South Baltimore Business Roundup

That’s The Point Needlecrafts Closes 

That’s The Point Needlecrafts has closed at 1005 S. Charles St. in Federal Hill. Owner Gayle McClure and her family are relocating out of state to be closer to family.

The retail space is currently for rent.

Crossbar Opens 

Almost four years after its initial proposal, Crossbar Der Biergarten has opened in Federal Hill at 18 E. Cross St. It is currently having a soft opening.

Crossbar features an indoor beer garden with a 36 ft. high clear roof, wood tables that were used at Oktoberfest in Munich, and a ficus tree. The beer garden is the focal point of the design. It is overlooked by a balcony on the second floor dining room, as well as a steel juliet balcony, purchased at Second Chance, on the second floor.

The menu at Crossbar will focus on German comfort food and Chef Francisco Lopez will lead the kitchen. Offerings include over-sized Bavarian soft pretzels with a beer cheese fondue and other starters such as schnitzel fingers and Crossbar wings with a Jaeger glaze. Crossbar will serve five types of sausages including bratwurst and frankfurters, and dishes including Baltimore-style sour beef dumplings, spatzel, and an Oktoberfest meat platter. Desserts include apple pretzel pudding and Rumplemintz ice cream.

Crossbar will have 16 beers on tap, which will be split between German craft beers and local craft beers.

Towson Lacrosse Visits The Baltimore Station

The Towson Men’s Lacrosse team visited The Baltimore Station (TBS) in South Baltimore on Thursday for Military Appreciation Week. From TBS’ Facebook page:

50 members of Towson Lacrosse team helped us reach a new record last night by serving 120 meals! As part of their Military Appreciation Week, the team came to prep, serve and spend time with our residents. The men appreciated the meal and two hours of conversation. We can’t wait for your game on Saturday!

Baltimore City Loses Thousands of Residents

Although thousands of housing units in South Baltimore have recently been completed, are under construction, or have been proposed, Baltimore City experienced a steep population decline resulting in a 100-year low. The population fell at the end of 2016 by 6,738 people to a total of 614,664.

From The Baltimore Sun:

Economist Anirban Basu, CEO of the Sage Policy Group, said the numbers were a major blow.

Baltimore’s population fell by more than 6,700 people in the 12 months that ended July 2016, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Thursday, as the number of people leaving the city for other parts of the United States doubled.

Black flight, not white, has been the engine of Baltimore’s population loss over the past 15 years.

Between 2010 and 2015, estimates show the city’s white, Hispanic and Asian populations actually growing, making up for a continued loss of African-American residents.

Downtown is one of the areas that have grown, as new apartment buildings have drawn people in from out of state.

Baltimore Magazine Honors for Riverside Restaurants

Shotti’s Point in Riverside has been named Best Bar Food by Baltimore Magazine readers for its Best Restaurants Readers’ Poll 2017.

Hersh’s Pizza & Drinks in Riverside was named one of Baltimore Magazine’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Minimum Wage Bill Vetoed 

A bill which passed in an 11-3 vote by the Baltimore City Council to raise the city minimum wage to $15/hour was vetoed by Baltimore City Mayor Catherine Pugh. From The Baltimore Sun:

The council — which next meets on April 3 — would need 12 of its 15 members to vote to overturn the veto. On Friday, the 12-member coalition that originally backed the higher wage began to disband.

Councilman Edward Reisinger of South Baltimore said although he voted to pass the bill, he would not support a veto override. Over the next seven years, the Pugh administration estimated the bill would cost the city $116 million, including the expense of paying city workers a higher minimum wage.

About the Author: Kevin Lynch

Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, father of three, amateur pizza chef, skateboarder, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at Kevin@InceptMM.com and follow me on Twitter at @SoBoKevin.