Baltimore Chop: a play in baseball that the original Orioles
invented in the
1890s that involved the batter chopping the ball down hard onto or in
front of home plate to make a high bounce and allow him to make
it to first base. A new bookstore in downtown
Baltimore.
The carrying baskets say Coliseum Books, one of the few signs of a new
store's legacy. The famed New York City bookstore that stood at 57th
and Broadway
for 27 years and closed its revived Bryant Park location late last year
lives on in a small but delightful way just a few hundred miles down
the turnpike. Baltimore Chop, a new general independent in Baltimore
City, is owned by Andy Rubin, son of Sy Rubin,
a founder of Coliseum.
Andy Rubin quietly turned his online business selling mostly baseball
and other sports books into a bricks-and-mortar location on April 9
this year--opening day at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which is a
stone's throw from the 1,000-sq.-ft. shop. The house where Babe Ruth
was born is about a home-run trot away.
Rubin, who jokes that he's been in the book business so long he still
calls BEA ABA, grew up in the presence of the man who opened the
old Bookmasters Book Store in the 1960s, where the Black Panthers held meetings
and where
one could find the The Anarchist's Cookbook for sale.
After attending the old High School of Music & Art in New York City, Rubin entered
University of Oklahoma thinking of going for a business degree. Working
for the school newspaper as a photographer, sports writer and editor,
he decided to get a journalism degree instead.
Soon Rubin made contact with the local ABC affiliate and worked in TV
production in both New York and Oklahoma City. When his boss was
transferred to Baltimore, Rubin went along.
"I traded in tornados and bombings for Baltimore" Rubin said. He later
went to work for Baltimore Ravens TV before taking some time off to
care for his ailing father and to help look for a new home for Coliseum
Books, when it gave up its longtime space in early 2002 because of a huge rent increase.
"I made several offers in Manhattan, including a great building in
lower Manhattan after 9/11," Rubin said. "The deal didn't go through,
but I knew it was a great location. Borders is there now."
Rubin said that his father worked until the very end. "My dad was still
on the phone trying to make deals and negotiate a lease for the
bookstore from his hospital bed," he said. "But it just didn't work
out."
After Sy Rubin died in February 2002, Rubin moved back to Baltimore and worked on his online store. Rubin, who prefers
not to divulge his age and sports a long ponytail, noticed there wasn't an
independent bookstore in downtown Baltimore following the closings in
the '90s of Bibelot and the famed Louie's Bookstore. Baltimore, once
known as "The City That Reads," sorely needed a new gathering place
downtown, he decided.
Baltimore Chop is thriving in a turn-of-the-20th century building that
once housed the H&H Pants Factory and a silent movie studio. The
old tin walls and ceilings have been lovingly restored by Rubin and his
friend and landlord Neil Junker, a Baltimore real estate developer who
specializes in restoring old buildings. During the renovation they
found old time punch cards in the basement--but no pants.
Although the shop specializes in sports books, it offers an eclectic
assortment of books from Zen to Zane. Chuck Palahniuk, John Grisham,
Hilary and Bill Clinton can also be found in the stacks and display
tables. A small children's section doubles as a napping place for
Rubin, who opens the shop at 6:30 a.m. to catch the medical staff
changing shifts at a nearby hospital in search of coffee and
newspapers.
Quirky furniture, free wi-fi and a cute coffee nook in the red-walled
shop create a warm, homey environment. The clever use of chalkboard
paint on the shelves and walls allows for ever-changing shelf talkers
and section labels. The beautifully restored tin ceiling above the
entrance hints at the history of this old Baltimore building in the
aptly named Ridgley's Delight neighborhood.
Besides the books, the store features live music (voted Baltimore's
Best Venue for live performances by Baltimore Magazine) as well as art
glass. Yes--art glass! In his spare time, Rubin blows glass. The music
performances come from contacts he's made over the years in Nashville.
Baltimore Chop may be the only bookstore in the world that sells
Baltimore baseball bobble heads, dichroic and decorative Venetian art
glass and hand-blown glass jewelry. Oh, and you can also make toast to go along with your latte.--Susan L. Weis, proprietress of breathe books, Baltimore, Md.
Baltimore Chop is located at 625 Washington Blvd., Baltimore, Md.
21230; 410-752-HITS; baltimorechop.com (for the online bookstore) and
myspace.com.baltimorechop (for the bricks-and-mortar store).