"THE AVENUE has long been a fun destination for the people of Baltimore to gather, play, shop and dine. Leasing team efforts created a unique atmosphere with a mix of national retailers, service providers and locally owned restaurants, but when a 10,000 square foot former Pier 1 space stood empty in the spring of 2020, senior marketing manager Lisa Geiger had an idea.
Seeing how small businesses were being hit hard by the pandemic, Lisa reached out to Stephanie Persichitti, who runs the Instagram account @MakersofMaryland, an online collective that features the works of Maryland artists and creatives. Federal previously partnered with Persichitti to bring a small holiday pop-up market in the winter of 2019 and had plans for more collaborative projects that were derailed amidst the uncertainty of COVID-19. Undeterred, Persichitti worked with Federal to bring a marketplace of over 50 brands to a brick-and-mortar home at THE AVENUE...."