A Day on Main Street in Ellicott City
Ellicott City is one of my favorite places to visit. There is so much to do, so much to see, and the small city has such a great feel to it. It has this fresh, eclectic vibe while still having this great, old charm. I started doing yoga in Old EC at a studio that opened last year, even though there are plenty of yoga studios closer to my home. I found that I enjoyed having a reason to spend even more time there. When I have the chance, I try to make a day of it. So I took a personal day, grabbed a girlfriend and spent the day on Main Street.
Coffee Shops
We set off about 9am and decided to start the morning off with a coffee. There’s three or four cafes on Main Street to choose from. We decided on Bean Hollow, an eclectic little shop with some fabulous brew. They have bagels and sandwiches, too, but we knew we’d be having lunch in just a couple hours, so we split a pastry and just took in the aromas and the surrounding artwork. https://www.facebook.com/beanhollow/
Art Galleries
We decided to check out some more artwork at the local art galleries before lunch. Main Street is great for the art lover, regardless of your favorite medium. There are multiple art galleries and studios to check out. Even many of the shops are decorated with art by local artisans. We decided to visit my two favorite, the Horse Spirit Arts Gallery and the Artists Gallery. I particularly love that both of these galleries rotate their art fairly regularly, so every time I go, I get to experience new art. Horse Spirit Arts tends to have more sculptural art than the other, and the Artists Gallery tends to feature mostly painted media.
http://horsespiritartsgallery.com/
https://www.artistsgalleryec.com/
Lunch
There are quite a few places to eat along Main Street. I have yet to eat at every restaurant and cafe yet, so I make an effort to try at least one new place every other time down there. It’s difficult because many of them are good and I always want a return trip! This day, we decided to try a ‘new to us’ location, the Georgia Grace Cafe. Also referred to as GG’s, this hip little cafe is a relative newcomer to Main Street EC. It’s got a clean, modern feel, both in the decor and the food, which is this unique take on Greek/Mediterranean food. We ordered a little of everything and shared plates so we could try much of the menu. The standouts were the chicken souvlaki, the spanakopita, and some of the best tzatziki sauce I’ve had in awhile. Everything is made to order fresh, and you can taste it! https://www.georgiagracecafe.com/
Shopping
After lunch, we decided to walk around and do some shopping to burn off lunch. Main Street is the perfect spot to shop small, with a little something for everyone. From artwork, to furniture, jewelry to clothing, comics to popcorn, I find this to be the easiest place to search for that gift for even the hardest to buy for on your list. Some that we stopped in were A Journey from Junk for some funky gifts, Made on Main where I picked up some cool, locally made beaded earrings, Park Ridge Trading Co. for a bottle of amazing garlic infused olive oil, Wind River Clothing to try on a new sweater, and Sweet Cascades Chocolatier to bring home a couple of decadent truffles..
https://www.facebook.com/junkgirl64/
https://www.facebook.com/MadeOnMainEC/
https://www.parkridgetrading.com/ https://sweetcascadeschocolatier.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Windriverclothing/
Yoga
Finally, we hit the yoga studio to clear our minds and be good to our bodies. Main Street Yoga is one of two health and wellness studios on Main Street. It’s studio space is on the second floor overlooking the busyness below. The small, intimate rooms and fantastic instructors made me fall in love with this place. Their classes vary in style, intensity and skill level, and are scheduled throughout the day and evening to accommodate most schedules. https://www.mainstreetyogaec.com/
Although there are some spots that are still rebuilding from the 2016 flood, Ellicott City’s Main Street has come back stronger than ever with many of the shops that have been there for years and a few new faces. I’m excited to see what new shops will fill those last few spots as EC continues to rebuild.