Our very own Heart of Hamilton is in the August issue of the Urbanite.
************
photo by Daniel Bedell
For ten years, Linda Secor walked across the street from her Lutherville home to work at her gift shop, Sweet Annie Ice Cream and Gifts. But when her lease ran out in May, Secor decided the high Lutherville rents weren’t for her anymore. She’d heard about the revitalization of Hamilton’s main street from a colleague, she says, and was interested in being part of the action. So in June, she headed over the city/county line and opened up (sans the ice cream) as The Heart of Hamilton (5523 Harford Rd.; 443-627-8769). The store, fronted by two wide, sunlit display windows, carries much of the same as her Lutherville location—scented candles, purses, cheerful flowerpots, and items for kids and babies. Just about everything falls into the $10 to $20 range, and Secor offers free gift-wrapping. Even in hard times, affordable presents will always find a market, she says. “People are still buying gifts. I’m optimistic.”
—M.K.A.
