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Mobtown Ballroom

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Coordinates: 39°18′41″N 76°37′04″W / 39.31133°N 76.61777°W / 39.31133; -76.61777
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Mobtown Ballroom and Café
Company typePrivate
Industry
FoundedSeptember 2011; 13 years ago (2011-09)
Founders
  • Sarah Sullivan
  • Michael Seguin
  • Nina Gilkenson
Headquarters30 W. North Ave.,
Baltimore, Maryland
,
United States
Area served
Greater Baltimore
Owners
  • Sarah Sullivan
  • Michael Seguin
Restaurant information
Head chefJake Cornman
Food typeAmerican
Coordinates39°18′41″N 76°37′04″W / 39.31133°N 76.61777°W / 39.31133; -76.61777
Websitemobtownballroom.com

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. In 2023, it moved to Station North and added a cafe.

History

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Swing dancing at Mobtown in 2015

The business was co-founded as Mobtown Ballroom by Sarah Sullivan and Michael Seguin,[1] along with Nina Gilkenson.[2][3] It opened in September 2011.[4] It initially occupied a deconsecrated Episcopalian church at 861 Washington Blvd. in Pigtown built in the 1870s[4] with 2,800 square feet (260 m2) of space.[5] The ballroom enlisted volunteers from the dance community to build a custom 5-layer sprung floor with more than 10,000 nails and screws.[6]

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.[4][2]

Chelsea Reed and the Fairweather Band at Mobtown in 2023

Gilkenson left around 2016.[7] In 2019, the church space was sold to Stax Charm City LLC.[8] Mobtown came into conflict with the new landlord, and in 2023 decided not to renew its lease.[1] It relocated to a 5,000-square-foot (460 m2) space[8] in North Avenue Market (a block-long market built in 1928[9]) in Station North with the assistance of the Central Baltimore Partnership and developer John Renner.[1] The owners added a cafe component because, they said, "food is the number one thing that people gather around".[10] It held a soft reopening in January 2024,[11] followed by a grand opening celebration in April 2024[12] after volunteers built a new sprung floor.[10][1]

Operation

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Mobtown is run as a private for-profit business.[4]

Sullivan said she aspires for the ballroom to serve as a third place and community gathering point.[1][9][13] Patrons have noted the close-knit dance community that frequents the ballroom, often drawing allusions to its religious former home.[13][14][2]

The cafe is open in the morning and afternoon Monday-Saturday.[15] On Fridays, it becomes the "Jobtown Ballroom" coworking space, with patrons invited to add breaktime activities to a paper agenda.[10]

Dancing

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Mobtown at its North Avenue Market location in 2024

Mobtown hosts swing dances every Monday and Friday, preceded by lessons.[5][10] Live bands play regularly.[16][14]

Mobtown also leases their space for belly dancing[17] and circus arts classes and square dances.[13]

[edit]

Mobtown serves American cuisine, with a changing menu to adapt to in-season ingredients.[10] Its head chef, Jake Cornman, described its menu as "Simple classics done right and from scratch".[9] The restaurant serves coffee from Black Acres Coffee Roastery.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Hebron, Grace (November 9, 2023). "Mobtown Ballroom is Starting its Next Chapter in Station North". Baltimore Magazine. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c d Lynch, Kevin (July 18, 2014). "Pigtown's Mobtown Ballroom Adds Liquor License, Plans Expansion". SouthBMore.com. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  5. ^ a b 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. ^ Almonte, Jerry (December 22, 2016). "Lindy Hop Has No Soul". J.S. Almonte Productions. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  8. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c d e Castedo, Raquel (September 20, 2024). "Mobtown Ballroom & Café: Beyond the Dance Floor". BmoreArt. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  11. ^ Gellman, Matti (January 31, 2024). "After 4 months of waiting, Mobtown Ballroom is open in Station North". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  12. ^ Worthington, Aliza (April 18, 2024). "Mobtown Ballroom and Café grand opening in Station North". Baltimore Fishbowl. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Shannon, Emma; Castedo, Raquel (January 3, 2024). "Swing Sanctuary: Mobtown Ballroom". BmoreArt. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Shannon, Emma (February 28, 2019). "Swinging into the weekend at Mobtown Ballroom". The Johns Hopkins News-Letter. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  15. ^ "Home". Mobtown Ballroom. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  16. ^ Greco, Alli (September 18, 2013). "Mobtown Ballroom: Baltimore's Hidden Gem". The Johns Hopkins News-Letter. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  17. ^ Brickell, Allison (August 8, 2013). "Class of the Month: Belly dancing at Mobtown Ballroom". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
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