Think you have a great retail idea for a hip, up-and-coming ‘hood, but you’re a little short of cash? How does free rent sound? Or what if we throw in a fully finished space?

Okay, the rent’s only free for a while, but that’s the come-on that civic leaders in Remington are using to attract proposals from entrepreneurs to keep the neighborhood on track to a revitalization that’s been gaining speed in the past few years.

In a partnership with Johns Hopkins University and Seawall, a real-estate development firm founded by Thibault and Donald Manekin that specializes in readaptive use of Baltimore’s old structures, The Greater Remington Improvement Association (GRIA) is accepting applications for the Remington Storefront Challenge (RSC), a search for local entrepreneurs to launch temporary retail concepts in two storefronts in what’s becoming one of Baltimore’s hottest affordable neighborhoods.

The best big idea, as decided by the association, will get free rent for 12 to 24 months in one of two refurbished storefronts it has to work with, funding to help deck out the new spaces, plus technical assistance to get up and running.

But your plan for Baltimore’s first Scotch-tape store probably won’t fly. That’s because the project—which enjoys additional support from sponsors Central Baltimore Partnership, Howard Bank, and Younts Design—isn’t just looking for any retail business.

The RSC seeks businesses that are viable to Remington—specifically what the neighborhood says it needs and wants, according to board member and land-use committee member Joshua Greenfeld. Applicants with young businesses and new ideas will be asked to demonstrate their experience, passion, and ability to execute their business plan, including how their concept will increase foot traffic to the area, and complement existing businesses.

And, yes, the GRIA has had a few initial bites: “We have started to receive some really exciting applications,” says Greenfeld, “including some health and wellness providers with interesting community-based ideas.”

There’s no indication yet, though, that the pilot program will be expanded if it proves successful. “I hope there will be others, but I can’t say one way or the other,” says Greenfeld. “We’re trying to be very careful not to overpromise anything.”

The two RSC locations being offered up are fairly prime, location-wise: One is a 1,240-square-foot space at 300 W. 29th Street, on the corner of Remington Avenue, currently occupied by a Pizza Boli’s that’s about to relocate. The other is a 900-square-foot space with floor-to-ceiling windows at 2700 Remington Avenue, Suite 1100, in Remington Row, a mixed-use building with 108 apartment units, as well as retail and wellness businesses.

“We are looking to increase the diversity of business owners and retail options in the neighborhood,” said K.C. Kelleher, a member of GRIA who’s been active in the program. “We want to find the two concepts that best support the values and needs of our community.”

Kalilah Wright’s cell phone rings in her Clipper Mill studio, and on the other end is a customer who didn’t receive a T-shirt order she had placed with Wright’s company, Mess in a Bottle. As Wright listens to the customer’s story about how her package got stolen, she apologizes and immediately makes plans to send her another shirt free of charge. The customer spends the next five minutes thanking Wright for not only for being so attentive, but for creating such an empowering product.

Wright, who was born in Jamaica, moved to Maryland to attend graduate school at Morgan State before taking a job with Under Armour as an architect for their retail stores. But after Freddie Gray’s death in 2015, she decided she wanted to do something that had more of a social impact. “That happened in my neighborhood,” says Wright. “The city was in an uproar, and this was also happening all over the country and the world. It just made me want to figure out a way to create messages for people to wear and connect to.”

Wright started Mess in a Bottle in 2016 and, a month later, she quit her job at Under Armour to venture out on her own. She now has her own studio space where a staff of eight people do all the order fulfillment, packaging, and screen printing. T-shirts are emblazoned with empowering messages such as “Be great today” and “100% Black- Owned.” All of Mess in a Bottle’s T-shirt designs are packaged and delivered in a reusable bottle—hence the name.

A year to the day from when Wright quit her job, she was on Harry Connick Jr.’s talk show, where she had the opportunity to pitch her business to Shark Tank star Mark Cuban, who gave her advice on growing her brand. After that, the brand exploded via social media, with local bloggers and celebrity clientele—including Emmy-winner Lena Waithe, Uber chief brand manager Bozoma Saint John, and writer Awesomely Luvvie—all sporting Wright’s designs.

The e-commerce company, which also sells jackets, bags, and mugs, is constantly adding new messages to its products, whether that be something Wright comes across in her travels or something based on current events. “Not too long ago in Starbucks, there was a situation where two African-American males were asked to be escorted off the premises because they didn’t buy anything, and so I created a coffee mug that says, ‘I like my coffee black, and without prejudice,’” says Wright. “Anything that really affects me, I make a shirt for.”

After an awkward pedicure in 2013, Michael Elliot swore off nail salons indefinitely. Something about the experience made him uncomfortable, and he began to analyze it. 

“From the predominantly female clients to the paint color on the wall, that place was clearly designed to appeal to women,” he says. “I thought to myself, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if there was a place that would appeal to a guy when he needed this type of service?’” 

That was Elliot’s “Aha!” moment, and the birth of Hammer & Nails Grooming Shop for Guys. After an unsuccessful appearance on Shark Tank in 2014, Hammer & Nails is now a successful franchise with locations in Miami and Los Angeles, and a new location coming to Metro Centre at Owings Mills this month. 

Elliot has created the ultimate “man cave nirvana” with big bison leather chairs, personal TVs, noise- cancelling headphones, and a complimentary frosty beverage for each client who enters the shop. “From the moment you walk in, you feel like you’re in a different place,” says Elliot. “You’re leaving the world outside.”

While all the hand- and foot-care services include nail trimming, a soak, cuticle care, a hot towel, and a massage—that’s where the similarities to traditional nail salons end. Some of the premium treatments include a Citrus White Ale Pedicure with a Dead Sea salt scrub, the “Jack and Hammer Experience” with a whiskey-spiked soak and scrub, and a Guinness-laced hand and foot repair. Men’s hair and shaving services will also be available at the Metro Centre location. 

“I saw an opportunity to create a place that wasn’t just going to be about getting a service you could get anywhere else,” says Elliot. “I wanted it to be experiential—the kind of place a guy would want to be for an hour or more and get a manicure and pedicure in a comfortable and relaxing state.”

For every box that a customer purchases, an additional two pounds of food gets donated to area nonprofits, like Moveable Feast or the Maryland Food Bank, or helps Hungry Harvest host free farmers’ markets in places like West Baltimore. To date, the company has 700 active subscribers.

“Our biggest hurdle is explaining what surplus produce is and convincing people that it’s fresh,” Lutz says. “In reality, it’s a lot of food that get rejected due to odd shape or size, or just at random. A lot of our produce is fresher than what you get at the grocery store because it hasn’t been sitting out.”

The company’s real test will come when Shark Tank stars decide if it’s investment-worthy. Lutz pitched them back in June and said that it was a nerve-wracking experience.

“I do press and talk to investors all the time, but this was a little different,” he says with a laugh. “You’re standing in front of five famous people, while 8 million more people are watching, trying to convince them to give you money. It’s not easy.”

Obviously Lutz could not reveal the outcome of his pitch, but he says he “nailed it.” “We’ll have to see what editing does. While it’s a real negotiation, it’s still reality TV. It’s their job to keep it dramatic.”

Watch all the dramatics unfold this Friday at 9 p.m. In the meantime, you can support Hungry Harvest, which, to date, has donated more than 100,000 pounds of food to those in need.