Neighborhood Shopping In Baltimore

At first glance, Baltimore doesn’t seem to be the best place to live for those of us who love to shop.

We have essentially two malls: Towson Town Center and Haborplace Mall in the Inner Harbor (which, if we’re being honest, is not that impressive).

But if you’re like me and not particularly crazy about these large-scale generic shopping experiences, B’more is a great place to indulge your quirky tastes.

First of all, this city and its environs have fantastic book stores. A short walk from campus is The Book Thing. At this Holy site, you can pick up free (that’s right FREE) books. Last time my roommate and I went, she left with a box of 47.

Nearby is another fun book and record shop called Normal’s. I also really like Ukazoo used books in Towson. It’s quite a bit further away, but you can take the Collegetown Shuttle to Towson Town Center and find it right across the street from the mall.

Baltimore is known for its distinctive neighborhoods, most of which offer quality boutique-style shopping.

A favorite of mine is Hampden. On The Avenue, 36th Street, you can find an array of little shops, not all of which are overly expensive. Hampden is a particularly good place to look for knick-knacks and jewelry. Best of all is the charming store that sells shoes and chocolate.

Fell’s Point is another great place to shop and walk around. My go-to store there is called The Party Dress. This two-story boutique carries reasonably-priced (albeit not cheap) women’s clothing and accessories.

Another cool neighborhood, Federal Hill, might have even better shopping than Fell’s Point. I’ve found some very cute boutiques there as well. They even have an American Apparel, if you’re into that kind of thing.

As far as food goes, you can find an appealing variety from meats to desserts at Federal Hill’s Cross Street Market. Also keep an eye out for some fun used record stores in the area.

Finally, I like to go to Harbor East for window shopping and browsing. It’s very nice around there, but the stores are a bit too expensive for the average college student’s budget.

So with all of these options, why not take a trip to one of Baltimore’s unique neighborhoods this long weekend? It’s always good to do some shopping.