Shop small, make a big impact. Downtown Partnership of Baltimore hosts 'Shop Small Crawl'

BALTIMORE -- It's Black Friday and holiday shopping is top of mind, but Saturday is an opportunity to find one-of-a-kind gifts for all your loved ones while supporting small business owners right here in Baltimore. 

Starting at 10 on Saturday morning, the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore is highlighting 12 local stores for their Shop Small Crawl. City leaders will join shoppers to experience a sampling of all that downtown has to offer from Charles Street to the Harborplace pavilions.

The partnership's president, Shelonda Stokes said, "We have a florist - Fleur De Lis - that we'll be going to, and they'll do a demonstration, and you can make your own bouquet and walk away with that, so we want people to experience what the florists downtown have to offer. We're going to a bridal shop so people can say yes to the dress!"

Also on the itinerary, are Cajou Creamery and Cafe and the newly opened dede shop, owned by the sisters behind the luxury interior design firm, Decorelle.

Co-owner, Yvette Pappoe, said, "It's our take on giving access to everyone to be able to shop some of the items that we've designed and hand-selected and curated for their own homes." 

Pappoe said she hopes the event will encourage more foot traffic for the businesses on Howard Street.

"The Bromo Arts District is a neighborhood that deserves more attention," said Pappoe.

That's why Stokes said when you shop small, you can make a big difference.

"It really supports the ecosystem," said Stokes. "So we want to get off the bus, go into these businesses and really help shine a light on what they do."

The Shop Small Crawl takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 30, 2024. The crawl begins at Downtown Partnership on 20 S Charles St.

Shop Small Crawl Itinerary

• Stop 1: Elite Secrets Bridal, 339 N Charles St

Located in Baltimore's Mount Vernon fashion boutique district, Elite Secrets Bridal brings Baltimore's bridal scene an experience that cannot be found in any other bridal boutique.

• Stop 2: DIFFERENTREGARD, 825 N Charles St

DIFFERENTREGARD offers bespoke clothing for men and women to help clients look and feel more confident about themselves, creating solutions to sustainable clothing products that focus on consumer needs.

• Stop 3: Cajou Creamery, 411 N Howard St

Cajou Creamery (Kah-jū) is a plant-based ice cream company based in Baltimore, committed to crafting super-premium ice cream using whole superfoods, free from chemicals, artificial flavors, or fillers. Cajou is the first and only plant-based creamery in the DMV, and the first to exclusively use hand-crafted plant milks to create its bases.

• Stop 4: Fleur De Lis, 39 W Lexington St

Fleur De Lis Floral Design has been rooted in downtown Baltimore, for over 28 years. Visit to purchase individual stems, plants, unique floral accessories, or simply to just to smell the flowers!

• Stop 5: the dede. shop, 305 N Howard St

The dede. shop (dēdē, like day-day) is an interior brand created by Décorelle. Founded with the vision of making high-quality, thoughtfully curated decor accessible, dede. offers stylish furniture pieces and unique decor items. Each piece in the collection is designed and selected with care, reflecting a sophisticated aesthetic and attention to detail.

• Stop 6: BOOST Boutique Harborplace, 301 Light St

As part of DPOB's BOOST program, seven Black-owned businesses opened their doors in brick-and-mortar storefronts and in the BOOST Boutique at Harborplace. Shopping options include clothing, goods, gifts and more from: Cuples Tea, Milton's Daughters, Pandora's Box, Storybook Maze, Yele Stitches, MoreLife Organic Juice, and Motion Athletics.