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Mobtown Ballroom

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Revision as of 07:50, 11 October 2024 by Sdkb (talk | contribs) (Build with remaining sources)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Venue in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

Chelsea Reed and the Fairweather Band at Mobtown Ballroom in 2023

Mobtown Ballroom and Café is a ballroom and restaurant in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 2011 as a swing dance venue in the Pigtown neighborhood, and moved to Station North and added a cafe in 2023.

History

Swing dancing at Mobtown Ballroom in 2015

The business was co-founded as Mobtown Ballroom by Sarah Sullivan and Michael Seguin, along with Nina Gilkenson. It opened in September 2011. It initially occupied a deconsecrated Episcopalian church at 861 Washington Blvd. in Pigtown built in the 1870s with 2,800 square feet (260 m) of space. The ballroom enlisted volunteers from the dance community to build a custom 5-layer sprung floor with more than 10,000 nails and screws. floor size?

In 2014, following a yearslong process, it acquired a liquor license after Bill Ferguson sponsored favorable state legislation that allowed the license despite the presence of nearby churches, conditional on their consent, and councilmember Ed Reisinger helped them get the building rezoned.

In May 2016, Sullivan and Seguin say they discovered that Gilkenson had embezzled nearly $50,000 from the business to fund a gambling addiction.

In 2019, the church space was sold to Stax Charm City LLC.

In 2023, the ballroom decided not to renew its lease at the church due to ongoing disputes with its landlord. It relocated to a 5,000-square-foot (460 m) space in North Avenue Market (a block-long market built in 1928) in Station North with the assistance of the Central Baltimore Partnership and developer John Renner, soft reopening in January 2024. It held a grand opening celebration in April 2024, following the construction of a new sprung floor. The owners said they added a cafe component because "food is the number one thing that people gather around".

Operation

Mobtown is run as a for-profit business.

Sullivan said she aspires for the ballroom to serve as a third place and community gathering point. Patrons have noted the strong dance community that frequents the ballroom, often drawing allusions to its religious former home.

The cafe is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. On Fridays, it becomes the "Jobtown Ballroom" coworking space, with patrons invited to add breaktime activities to a paper agenda.

Dancing

Mobtown hosts swing dances every Monday and Friday, preceded by lessons. Live bands play regularly.

Mobtown also leases their space for circus arts classes and square dances.

Menu

Mobtown serves American cuisine, with a changing menu to adapt to in-season ingredients. Its head chef, Jake Cornman, described its menu as "Simple classics done right and from scratch". The restaurant serves coffee from Black Acres Coffee Roastery.

See also

References

  1. ^ Hebron, Grace (November 9, 2023). "Mobtown Ballroom is Starting its Next Chapter in Station North". Baltimore Magazine. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  2. ^ Vanasdalan, Lindsay (September 30, 2014). "Let's Go To The Hop". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  3. Malcolmson, Alexandra (September 25, 2012). "Ballroom Celebrates First Year". Hidden Baltimore. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  4. ^ Lynch, Kevin (July 18, 2014). "Pigtown's Mobtown Ballroom Adds Liquor License, Plans Expansion". SouthBMore.com. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Kaltenbach, Chris (March 8, 2012). "Dance the night away". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  6. Almonte, Jerry (October 14, 2011). "The Mobtown Ballroom Grand Opening: A Baltimore Homecoming". Wandering & Pondering. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  7. "Michael Seguin's recent FB post related to Nina Gilkenson and Mobtown". r/SwingDancing. Reddit. July 30, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  8. ^ Simpson, Morgan (November 14, 2023). "Mobtown Ballroom prepares to relocate to Central Baltimore". Baltimore Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  9. ^ Gunts, Ed (November 9, 2023). "Mobtown Ballroom finds a new home in Baltimore's Station North Arts District". Baltimore Fishbowl. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  10. Gellman, Matti (January 31, 2024). "After 4 months of waiting, Mobtown Ballroom is open in Station North". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  11. Worthington, Aliza (April 18, 2024). "Mobtown Ballroom and Café grand opening in Station North". Baltimore Fishbowl. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  12. ^ Castedo, Raquel (September 20, 2024). "Mobtown Ballroom & Café: Beyond the Dance Floor". BmoreArt. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  13. ^ Shannon, Emma; Castedo, Raquel (January 3, 2024). "Swing Sanctuary: Mobtown Ballroom". BmoreArt. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  14. ^ Shannon, Emma (February 28, 2019). "Swinging into the weekend at Mobtown Ballroom". The Johns Hopkins News-Letter. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  15. Greco, Alli (September 18, 2013). "Mobtown Ballroom: Baltimore's Hidden Gem". The Johns Hopkins News-Letter. Retrieved October 11, 2024.

External links


Restaurants in Baltimore
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