Shawn Chopra and his wife, Anne Morgan, drew inspiration from their respective Indian and Egyptian heritages when they established Good Neighbor, a design shop-cum-cafe in Baltimore’s lively Hampden neighborhood. “The whole concept was like going to your neighbor’s home,” Chopra says. “In both our cultures it’s common to welcome someone, give them something nice to eat, and make sure they have a nice chair to sit in.”

In that accommodating spirit, Good Neighbor lets visitors test-drive its merchandise by offering an inexpensive menu of light provisions with international influences, served on stylish tableware available in the store. “Even if you can’t buy the fifty-dollar mug, you can still drink from it while you’re here,” Morgan says. Customers can also browse the store’s rotating collection of ceramics and woodwork by Baltimore designers along with textiles, furniture, and housewares by national and global brands.

Just outside, visitors can enjoy the store’s spacious deck and garden, where it regularly hosts community events. It was there last July that Chopra and Morgan held the first Good Neighbor Design Week, which brought together area residents and Baltimore designers like Michael E Haskins Jr. of Currency Studio. “There was this beautiful bridging of worlds,” Chopra says. Next, the Good Neighbor owners are expanding on their vision, enlisting local architects and designers to create an eight-room guesthouse in the space above the shop.

Good Neighbor’s Regional Recommendations

Arch Handle Mug by Pamela Zhang

Tilt Lamp by Hill Studio

Lloyd Lounge Chair by Crump & Kwash

Blenheim Side Table by Area Fabrication

Charcoal Vase by Personal Best Ceramics

Related Reading: America's Best Independent Design Shops

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America’s Best Independent Design Shops: Good Neighbor