Soon, you'll be able to see tech companies like Dope Nerds or Made In Baltimore's pop-up store on the first floor of the Harborplace pavilion downtown. 

 

The Downtown Partnership of Baltimore will be hosting its annual meeting and celebrating its 40th anniversary on Nov. 9, coinciding with the Grand Opening Party for the holiday store in the pavilion on the same night. You can choose which celebration to attend. 

 

P. David Bramble, Managing Partner of MCB Real Estate (whom I don't personally know yet), has been behind some of the changes in the harbor area. According to the Baltimore Banner, the firm plans to eventually tear down the two waterfront pavilions. The whole area has faced recent criticism, but if you've been near the drab, grey and cracking pavilion walls in recent years, then you, like me, will likely understand the pushback.

In my opinion, aside from some charming updates near Crust by Mack's pavilion location (and near where the tarot card reader used to be), the downtown area needs a facelift. This transformation aligns with the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore's mission to revitalize the one-mile radius of downtown that Shelonda Stokes discussed at the State of Baltimore breakfast earlier this year. She also emphasized that technology is a key component of the city's revitalization at the breakfast. It therefore makes sense that Dope Nerds, with its virtual reality solutions for education and the corporate sector, will be setting up shop near the paddle boats on the promenade.

I wrote a column for Maryland Matters not too long ago reflecting on my own inner harbor memories. The harbor area has undergone significant changes over the years. The skateboarders who used to frequent McKeldin Square or grab fries at the now-closed McDonald's in The Gallery have now found a new home at Rash Field. Change can be difficult, especially for Baltimoreans who are attached to the idea of the pavilions and what they've symbolized for so long. Harborplace, which opened on July 2, 1980, played a central role in the downtown revival, and it's been quite a while since any significant changes have taken place there. Just take a look at this old news clip where you can see the pavilion in 1980, and you'll see and feel just how long it's been.

 

The time for change is long overdue, I think.