It’s been a warm welcome back to Baltimore for Jonathan Todd.

Todd and his partner, Andrew Hatch, moved to Dundalk in October 2024 and in June opened the Hampden gift boutique Balston Mercantile.

The love of their hometowns — Baltimore and Boston — inspired the business’s name, but more than two decades of life and work in New York City heavily influenced the polished, yet fun, nature of the shop’s offerings.

Balston Mercantile has a little bit of everything, including wineglasses, door knockers, cards, wall art and jewelry. The first-time entrepreneurs are mixing the mid-Atlantic’s love for all things Chesapeake and the aesthetics of New England at their Hampden storefront.

“For the host with the most, and the guest with the best,” Hatch said, describing the shop’s merchandise. “Anything you need for your home, for hosting, or if you’re going to a party or gifting, we’re the place for that.”

Todd, “curator in chief,” is also a hairstylist who, despite the distance, works at the same salon in New York City where he’s been for 18 years. Hatch, known as the “maestro of the moving parts,” is devoted to the store full-time after spending a decade as a Manhattan residential real estate agent.

Hatch, 45, and Todd, 43, remember when they met — July 1, 2013, at the Library Bar at the Hudson Hotel on 58th Street — and how it laid the path for their partnership and the store.

“We’ve always wanted to do a store,” Hatch said.

“We’ve been talking about it since we first met,” Todd said, finishing Hatch’s sentence.

What inspired you to pursue entrepreneurship?

Todd: On the weekends, rather than bar-hopping, he and I would jump on the train and go north of the city, and walk around the little river towns and go antiquing.

Like this leather company, ILI New York, was actually one of the first on our list. We found this in Hudson, New York, on one of our first day trips, and we have been using this company ever since.

And we always said, if we ever had a store, this would be a great leather goods company to have. And here we are. We have it.

Hatch: The merchandising here is just years of research. Things that we buy ourselves, things we fill our homes with. We would give gifts to friends and somewhere along the line we started keeping notes, like we have to go back to this town or this shop because they had this brand.

Then, when it came time for us to start really thinking about opening this business, we had a list of things.

When did the idea of starting a business become real?

Hatch: I’d say it was after the pandemic. I was in real estate, and it was kind of a boomtown. Around late 2023, there was an interest rate problem in New York City, and the market kind of came to a halt.

It was difficult, business-wise, and we were seriously talking about opening a store at this point.

During the pandemic, we moved out of New York City and got a place in Westchester. We were looking in Tarrytown, New York, and wanted to open a business there. We went through the whole process of becoming an LLC, looking at real estate there and getting all the licensing done.

Todd: My mom has dementia, and we came to the point where we wanted to be with my parents as much as we can.

We decided to shift gears and come back to Baltimore. I was very excited about it because I knew that there were going to be some fun neighborhoods to check out for a shop.

Can you tell me more about how it felt to go through the process of starting a business?

Todd: We were really, really nervous and scared because it was a big chance to take. And we’ve never done anything like this before.

Two ordinary guys trying to start a small business can be kind of daunting, but we were able to figure it out. There have been a few little hiccups here and there, but it’s doable. And it’s been a lot of hard work, but it’s really, really fun. It’s the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done.

What’s something you wish people knew about Balston Mercantile?

Hatch: We try to keep vendors as local as possible to Maryland and then the Northeast coast — between Virginia and Maine.

That doesn’t always work because there are just fabulous vendors out in California and throughout the country. And so our rule is, if it’s not a Northeast brand or company, we want to know who the vendors are and kind of keep it small.

Todd: There’s a story behind each thing and why we picked it. There’s a reason why we picked it; it should invoke something when someone picks it up.

What’s next for you both and Balston Mercantile?

Todd: We’re looking into doing consulting, as well.

Our website is currently in the works. We’re going to be selling some of our products on the website, but we’re also going to be consulting with people.

We just went to a customer’s house this past week. We’re going to help her with redecorating her house.

Hatch: I would say, in a way, it is kind of a retirement from corporate. It’s definitely not a retirement because we want to expand the shop, and we want the shop to do well.

Eventually, maybe, we’ll have two [stores]. We want this to become our livelihood.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and concision.