Baltimore is a city often neglected in the conversation around what’s considered “good design,” but there’s more to it than John Waters. After leaving Silicon Valley, having been a jack-of-all trades in the early days of Uber and then in product development at Vine, Baltimore native Tess Russell decided to open a specialty food shop in the Hampden neighborhood last month. Called Prime Corner, it stocks Baltimore brands—such as Hex Ferments, which makes rainbow kraut; Secret Sauce Co., manufactured by a local photographer; and Wight Tea Company—and has in-shop residency with B-More Kitchen, a nearby food incubator for small businesses. But Tess's aim isn't just to sell groceries to locals; she opened Prime Corner in the hopes of using her privilege and platform to highlight the cross-pollination of Baltimore’s burgeoning food scene and artists community.
Tess worked with student artist Chris Chester from the Maryland Institute College of Art to design the overall branding of the space, from murals on the store's exterior (featuring four repeating icons: coffee, fruit, flower, and sandwich) to its mint ice cream-colored shelves. Pulling heavily from layered, colorful fonts and DIY imagery found in New York City bodegas, Prime Corner was designed to be more friendly and soulful than the “ultra-minimalist, sterile, faux Old English vibe,” Tess had often come across in other hipster eateries. Hence the pink flamingo piñata in the shop, prominent placement of Small Wave Brewing’s slime packaging, and handmade signage that adds a definitive youthful character to the space.
“People in Baltimore aren’t as trend-oriented the way they are in New York, where they’d be like, ‘Millennial pink is so over,’” says Tess, who can attest to this, having worked in New York between Silicon Valley and Baltimore. "From a design perspective, it’s liberating to be able to just be authentic and fun."
According to Tess, who now lives nearby, the neighborhood is historically working class but predominantly white, and in recent years has seen an uptick in design-forward businesses and a more diverse and liberal set of clientele. To her, it represents the future of Baltimore. "It was always this neighborhood with weird charm and character," she recalls. "For years, it's been home to the crazy, over-the-top Christmas lights show, which many travel from all over the East Coast to see." For the holiday season, Prime Corner will tap around 10 artists in Baltimore to create unusual, signature designs for the shop that go beyond the basic T-shirt/tote collabs (though she has those, too by graphic designer Ronin Wood). “I’m really hoping to do something inspired by the spoons that [musician] Mitski created for her most recent tour merch,” says Tess. “Something practical for the community but a little weird.”
