When Little Wing opened adjacent to ROOST hotel on the Baltimore Peninsula last June, the goal was to create a hybrid gourmet/grab-and-go coffee shop but also a place where customers would want to sit and stay for a while.

“If you go back to what Starbucks was when it started, they always talked about being the third space—not home or work but a third space where you spend your time,” says Brookes Decker, Little Wing director of operations for Method Co., which operates the space. “As that coffee world took off, we lost that third space. But ever since the pandemic, there’s a trend to start creating spaces where people want to spend time again.”

With custom cabinets and hand-painted tile, the intimate space stocked with gourmet goods offers just that, especially for those who want to sink into a sofa in the lobby of the stylish, adjacent ROOST hotel.

“You can grab your coffee and go or sit on the couch and read or bring your laptop and work,” says Decker. “We are trying to create this third space that’s enjoyable and comfortable and warm.”

What is Little Wing’s mission?
I’d call it a general store or provisions shop. The goal was to be a bespoke shop for people who are living on the peninsula or staying in ROOST for a long-term or short-term stay. We saw a place where people would want to grab things that they needed. The plan was for it to be a one-stop shop—it’s convenient but not a convenience store.

Can you talk about how you source the products on the shelves?
We tried to be mindful of how we source the products. First, we want it to be exceptionally delicious. We tried to be local where we can, we tried to support minority groups and underprivileged groups and women entrepreneurs; the majority of our products fall into one of those three categories.

Tell me about some of the products you stock.
Locally, there’s Hon’s Honey, MFG Toffee and Goods, Wight tea, pastry and breads from Kneads, and custom notebooks from Drama Mama bookshop. We also have these delicious gummy candies called La Boîte à Bonbons out of Canada and a really cool brand of potato chips called Hen of the Woods. It was founded by three different chefs who came together because they felt there were no quality potato chips.

What about your food and beverage program?
Our coffee is through La Colombe. They got their start in Fishtown in Philly, where our company started. We are one of the first, if not the first, in Baltimore to carry La Colombe. For our food, we are using high-quality ingredients that are local whenever possible. For example, our caprese sandwich uses local bread from Kneads, Buffalo mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, and Little Gem lettuce. It’s the best version of what you can get.

What inspired the name Little Wing?
It’s kind of three-pronged. There is Baltimore with all its birds: the Orioles, the Ravens, the brown pelicans on the water, and the idea of birds coming home to roost since it’s in ROOST hotel. It’s also inspired by the fact that everything we do has a little touch of rock ’n’ roll or R&B. There’s a Jimi Hendrix song called “Little Wing.”