For No Land Beyond co-owners Michael Cohn and Mark Brown, “nerd” is a term of endearment. After all, the two originally met in 2019 through their shared love of Magic: The Gathering, a collectible card game where players’ cards determine their wizarding powers.
Later that year, they became business partners and started transitioning Brown’s small gaming hub and retail space on North Charles Street into a full-blown board game bar in Old Goucher—dubbed the first of its kind in Baltimore.
Throughout the years, regulars—who have enjoyed hundreds of games in No Land Beyond’s library—have come to know the spot by its logo, a 20-sided d20 die popularized by favorites like Dungeons and Dragons.
“If a nerd ever sees a d20 at a business, they know they’re at the right spot,” Cohn quips.
Now, the duo is on the move again, this time settling in a space that will allow them to expand their food offerings and take over one of the city’s most photogenic outdoor venues.
With support from the Station North Arts District and Central Baltimore Partnership, the owners hope to debut their new digs (a passion project two years in the making) at The Parlor in Station North this month, pending final inspections.
Originally built as a single-family residence in 1878, the North Avenue property operated as a funeral parlor for more than 100 years—hence its name. Recently, it’s been transformed by Baltimore developer Timshel and designer Present Company into a multi-purpose creative hangout with offices and artist studios.
As the building’s first-floor restaurant and bar tenant, No Land Beyond will occupy slightly more space than at its former building in Old Goucher, and way more than at its very first home on North Charles—which, coincidentally, sat next to funeral florist.
“We’ve always found ourselves in buildings with unusual histories,” Brown says with a laugh. “It’s become part of our charm.”
The 90-seat interior features built-in leather furniture, ambient lighting, and unique historical touches. Arguably, the best seat in the house is going to be a big booth by the building’s original elevator shaft.
“So this is the ‘dead body elevator,’” Cohn quipped on a recent tour. Added Brown, “No, it’s not working anymore.”
The new location also has a full kitchen, which means an upgraded menu created by Casey Jarvis of Glizzys Wagyu Dogs—who will serve as head chef in a casual capacity. Guests can expect elevated comfort foods, vegan options, and, of course, Jarvis’s specialty hot dogs.
No Land Beyond will also continue to be a drink destination, with a custom-built wooden bar highlighting curated beverages and themed cocktails, such as the popular “Blue Milk” from its Star Wars night.
“I always say we’re the best cocktail bar nobody’s ever heard of,” Cohn says.
The indoor space seemingly checked all of the owners’ boxes, but their commitment to the new location came with one clear condition from their landlord, Timshel principal John Renner—who has been instrumental in working with Central Baltimore Partnership on a number of projects aimed at reviving Station North.
The Parlor offers direct access to Baltimore’s famed Graffiti Alley, the city’s only legally sanctioned graffiti art space.
“All of this is contingent on you promising that you’re going to activate the space out there,” Cohn recalls Renner telling them.
For Cohn and Brown, it was an automatic “yes.” The owners immediately envisioned outdoor concerts, markets, and “mini conventions around nerd or nerd-adjacent things,” filling the colorful concrete behind The Parlor.
“Imagine we’re taking over all of this,” Brown says enthusiastically on the back patio opening up to Graffiti Alley. “We got tents up, events happening…”
Brown fondly recalls his previous life in a band, so, naturally, he wants music to play a significant role in Graffiti Alley’s next chapter.
“There used to be a music festival back here like 15 or 20 years ago. We’d love to try and do something like that.”
Despite all of the expansion, the owners haven’t lost sight of their original ethos—providing an inclusive space to explore all types of gaming interests—which they’re excited to carry on in Station North.
“Everything, whatever a nerd touches, we are doing something around it, be it drag shows or full gaming-related burlesque,” Cohn says proudly.