In Good Company

New owners, same wrapping paper: These Roland Park besties are keeping Shananigans Toy Shop open for the next generation.

Andrew Hatch and Jonathan Todd moved to Baltimore last year from New York City. And they brought their eye for fun gifts and beautiful home decor with them, opening Balston Mercantile in Hampden.

Big Crunch Amplifier Service & Design started in 2008 and is located on East Biddle Street in Johnston Square.

Highwire Improv manages over 100 ensembles that can be hired for improv events at companies and organizations, with a new space in in Highlandtown.

In the early 1980s, Donna De Garcia drove through the mountainside of Taxco, Mexico, searching for her vision of gold — silver.

Rick Miller is bringing Zeskind’s Millwork and Specialty Hardware into its 100th year — and back to Southwest Baltimore.

Jenny Knoepfle was inspired to start LilaPants when her kindergartener struggled to find one as an alternative to a dress.

Claudia Phillips makes therapeutic pillows filled with cherry pits, running her small business Cherapy from her Columbia apartment.

Phillip Kerrigan does furniture restoration by hand at his company in Better Waverly.

Made Plus, in business since 2021, converts plastic bottles into athletic shoes. Owner Alan Guyan is working to open a retail shop.

“In Good Company” is The Banner‘s occasional series on Maryland small-business owners.

The Well offers clothing, food, supplies and a mentorship program for women and teens.

Nichole Sullivan loves to use her hands as a creative outlet. So, when the Northeast Baltimore native was ready to change her life, she opened a small business, Keppel & Kismet.

Liz Lehman was an anesthesiologist for nearly 20 years before she left medicine to focus on her well-being and her small candlemaking business in Baltimore County.

The Cole family opened Off the Rox Wine and Beer in Highlandtown in 2018 to offer a different kind of experience. They’re about to open a bottle shop and tasting room in Lauraville.

JLP Custom Picture Framing in the Old Goucher neighborhood of Baltimore has been around for about 50 years and has been owned since 2006 by Thom and Carol Stone.

Baltimore County resident Abigail Kuehl co-founded the hair care brand Antidote, which makes natural products for salons.

Shelby Blondell, a singer and songwriter in Anne Arundel County, invented and patented The Sheller, a 3-in-1 seafood mallet, picker and bottle opener.

Tulkoff Food Products, based in the Holabird area of Baltimore, manufactures condiments under its own name and for other national brands. It is known for its horseradish and is run by a third-generation family member.

Baltimore County designer Brittany Veney, of B. Real Creative Studio, sets out to help smaller businesses find their voices and identities.