in laments terms, hampden is the williamsburg of baltimore, plus babies, minus frequent scoffing. (the babies are probably a product of the youth that characterizes the population.)
however, unlike the poisoned world of mainstream thrifting in new york, the vintage in hampden is astonishingly affordable. the store most on par with the quality and affordability of hampden vintage at home is the thrift store hidden beneath an all-purpose town-owned building. aside from boutiques exclusively devoted to vintage clothing & vintage/re-purposed accessories, hampden is comprised of several blocks of unique, independent, non-chain stores & restaurants. the storefronts juxtapose specialty boutiques & everything-under-the-sun second-hand stores. particularly all-encompassing is a store that spans two floors of two, attached buildings, one of which identifies itself with the words "books & maps," 
ambiguous albeit accurately describing a collection of books & maps. (pictured: a gorgeous, 100-year-old copy of oscar wilde's plays.) some are beautiful, antique, & collectible, while others were published recently & are sold randomly second-hand. there are also several crystal 
bowls of free gelatin treats scattered throughout the room, which is room one of five that make up the entire establishment. the storefront is misleading - vintage furniture, furnishings, collectibles, & clothing can be found throughout the store/house. one interesting but apparently widely understood characteristic of the stores in hampden is the use of spaces that could feasibly double as rooms of someone's house, e.g. small, cramped basements. i imagine many shop owners live above their stores.the culture is most prominent among the restaurant waiters. while patrons come from all over baltimore, there is definitely an image associated with the waiters in restaurants like the golden west. there is no negative connotation - the golden west, for instance, employs a staff of flannel-wearing, facial-hair-growing men that seem like they would love to sit back & discuss the vast assortment of artwork/decoration that almost haphazardly adorns the walls. the restaurants also help give rise to the emerging music scene in baltimore by hosting local bands &, on some occasions, local DJs.
my most recent visits to 
hampden have been exclusively shopping excursions. on the first, i bought a knee-length white leather skirt that has the letters "USA" printed in read all over for a whopping $10. on the second, i bought two dresses, each $30: an irresistibly sparkley betsey johnson dress that looked like it may have, or at least ought to have, belonged to an award-winning ice skater at some time in its former life, (pictured above), & a pink-purple puff-sleeved 50's style yves saint laurent dress (right). i picked the dresses out before i had read either of their tags, but the combination of their condition, authenticity & price made it impossible to leave them on the hangers.so, in conclusion, hampden = old records, strange antiques, random home accessories, cheap vintage, delicious food, & an outspoken, interesting collection of people. thank god.
