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I’m All Lost in the Supermarket

"Where can I find a nice pair of pants in Baltimore?" - Joe Strummer

I took a little blogging break to get recharged, but now I’m back and I bring news of how to survive in Baltimore when going to the mall is no longer your primary means of sending your hard earned money to county governments. Those guys are flush, anyway.  Keep your cash in Baltimore.

When I had a car, it was so easy just to go to Columbia Mall if I needed a new pair of pants or a pork pie hat. I’ve been doing a lot more local shopping now because going to the suburbs takes a bit more effort. Also, the suburbs sorta suck and I don’t like going there.  I’ve also learned to find pretty much everything I need here in the city. Here are a few places I frequent (free advertising, people, but I am not above accepting donations, so feel free to give it up):

  • Normals Bookstore in Charles Village- cramped and a bit smelly from the animals/house pets roaming around, but a fine selection of used books and vinyl.  Always seems to have a wide selection of Noam Chomsky in stock for your anarcho-syndicalist needs.
  • Daily Grind in Fells Point – for when Starbucks just doesn’t cut it and you want some real old brick walls to go with your coffee.
  • Nacho Mama’s in Canton – a Mexican restaurant but for some reason they have really good meatball subs?
  • Feline’s Filene’s Basement downtown – Finding quality men’s clothing in the city is hard. I’m not a Joe Bank kinda guy. But I’m not a Hot Topic kinda guy either.  The prices in Harbor East are way too high and the selection way too slim.  Filene’s is a good middle ground when you want to look presentable without looking like a dork.
  • Sound Garden in Fells Point – lots of music and movies and stuff.  If you’re a music snob like Barry in High Fidelity, then Own Guru Records. They now have air conditioning.
  • Grocery Shopping – I know a few people who live in the southeast who avoid Safeway at all costs, but it’s not a bad walk/bike ride if you live nearby. A posher option is Whole Foods in Harbor East. On Sunday, the farmers market under the JFX has what you need, too.
  • Joe Squared on North Ave – great pizza, live music, arty events, and the thrill of outdoor dining on North Ave, one of Baltimore’s best streets (I’m only half joking, but more on this in a follow up post).

I know I left out a whole bunch of places and my list is southeast-centric.  If you got some more, do us all a favor and let us know. It would make Joe Strummer proud.

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Oct 2nd, 2010
by Mark.

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  • Lucre

    Is there actually a store called “Feline’s Basement”, or is this just a colloquialism for Filene’s?

  • Mark

    ha. because i have a habit of saying “felines basement” i wrote it that way. corrected.

  • John S

    Mt. Vernon and Hampden are great spots to find cool local businesses. Some of my favorites:

    Mt. Vernon: Charles Theater, Red Emma’s (coffee/tea, books, socialism), Brewer’s Art
    Hampden: Falkenhan’s Hardware, Rocket to Venus (restaurant), Wine Source, all the antique stores (more for entertainment than actually buying stuff)
    Also, Daedalus Books in Belvedere Square, The Baltimore Book Thing in Waverly, and of course the Waverly Farmer’s Market (not as big as the one under 83, but it goes year round).

  • Youssef

    Don’t forget Mondawmin is on a subway stop so you can always shop there. Unfortunately, the Target there is on far end of the mall from the station so you’d better bring a cart.

  • Jessica

    Daily Grind is more expensive than Starbucks which makes me hate it. I like High Grounds in Highlandtown but their hours can be weird. Firehouse Coffee shop on Kenwood in Canton is good but they are pricey too – why can’t coffee be cheap?

    Grocery Shopping – I stand by Shoppers on Kane Street but there is no bus direct service from “the deep SE” – now you have me thinking, maybe a re-route or extension!!

    Clothing – I am still stuck going to the Gallery Mall which isn’t terrible. It’s less expensive than the boutiques anywhere.

    Childrens’ Clothing – Village Thrift on Eastern Avenue. Maybe I shouldn’t be such an elitist and buy some clothes for myself there.

  • Mark

    another good one. that place has everything and it’s right on the metro.

  • Anonymous

    There aren’t a lot of decent diners in Baltimore, but one great one is Sip and Bite on Boston and Aliceanna – it’s my new favorite place for unpretentious food. It’s cheap and good.

    Forget about Canton, they’re just a bunch of post-suburban softies over there.

  • http://www.edenslounge.com/ Baltimore Nightlife

    Why go to diners at all if you could go to some awesome bars and lounges in Baltimore? 

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