Radar Redux.com is expanding the traditional concept of journalism, to cover a wide array of Baltimore Arts and Culture. We are a partnership between the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, Maryland Institute College of Art, and Johns Hopkins University.
Shine Collective in Hampden* is one of those clothing stores you feel blessed to know about in Baltimore (if you’re an avid shopper, that is). After all, it’s one of the best in this city, offering some of the most inventive and current designs in clothing, jewelry, and home décor to boot. Jamie Campbell and Melissa Kirby, the two talented ladies behind the beginnings of Shine, have created something of a paradise for the fashion-obsessed. High quality and mostly affordable (with the help of their new vintage selection, Catapult), Shine boasts a collection of must-haves that are surprisingly up to speed with what’s happening in the fashion centers of the world – you know, Paris, New York, Milan…
When asked what their approach to the store is, Melissa noted that they hope to kindly push their shoppers towards discovering new tastes and new ideas when it comes to every day apparel. They hope their shoppers trust in the carefully curated selection of the store, and maybe even expand their aesthetic. And Shine certainly has some of the best: Ioselliani jewelry in all its spiked and studded goodness, Rodebjer clothing straight from design-forward Sweden, and Wren pieces sparkling on the racks, snapped right from the pages of Vogue, just to name a few of their standout features.
They also think of their store as just a bit avant-garde, ahead of the wave and yet still wearable. Baltimore has helped them find this happy medium: experimental, but still realistic. Nestled on 36th Avenue, Main Street Hampden, Shine Collective stands out as one of the more modern shops on the block, while still staying true to Hampden’s credo of independently owned stores, with shop-owners involved directly in store on-goings. Melissa and Jamie curate the store’s eccentric artwork that elegantly drape the walls, and feature local talent every month. They’re even hoping to have local artists create collections with a Shine Collective-slant, specifically for the store. Fostering even more feel-good fashion, Shine hosts regular “First Friday” fêtes in which the new additions to the store are introduced, and ogled.
Stay tuned for an interview with store co-owner Melissa Kirby…. But for now, ogle some photos, and get thee to Shine Collective. After all, the Holidays are a-coming, and that means gifts, gifts, gifts.
*Exciting news: Shine Collective just announced yesterday that they’ll be moving to Clipper Mill, near delicious restaurant Woodberry Kitchen come the New Year. As a part of the new store initiative, there will be stylist services, new artist features, and expanded space to mull about and peruse the goods. From their blog post: “It has always been our aim to provide a creative and unique shopping environment and to always keep that environment evolving over time.” Get it girls.
I am definitely bookmarking this page and sharing it with my friends.
December 3, 2009 10:05 amI somehow dont agree with a few things, but its great anyways.
December 20, 2009 12:21 pm