Best of Baltimore
EDITED BY
Christianna McCausland
Photography by Tyrone Syranno Wilkens
RENOVATION DESIGN
Reidy Creative
If you’ve been in Catalog Coffee’s Hampden space, you know that the vibrant design cuts through the pre-caffeine gloom like a ray of sunlight. This is Reidy Creative at work. But the design team, led by Tiffanni Reidy, doesn’t just work in the commercial arena. They’re a full-service residential interior architecture studio as well, with a focus on renovation design, including conceptual development, drawings, specifications, and construction management. Designing for clients who value creativity, appreciate innovative architecture, and don’t balk at a bold color, Reidy Creative’s design is as stimulating as the first sip of your morning coffee.
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ACCESSORIES
HD MARIGOLD
Lutherville’s HD Marigold is bold and fresh, full of brightly painted furniture, vibrant chinoiserie, plump pillows, stacks of blue and white china, and more. It’s a treasure trove of both vintage and new finds; no two shopping trips will ever be identical. Owner Liz Smith brings her interior designer’s eye to setting up the store’s vignettes so it’s easy to see how pieces can fit into your home, and shopping is a visual delight. Be sure to follow the store on Instagram for Smith’s video insights and the inside scoop on special sales and market days.
CANINE CARE
GOOD DOGGIE DAY CARE
Looking for a cushy home away from home for your pooch? Good Doggie Day Care (GDDC) is beloved for its cageless facility in the Old Goucher neighborhood of Baltimore, where dogs are matched by both personality and size (so your teacup Yorkie isn’t romping with a Great Dane) and days are spent resting on fluffy beds, running around in one of the 34,000-square-foot facility’s play areas, or enjoying one of the four large outdoor yards. Parents say their fur babies are thrilled to arrive—whether for a day or for boarding—and that the staff is exceptionally caring and professional. You can finally go on vacation without feeling guilty you left your four-legged bestie behind.
1993
18TH ANNUAL
Best of Baltimore:
SECRETS OF THE CITY
IN 1993, WE WENT WITH A HIGH concept Best of Baltimore: “Secrets of the City.” “Come closer,” the intro cooed. “We’re about to tell you things that only your best friend would tell you.” Inside, we gave “Best 45s” (ask your mother) to Top Cat Record and Novelty Shop on Pratt Street. “Best Vintage Wear” was a three-way tie between Dreamland, The Zone, and Retro (IYKYK). “Best Wine Bar” went to Spike & Charlie’s. And we gave “Best Hot Fudge Sundae” to Café Hon, saying it rivaled Marconi’s, the ultimate praise. On top of all that, we gave “Best Place For Elvis Sightings” to Miss Bonnie’s Elvis Shrine in Canton. Man, we really knew how to live back then.
GIFT BASKETS
BLACK EYED SUSAN
Whether for a retiring teacher, a baby shower, a housewarming, or favors for a special event, who doesn’t love a basket of treats wrapped in festive cellophane and bows. Black Eyed Susan offers delicious treats and gift wares at its storefront tucked into historic Glyndon and can compile them into unique baskets that can be hand-delivered in the metro area or shipped anywhere. All treats are Maryland-made. Imagine Otterbein and Berger cookies stuffed into a bushel crab basket, and you’ll understand what makes these so fun and yum.
HVAC COMPANY
HGH MECHANICAL
So your hot water heater quits, and your air conditioner conks out on the hottest day of summer—who you gonna call? We highly recommend Edgewood-based HGH Mechanical, in business for 30 years. They are trustworthy, reliable (read: no 12-hour waiting windows), and polite (they wear shoe covers so as not to track dirt into your house). Best of all? In an emergency, they make your problem their problem.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICAH E. WOOD
RUGS
Senneh Knot
Nearly 40 years ago, Zubair Mohamed opened Senneh Knot to bring high quality, handmade rugs to Baltimore. His passion and that of his staff, including longtime manager Joyce Weinberg, has not diminished with time. From knots per square inch to the quality of wool and dye, Senneh Knot takes floor-covering very seriously. The Timonium showroom offers thousands of rugs, mostly from Pakistan, India, and Nepal as well as Turkey (and some pre-embargo rugs from Iran). Rugs are available in standard sizes, though a large portion of business is in custom sizes. But nothing beats rifling through the enormous piles of gorgeous rugs in person, hunting for that perfect gem.
ARCHITECTURAL FLORALS
Pomona Floral
Owner Sarah Ruberto studied bonsai and ikebana, and it shows in her structural, artistic installs at galleries and museums and her event and wedding arrangements, made exquisite by their attention to form and line.
CLASSIC FLORIST
The Flower Cart
Now under the stewardship of its second generation, this Baltimore staple has provided everything from birthday and Valentine’s Day bouquets to sympathy arrangements since 1961. Made with locally grown flowers, these bundles of floral joy can often be ordered for same day delivery.
INNOVATIVE FLORIST
Crimson & Clover
Looking to send a sympathy or birthday arrangement but tired of cookie cutter bouquets? Crimson & Clover is the answer, with lush arrangements available for delivery, crafted with the same impeccable style as their event flowers.
LUSH FLORALS
Ritual Floral Studio
With the artistic eye of the Dutch Masters from whom she takes inspiration, owner Ciara Harrison creates modern and romantic floral displays for weddings and events in striking shapes and luxurious color palettes.
ROMANTIC FLORIST
Floriculture Micro Farm and Garden Cabin
Bespoke wreaths and hand-gathered bouquets (available for pickup or delivery) are made using local, seasonal, and organically grown flowers with an emphasis on blooms with cottage charm and timeless romance. Many may recognize its adorable Flower Truck from local farmers markets.
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INTERIOR DESIGNER
REDHEAD DESIGN INTERIORS
If you want your interiors tame, avert your eyes from the zebra-print upholstered foot stools. Meghan Friedman—founder, designer, and titular redhead—isn’t afraid of a pop of color in her designs. Friedman transitioned from graphic design to interiors, graduating from MICA’s certificate program, and is known for her timeless aesthetic and ability to beautifully curate a space. She’s also known for bringing bold colors and unique patterns into the home to breathe life into any room.
MIDCENTURY FURNITURE
DESIGN DISTILLERY
Rooted in designer Karen Graveline’s desire to find the perfect midcentury modern furniture for her own home, Design Distillery has grown over 27 years into a beautiful 9,000-plus-square-foot showroom that can meet your floor (rugs) to ceiling (lighting) needs and everything in between. The showroom—best visited by appointment—displays an enviable array of high-quality furnishings from name brands, and if you aren’t quite sure how to place that Bantam chair in your home, Design Distillery offers free and reasonably priced design consulting.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WESLEY LAPOINTE
ARTISANAL FRAMER
New Standard Frames
Seth Adelsberger brings artistic panache to framing that feels fresh in a somewhat staid industry. A fine arts graduate of Towson University, Adelsberger’s background covers painting, cabinet making—even architectural model making. He opened New Standard Frames in 2010 to specialize in handcrafted solid wood custom framing. All joining and finishing is done in-house and while they’ll frame pretty much anything, their specialty is fine art works on paper and canvas. In need of unique services? New Standard Frames can stretch canvases, build custom shipping crates and boxes, and manage your art’s installation.
SLATE ROOFER
ROLAND SLATE SERVICE CO., INC.
Slate roofs are a hallmark of many Baltimore neighborhoods. But when they do need repair, you can’t call just any roofer to handle this persnickety stone. Roland Slate is known for its expertise and decades of experience with slate roofs (as well as other more unique materials, including copper and Cedar Shake). It’s no wonder it’s received past nods from our Readers Poll.
TRAVEL AGENT
DREAMERS TRAVEL
If you think travel agents went the way of the dinosaurs, think again. In a world awash with travel websites, organizing something as simple as a family vacation or honeymoon can feel Herculean. Travel agents are back en vogue to take away the timeconsuming stress of travel planning. Run by husband-and-wife team Mark and Laura Hennigan, Dreamers has been in business for more than 17 years and is noted for its customer service and attention to detail.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WESLEY LAPOINTE
HOME DÉCOR
Mount Royal Studios
When co-founders Caitlin DeSantis and Nicholas Thomas left corporate America, they leaned into their passion for interior design, opening a showroom in their home before moving to a gallery in Harbor East. DeSantis leans to old European style (think Louis XIV and lots of gilt) while Thomas is firmly in the midcentury modern camp. Together, they carefully curate items that are unique, beautiful, and able to blend into a modern home, from Knoll Bertoia chairs to Meissen candelabras and sterling silver barware. These two bright young things are constantly sourcing new items and strive for a price point that makes an aesthetic interior attainable to most.
WAY TO CART AWAY YOUR CRAP
SPARTAN JUNK REMOVAL
We’re all guilty of amassing way too much stuff. Piled in the garage, neglected in the basement, left to the mice in the attic—sooner or later someone needs to do the big clear-out. Spartan Junk Removal gets high praise for its professionalism, ease of booking, and efficient removal of disused and forgotten items. They’ll take everything from a single mattress to a home’s worth of junk and dispose of it as responsibly as possible.
WINDOW CLEANERS
TOTAL CLEAN, LLC
Let’s face it, you’re never going to reach the apex of those windows at the top of your two-story vestibule—and it’s getting a little grimy up there. Total Clean has a sparkling reputation for being courteous and professional while getting the dirty work done. They’ll even clean off the sills and wash the screens. (They can also power wash siding and decks and clean gutters.) Think how much better the view will be.
2000
25TH ANNUAL
Best of Baltimore:
OUR GUIDE TO THE
BEST OF THE REGION
EVERYONE’S FAVORITE TV girlfriend, WBAL’s Dina Napoli, was our cover model this year, a winner for “Best Morning News.” “Who would you rather have breakfast with,” we wrote, “a. Dina Napoli or b. anyone else?” Elsewhere in the issue we gave Graul’s “Best Birthday Cake” (the more things change, the more they stay the same) and David Simon’s The Corner “Best Bad Publicity” (little did we know the tsunami of good art/bad publicity that was lurking two years down the road on HBO). The package opened with a picture of Sisqo, in all his cropped, silver-haired glory, and we dubbed him “Best Pied Piper of Hip-Hop.” “Thong Song” 4eva.
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Explore The Winners
