Baltimore Shopping
The Inner Harbor is an obvious choice for shoppers. But those who like an adventure will find Fells Point, Hampden, Mount Washington, Antique Row on Howard Street, and a lot of fun. If your wallet needs emptying, head over to Cross Keys, near Mount Washington, for designer threads.
Inner Harbor
You can find anything from onion rings to diamond rings at the 160 shops that make up Harborplace (tel. 410/332-0060), which is actually three separate venues: two stand-alone pavilions on Light and Pratt streets; and the Gallery, a vertical mall in the atrium of the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel. The Light Street Pavilion has the most food stalls and restaurants, plus some souvenir shops. The Pratt Street Pavilion offers specialty stores, clothing and jewelry shops, and more restaurants. The Gallery has three floors of shops, plus a fourth-floor food court. Most of the stores are open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 9pm and Sunday from 11am to 7pm.
Most tenants are franchises of national chains, but a few offer some local color. At the Fudgery, in the Light Street Pavilion, employees make amazing music while they make the fudge. Lee's Ice Cream, also in the Light Street Pavilion, is made in West Baltimore. White House/Black Market has stores all over the country, but the original's in the Pratt Street Pavilion. The 75 shops in the Gallery (connected via skywalk to the Pratt Street Pavilion) include Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, Ann Taylor, and the Disney Store. Santa's magical house is located between the Harborplace pavilions from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve.
Village of Cross Keys
This upscale shopping center, at 5100 Falls Rd. in Baltimore, has some terrific stores that shouldn't be missed, plus a few chains such as Talbots and Williams-Sonoma. Hours are generally from 10am to 6pm or later. From downtown, take the Jones Falls Expressway north to the Northern Parkway East exit. Turn right at the light at Falls Road; the center is on the right. Listed is a sampling of the shops here.
Markets & Malls
Baltimore still has several old-fashioned covered markets with vendors selling seafood, baked goods, produce, and sweets. The outdoor farmers' market held under the Jones Falls viaduct is a Sunday tradition for many people.
Antique Row
In a single block -- the 800 block of Howard Street -- lies an amazing string of antiques shops. Not only is it fun, it's also historic. The first antiques shops opened here in the 1840s -- they were furniture resellers, really -- making this the oldest antiques district in the U.S. Most of the shops are open from around 11am or noon to 5pm. Street parking is metered, so bring lots of quarters. Or take the Light Rail, which runs up this street.
Amos Judd and Sons, Inc. (tel. 410/462-2000) is a dark little store filled with cases of elegant jewelry, as well as some unique lamps and chandeliers. The 20 dealers at Antique Row Stalls (tel. 410/728-6363), an 8,000-square-foot co-op, sell, well, just about everything; closed Tuesdays.
The eclectic Connoisseur's Connection (tel. 410/383-2624) has a little of everything, from furniture to curiosities. This fun shop often provides set pieces for locally produced movies. Dubey's Art and Antiques (tel. 410/383-2881) boasts a wealth of Chinese export porcelain and other American, English, and Asian treasures.
E. A. Mack Antiques (tel. 410/728-1333) specializes in 18th- and 19th-century furniture, all of it in lovely condition. You can also get custom reproductions made here. Check out the old silver at Imperial Half Bushel (tel. 410/462-1192) -- the shop fairly glitters with flatware and holloware. 20th Century Galleries (tel. 410/728-3800) stocks American and European art pottery, as well as prints and paintings.