Hampden

Thomas F. Thompson, who operated a Hampden coffee and tea store for more than a quarter-century, died Tuesday of lung cancer at his Homeland-area home. He was 58. Mr. Thompson opened the Coffee Mill on Chestnut Avenue in 1974. Observers said it was one of the first such businesses to open in a working-class neighborhood that has since drawn restaurants, galleries and other shops. "He had the first boutique store in Hampden, and it was really quite charming," said David Key, owner of Key Coffee and the Daily Grind.

A collective "Oh!" greeted restaurateur Chris Spann's announcement to the Hampden Village Merchants Association on Wednesday that he plans to take over the former Dogwood restaurant space on The Avenue. Spann, owner of the well-reviewed restaurant The Wine Market Bistro in Locust Point, said he plans to open an upscale restaurant in the old Dogwood. Spann said he is still developing the concept of the new restaurant. "It's not going to be The Wine Market Bistro II, but it's going to appeal to the same people," Spann said.

Baltimore has so many hidden streets and lanes, it is no surprise that a place called Crittenton Place stumped the members of the Baltimore City Planning Commission. For the better part of two hours Thursday, I listened to an urban saga about a piece of property and its aged stone buildings that tell an amazing history. It's a story that is not often told, and you need a degree in advanced urban geography to find the the street and the charity that flourished here. Setting the tone for the neighbors who mounted a defense for the old Florence Crittenton Home was Mark Thistle, who lives near the old stone house built on the side of the Jones Falls Valley in Hampden.

The Improved Order of Red Men are gone, but the old Red Men's Hall in Hampden could soon be bustling again, with plans for a pub, an art gallery and a cafe or sushi restaurant at 3600 Hickory Ave. The 120-year-old Tecumseh Tribe No. 108 of the Improved Order of Red Men, a national fraternal organization, sold the building earlier this year to 3600 Hickory LLC, according to Will Bauer, a consultant who is acting as the spokesman for the new owners,...

Breathe Books in Hampden says it will add a health-food cafe to its store next month. Owner Susan Weis-Bohlen says all the offerings will have at least one of five features: gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, raw or Ayurvedic -- Ayurveda is a holistic type of medicine that originated in India. This goes along with the store's stated mission to provide "books, music, and spiritual and inspirational items to help people continue their practice and journey. " "We will not be using white flour or white sugar; every ingredient will have some sort of nutritional quality," said Weis-Bohlen, who also lectures about Ayurvedic medicine at the University of Maryland's medical school.

Letter writer C.D. Wilmer of Baltimore refers to Hampden as a tourist trap ("Hampden isn't the same," Nov. 11). My definition of tourist trap is an attraction geared more to visitors than to locals, that promises more than it delivers. I moved to Hampden back when it was what Mr. Wilmer calls "quirky and eclectic" and have enjoyed its evolution into an even more quirky and eclectic community ever since. Hampden is better now than it ever has been. My wife, daughter and I eat and shop on the Avenue two to four times a week.

Hampden has a new cafe. It's called "CHOUX, the cafe at Ma Petite Shoe," and its official public opening is Friday. The new cafe is located next door to Ma Petite Shoe, Susannah Siger's destination shoe store and chocolate boutique. The cafe will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The offerings at CHOUX will include things like kale salad with almonds and dates, and broccoli salad with Dubliner cheddar and currants along with in-house pastries like pain au chocolat, gougeres, and a chocolate cookie with Bellagio cocoa, Hawaiian dark chocolate and chocolate-covered nibs.

No, this is not the Green Zone in Iraq, it's downtown Hampden where helicopters have been droning at 6 a.m. for two straight early mornings. And no, it's not because the Titanic is sinking - or an earthquake hit or even a tsunami coming down the Jones Falls. It's not the start of World War III, but an unbelievable amount of attention given to two lanes shut down on the Jones Falls Expressway at 28th Street. Come on, TV news people. Give it a rest and move on to something else that might actually be worth waking up an entire neighborhood.

City police were investigating an afternoon non-fatal shooting in Hampden. Police said officers were called to the 3700 block of Hickory Ave., about two blocks north of The Avenue, at about 3:30 p.m. for a report of shots fired. A female, who age was not immediately disclosed, had been shot in the foot, police said. The shooting is the first non-police shooting in Hampden since Aug. 2009, according to data posted to the city's OpenBaltimore website. The last homicide in Hampden was in July 2010, when John Sandy was fatally beaten in the 3500 block of Elm Ave. Police didn't give any details on a motive or other circumstances about the incident.

The Gathering is coming back. The evening food truck rally, which was running on a weekly schedule back in the fall, is kicking off the 2013 season on Saturday at the Castle in Hampden, on 34th Street and Keswick Avenue. The Gatherings are typically scheduled for Friday evenings, but this one is being held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon. The rally is being filmed for “Second Act,” a new lifestyle makeover show hosted by Paul DiMeo of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” “Second Act,” which has DiMeo and his associates helping the show's subjects cope with mid-life changes, will spotlight the owners of the Iced Gems food truck in the episode being taped at the Gathering.

Parking issues are holding up plans for a New York-style pizzeria with live music in Hampden. Kelly Beckham, 44, of Butchers Hill, said he wants to open Paulie Gee's Hampden this summer on the first floor of the former Hampden Republican Club building at 3535 Chestnut Ave. The 125-seat, 6,000-square-foot eatery would have outdoor seating and would specialize in non-traditional pizzas like braised fennel and fresh mozzerella with anisette cream drizzle....

Baltimore is getting two new weekly farmers' markets. Starting June 7, Woodberry Kitchen will host Union Graze, a Friday night farmers' market at Union Mill behind Artifact Coffee. The debut Union Graze market has been postponed until June 14 due to inclement weather. Union Graze will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday nights through Nov. 22. The main produce vendor will be Five Seed Farms & Apiary, a family-owned farm with properties in Baltimore and Sparks. The Union Graze events will also include live music and beer from the neighboring Union Craft Brewing.  Union Graze begins June 7 at Union Mill, 1500 Union Ave. And the Downtown Partnership has announced a midday Thursday farmers' market launching on June 13. The Pratt Street Farmers Market will be held 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Thursday through Sept.

Hampden has a new cafe. It's called "CHOUX, the cafe at Ma Petite Shoe," and its official public opening is Friday. The new cafe is located next door to Ma Petite Shoe, Susannah Siger's destination shoe store and chocolate boutique. The cafe will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The offerings at CHOUX will include things like kale salad with almonds and dates, and broccoli salad with Dubliner cheddar and currants along with in-house pastries like pain au chocolat, gougeres, and a chocolate cookie with Bellagio cocoa, Hawaiian dark chocolate and chocolate-covered nibs.

The following is compiled from police reports. It is the Baltimore Messenger's policy to include descriptions only when there is enough information to make identification possible. If you have any information about these crimes, call the Baltimore City Police Department's Northern District at 410-396-2455. North Calvert Street 2500 block at 3:50 p.m. May 9. Pedestrian knocked down and robbed of back pack, two rings, passport, iPad, clothing, medications. Cedarcroft Road 700 block at 4 p.m. May 5. White iPod stolen from vehicle.

Got blood? Time to help your community. On Wednesday, May 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Thursday ,May 16, from 3 to 7 p.m., the Hampden Family Center, 1104 W. 36th St., is partnering with MedStar Health, which owns Union Memorial Hospital, for a blood drive. If you have questions or wish to make an appointment, call the Hampden Family Center at 410-467-8710. At Minás Gallery & Boutique, 815 W. 36th St., there is an ongoing silent auction to benefit the House of Ruth, and the final bids and closing reception takes place on May 17 from 7 to 10 p.m. This auction brings together works from a number of excellent Baltimore artists, with all of the proceeds going to support one of the nation's leading domestic violence centers that helps thousands of battered women and their children every year.

A shave and a haircut of yesteryear cost the proverbial two bits, 25 cents. A shave alone at The Old Bank Barbers, a soon-to-open barber shop on The Avenue in Hampden, will cost $25. It won't be any old shave, though. Owner Daniel Wells promises an old-fashioned, full-face, straight-edge shave, complete with hot lather, in a leather chair with a headrest that leans back. "It's an old-school barber shop with the tile floors," said Wells, who hopes to open this month at 1100 W. 36th St., the former site of Sixteen Tons, a men's clothing store.

Like letter writer John Starling ("Hampden owes a lot to Denise Whiting," June 13), I too became familiarized with Hampden because of Café Hon and moved here. I have watched its owner, Denise Whiting, only become better at what she does. There have been many businesses and restaurants that have opened in Hampden because they knew it would be profitable "settling" in a neighborhood that would embrace them, and we should thank Ms. Whiting for doing that groundwork! Arlene Layton, Hampden

The real problem with Cafe Hon specifically and Hampden in general ("Beleaguered café owner drops her 'Hon' trademark," Nov. 8) is that the folks there have turned a quirky, eclectic neighborhood into a tourist trap. It should be avoided at all costs. C.D. Wilmer, Baltimore

A Jeep crashed into a tax preparation office Saturday at 36th Street and Falls Road in Hampden, pinning a pedestrian to the road and sending a wave of glass over people inside, according to witnesses. Tom Hanlon, 63, was inside getting his paperwork done before Monday's filing deadline. “It was like a bomb went off,” he said. “Glass flew past me 30 feet.” Hanlon said he went outside and the driver of the Jeep seemed dazed. People warned him not to back up because another man was trapped underneath the SUV, he added.

Breathe Books in Hampden says it will add a health-food cafe to its store next month. Owner Susan Weis-Bohlen says all the offerings will have at least one of five features: gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, raw or Ayurvedic -- Ayurveda is a holistic type of medicine that originated in India. This goes along with the store's stated mission to provide "books, music, and spiritual and inspirational items to help people continue their practice and journey. " "We will not be using white flour or white sugar; every ingredient will have some sort of nutritional quality," said Weis-Bohlen, who also lectures about Ayurvedic medicine at the University of Maryland's medical school.