Dunbar High. Families know they can find what they need on Greenmount.

This being Baltimore, another critical question arises: Is the area safe? This spring, two murders took place along Greenmount in the span of 72 hours. One of them -- the shooting of a 22-year-old man on a Saturday afternoon at the crowded 33rd Street intersection -- particularly jolted the sense of safety that draws steady business to the main street. City police responded with a continued presence, the dicey Northside Inn bar closed, and normalcy has returned near Normal's.

So, having stood strong against gun violence and the greatest recession in history, what is the greatest threat to Waverly businesses? "Wal-Mart," Ricky Herman says, referring to the big-box combo with Lowe's being planned in nearby Remington.

An entrepreneur's work is never easy, and never complete.

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Photos by Arianne Teeple

- Rupert Wondolowski, Owner of Normal's Books & Records
- Local zines at Normal's Books & Records
- Chuck & Donna Lochan, Owners of Trinidad Gourmet
- An entree at Trinidad Gourmet
- Hermans Discount Store
- Merchandise at Hermans Discount Store