Starting in November and into next year, we will continue our support of the community through our new “Community Spotlight Festival!” We are providing space within our retail warehouse to highlight local artisans, nonprofits, and small business enterprises that help our community thrive.
Each month 3-5 participants will showcase their business and mission, from providing support to formerly enslaved women to candy makers opening their kitchen to upcoming entrepreneurs. Our goal is to solidify the idea of community and community support, particularly during these challenging times.
Enjoy discovering and interacting with your “community” while shopping at Second Chance and supporting our mission! The five special guests joining us this December are….
Words with Boards
Words with Boards was conceived in 2013 out of our desire to make handcrafted American-made gifts for family and friends which were thoughtful and functional. It all started in the basement of our 1850’s Baltimore row home making one product, a personalized cutting board like no other.
“Words” traveled fast, as did their popularity. In 2015 our custom cutting boards were a finalist in the Martha Stewart AMERICAN MADE design contest. Later that year the custom cutting boards landed on Oprah Winfrey’s iconic Favorite Things holiday list. What a year!
Today, we have a fully equipped wood shop and design studio in Baltimore’s eclectic Hampden neighborhood where we specialize in artisan made one-of-a-kind heirloom gifts.
We believe in creativity and the art of thoughtful gift-giving. Each item we bring into our homes deserves a story, a style and must have a purpose. We believe made in America matters. We believe in giving back to our planet and community. The American hardwoods we use are sustainably forested and for each wooden product sold a tree is planted in the USA.
WhitePaws RunMitts
What if a run could ignite a new wave of industry? What if the clothes you wear could fuel the engine to rebuild manufacturing in your hometown?
WhitePaws RunMitts warmed the hands of Stacy Stube, who ran 200-miles in 8-days in the dead of winter to fundraise the opening of an abandoned garment factory in Baltimore, Md. Susan’s WhitePaws RunMitts are also creating manufacturing jobs in New York City for one of the last glove makers and woman-owned, Wing & Weft Gloves.
She now wants to create an exclusive WhitePaws RunMitts and produce it in that very factory in her hometown of Baltimore. The mittens will be cut & sewn at SEW BROMO, a minority woman-owned factory that she helped to open. In five years, Susan has grown to a point where REI is now stocking WhitePaws RunMitts in select stores for Fall/ Winter.
Nina’s Cookie Explosion
Nina’s Cookie Explosion is a black woman-owned Baltimore-based business that has a big emphasis on helping the community. At Nina’s Cookie explosion, you can express your creativity by mixing and matching any dough and topping to make the perfect cookie for you or as a gift! Cookies and cookie dough are always made in small made-to-order batches. We deliver free of charge in the Baltimore area and ship nationwide!
Maria Louise High
I like taking the overlooked and nearly invisible and turning them into coveted objects. Modern treasure.
Much of my design inspiration comes from shore and marine life, places I travel to, and my own backyard. I use found objects, natural elements, and specimens to create textural, organic pieces that are a remembrance of a specific intersection of time and place. A shared experience. A pin on the map of a human life. An entry in a journal. An authentic souvenir.
The jewelry on display at Second Chance includes pieces created from building fragments found here.
Brian Anthony High Jr.
My body of work delves into the history of railroading through various media including photography and metalwork. Unisex jewelry includes etched cuffs, pins and neckwear that bear designs from railroad car textures, logos and hobo communications. Hand-printed/painted shirts bearing semiotic insignia will be added to the collection soon. HOBO Signs & Code Symbols were used by the community of American nomads, who typically traveled by railway seeking works and shelter, as a system of communication for seeking help and averting danger.