I was thinking the other day — there are so many available commercial spaces in Pigtown, what kinds of businesses could fill them? Come on you guys — I can’t be just one out of a small handful of people who want to invest here!
So here’s a list of things I’d like to see along the boulevard, hey a girl can dream…:
Yoga studio/gym
Functional supermarket that caters to all residents, i.e., Shoppers, SuperFresh, a clean Safeway…we could also accomplish this by putting pressure on the management of our existing Safeway.
Hip fun clothing store — maybe something like a cross between DoubleDutch in Hampden and Cupcake in Fells Point. Love both of those stores.
A good ethic restaurant. Thai, Middle Eastern, or Japanese would be nice. Somewhere you can sit down and have a nice dinner without breaking the bank. A place that doesn’t primarily do a carry-out business.
Nicer liquor/wine store. Maybe a place that also sells cheese and other yummies.
A farmer’s market. The Save-A-Lot parking lot would be ideal for this. It would also be a great place for me to buy produce and cheese for the restaurant, as most of the local farmers don’t like to deliver to Pigtown, sadly. The market would be for farmers only, though. No wholesalers selling crap produce out of a Dole carton.
A fun furniture store — something like Home On The Harbor in Federal Hill. Some of their stuff is pretty reasonable!
Lawyers, doctors (I should say…doctors who actually see patients instead of dispensing shady Workman’s Comp claim letters), accountants, architects — we need more professional services, less social services. Word to your mother.
A florist. Something fun, not your standard ferns-and-carnations FTD drek florist.
A record/sheet music/CD store — maybe one that specialises in local/indie music.
An art gallery, again — one that focuses on local/regional artists.
A bookstore
Come on people, seriously. Nobody wants to do any of this in our neighborhood? Hm. I know most of you have regular jobs, which is great — but there has to be someone out there who’s willing to put their money where their incessant complaints are mouth is and invest in the community. Otherwise — why do you live here?
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I am all for a liquor store that sells wine other than Thunderbird or Mad Dog 20/20. I’m not really a wine snob or anything like that. I just hate having to commute to Federal Hill for wine because parking is such a hassle. The Wine Market is not too bad, but again…it’s not exactly convenient. I’ll sometimes go south of the border to Goldberg’s in Brooklyn since it’s in AA County and open on Sundays. It also has drive-thru service and lots of parking!
Actually, I would argue that on the restaurant front, we need more than just ethnic food. Anything would do well. Hell, I think there are some prime spots for a decent pub with pub fare and great beers. Baltimore is severely lacking these days with a pub that caters to the beer geek–Max’s being probably the largest of a very small number.
I do completely agree on the need for a functioning supermarket. The Safeway is quite sketchy, and quite frankly the addicts should be roundly rustled from their perch in front of the darn store. Maybe it is not a bad idea to pressure them somehow.
If we could have the methadone clinic moved out of the neighborhood, along with the two needle exchanges, you’d see far less addicts — at the Safeway, and all around Pigtown. I have no idea what it would take to get the place moved, though — thoughts?
I was thinking about a bar-winery serving middle to high quality wines, various types of appetizers, french cheese and italian pasta. Not a restaurant but a place for meeting with friends during late evening hours or for a fast but very pleasing lunch/dinner time.
A place like that is very good for art exhibition. Art and wine are inextricably linked since ancient times.
For all the ones out there that love to drink good quality wines for the pleasure of taste and not to get drunk!
Speaking of bars…
The beautifully rehabbed bar near CBL on Paca (think near Ostend, the one with the clock) looks like it’s making progress to open. No joke– there was work being done there at noon today.
I’m excited and yet… worried. What is going on there?
On a different note: you know what I would love having here? A video rental place. Even a vending machine with videos would be ok….
From what I can see, the place on Paca has no current permits on file except for a transfer of ownership, so I don’t know what they’re doing in there. Hopefully it will be a nice place — maybe a restaurant where they serve dinner!!!
Video Americain would be nice…
Hey, just for the record, I think we may already have one good ethnic restaurant. I have not managed to try it yet, but I’m heard from other neighborhood residents that Harrar serves very good ethiopian food.
When you have time, remind me to tell you the story of Harrar. I’ve never eaten there, so I can’t comment on the food.