Amid the outbreak of the coronavirus, several small businesses battle with the prospect of having to close. After several closings and social separation measures were announced across the U.S. earlier this week, vintage home store Wishbone Reserve in Hampden posted an announcement online that it would remain open and increase sanitary precautions. This spurred reactions from boutique owners around Baltimore.

Brightside Boutique has since echoed a similar sentiment, vowing to remain open and keep events scheduled as planned, “We will be closely monitoring government updates and guidelines, and will keep customers informed. We hope, if you are healthy and able to do so, that you continue to join us for the upcoming events, shop, and support small businesses,” reads an online post.

While some stores have shut down their brick-and-mortar doors, others remain open, and many have provided avenues to shop virtually. Here is a roundup of boutiques that have formally announced their opening status so far:

OPEN IN-STORE AND ONLINE:

• Brightside Boutique *Offering 15-percent-off and free shipping.
• Match Made Stores *Open by appointment only and offering 15-percent-off online purchases using code: spring15.
• Plantacea *Only two customers allowed in shop at a time, offering curbside delivery.
• 2910 on the Square *Reduced hours Tuesday-Friday 12pm-6pm, Saturday 11am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm as well as offering delivery.

ONLINE ONLY:

• A Style Studio *Offering free shipping on all orders.
• Arrow Clothing *Continuing their online-only operations as usual.
• B.Willow *Options for pickup or local delivery within 20 mins of the shop and waived $15 delivery fee.
• Becket Hitch *Offering online shopping and in-store private appointments.
• Best Day Ever
• Bottle of Bread
• Boutique W
• The Codex Club *Offering free shipping.
• Domesticity *Offering curbside pick-up and same-day delivery.
• Doubledutch Boutique *Offering 20-percent-off sale items and free shipping or curbside pick-up for online sales. In-store private appointments are available.
• Found Studio Shop
• Get Shredded Vintage
• Hunting Ground
• Ma Petite Shoe
• Milagro *Offering free shipping.
• Milk and Ice Vintage
• Mint & Major *Offering 20-percent-off online using code: MAJOR20, free shipping on orders over $25, curbside pick-up and drop-offs.
• Poppy & Stella
• Raina Dawn *Offering curbside pick-up and in-store private appointments.
• Six2Six Society
• South Moon Under
• Wishbone Reserve

OPEN IN-STORE ONLY:

• Amaryllis
• Forward Moda
• Keeper’s Vintage
• Matava Shoes
• Panache *Reduced hours 10am-4pm with in-store private appointments, curbside pickup, and free delivery available.
• Pandora’s Box
• Wee Chic *Reduced hours 10am-4pm.

CLOSED:

• In Watermelon Sugar *Offering in-store private appointments or curbside pick-up.
• Ruth Shaw
• Sassanova *Offering in-store private appointments, drop-offs, curbside pick-up, and free shipping.
• Shops at Kenilworth
• Tortuga

There is a bit of a grand irony to the streetscape project that has been going on in Charles Village and the area surrounding—and facilitated by—the Johns Hopkins University campus for much of this year. The construction, when finished, is meant to draw more people to the area, provide more parking, streamline car traffic, and improve visibility and walkability for patrons.

But if you talk to local business owners, there might not be much for these patrons to see by the time the initiative is finished in December.

“If all the small businesses go out of business, box chains are going to go in, rent will go up, and there will be no local flavor and nothing interesting in Charles Village,” says Sara Autrey, whose shop Get Shredded Vintage on St. Paul Street was one of the many businesses affected by fencing, loud jackhammers, and concrete dust flying at all hours of the day. “You can invest as much money as you want into a streetscape, but if the businesses that are the attraction to come don’t survive, it’s a big waste of money.”

It’s a sentiment that Autrey says is shared among her neighbors on all sides—for a large part of the summer, there was fencing in much of the area surrounding St. Paul and 33rd Streets. This was both an inhibitor for normal customers, as well as a deterrent for foot traffic.

In a neighborhood that also saw a number of restaurant closures—including Ledo Pizza, Pizza Studio, longtime sushi spot Niwana Restaurant, and Fells Point spinoff Red Star Charles Village—within the past year, the impact of construction has loomed large.

“We’re all despondent,” Autrey says. “It’s very hard to hold onto business when nobody’s coming and you’re having to work three times as hard.”

Another business that felt the impact was Carma’s Cafe, located just down the street from Get Shredded, which typically triples its seating with outdoor tables during the summer. A gourmet hot dog cafe extension called Carma’s Doghouse closed midway through the summer when owner Carma Halterman said it stopped making sense to sell to a nearly empty streetscape.

“Cement dust wafting across your gazpacho is not appetizing,” Halterman says. “It was so loud that customers couldn’t have conversations. They physically worked on my corner for a long time.”

Though this construction was not a secret (plans and meetings were held and made public beforehand), some of the work went on longer than planned this summer, adding additional strain.

While the worst is behind them, Autrey and Halterman fear the damage might already be done. “I’m looking at the culture of Charles Village and what will be left when construction is done,” Halterman says. “I’m not sure I’m gonna be left when it’s done.”

Halterman does see some silver linings in the construction plans. Namely, she’s pleased that there will be more street lighting at night around Charles Village that will encourage people to stay in the area longer.

For his part, Eddie’s Market of Charles Village owner Jerry Gordon feels that these types of growing pains are just something to adapt to. He acknowledges that his business was hit hard, as well, but sees the project as a net positive for the community at large.

“It’s going to be a very attractive area,” Gordon says. “I’m looking forward to the future where people are going to say, ‘Let’s go down to Charles Village and hang out.’”

If you’re walking down St. Paul Street in Charles Village, you might be distracted by the mannequins decked out in bright, bold outfits arranged artfully on the sidewalk. Just down the steps behind them is a quaint vintage shop known as Get Shredded Vintage. Quirky and daring, these vintage pieces are ones you’ll want to snag. We sat down with owner Sara Autrey to get the scoop on this hidden gem.

What is the meaning behind the name Get Shredded?

“Get Shredded,” before it was a store, was an interview series that I started where I would book a show and interview the artist before they played kind of, like, Stephen Colbert-style—if I may compare myself to the great Colbert. Basically, I wanted to get audiences more connected with artists that they either love or don’t know, and strengthen the connections in the Baltimore art scene. I chose the name because, when you’re at a show the artist is shredding, and the audience is getting shredded, I really liked my interpretation of what that meant. It sounded rock and roll.

How did you get started collecting vintage?

I did a pop up at the Current Space Art Market where I sold clothes, and I sold almost everything. And people kept asking me, “Do you have a location because we love all of this stuff,” and I didn’t. So, it planted this idea, you know, if people are interested in this, I’ll keep an eye out. I thought it was cool to carry it over to the vintage shop when I actually got the space because I have a lot of local artists and makers stocked in the shop and, like the interview series, it’s connecting people to Baltimore artists and creating those stronger connections.

How do you decide what pieces to add to the store?
It’s, basically, artists’ work that I love, and then things that inspire me: I like texture, I like color, I love interesting shapes, bold pieces, and classic cuts. Anything that kind of pushes the envelope will usually be what I’m gonna snatch.

Why shop vintage?
It’s really fun to look and find pieces that are totally amazing that people don’t want anymore and kind of bringing new life into them. And vintage is awesome because it’s not mass-produced, so chances of wearing the same thing as somebody to the same party is greatly diminished. And vintage is made better because a lot of it was made in the USA with worker unions—there was a level of quality going into it that is really hard to find today in fast fashion.

What’s your most favorite find currently in your store?
I have a lot of men’s clothes that I’m currently obsessed with, but I have to say—this pretty blouse. I found it on an online estate auction.

Are there any tips you would give to someone who is just starting to explore the vintage shopping scene?

Go through everything! When I’m shopping through other people’s stuff, I do a once-over and go to the things that super pop off the rack at me, and then I do the deep, deep rounds. Because if you scan through and don’t pull things out and look at them, it’s overwhelming because all you see are all these colors and textures. You’ve got to see the shapes and try them on. Vintage lies—some things look tiny and fit, and some things look giant and are too small.

How would you describe Baltimore’s style?

Baltimore’s style isn’t definable because there are so many different chunks that it’s hard to say. But I would say it’s really adventurous. One day I can dress like a skater boy, and the next day I’m like decked out about to play a show, and it’s all fine —which I really appreciate.

Get Shredded Vintage is celebrating its one-year anniversary this Saturday, May 4, with a pop-up party of local makers.