Greenmount Avenue in Waverly sees a better life
The 3100 block of Greenmount Avenue in Waverly demonstrates how neighborhood change is both slow and deliberate.
What makes a neighborhood rich and complex are often the businesses that take years to get established then become synonymous with the community.
I think of the Thai Restaurant, whose owners recently said they’ll be moving a short distance. The Mettawiparee family — Billy, Soy and their son, Nat — have prepared and sold delicious meals for more than 23 years in an unprepossessing spot a few doors north of the old Boulevard Theater.
“It’s an exciting opportunity,” Nat Mettawiparee said. “We have to build a restaurant in a new space. It’s in the early days and my parents and I getting are getting in touch with architects.”
The new version of the Thai Restaurant will be housed in the Waverly Hall’s back annex facing East 31st Street. That annex for decades was home to John Kelly’s Guilford Grocery Co. (No relation, but my family did shop there.)
He explained his mother, Soy was born in Bangkok, Thailand, and his father, Billy, who is the restaurant’s waiter and maitre d’, was from outside the capital. Nat was born in Baltimore and attended Loyola Blakefield.
The Thai Restaurant, being established for so long, was rarely reviewed. It was just there, in plain sight, doing an amazing job. The varnished wood walls held oil paintings of Thai royal family members. The light fixtures resembled Victorian gas lamps.
Patrons often entered via a back door that connected to a parking lot so hidden — behind the Waverly Enoch Pratt Free Library — the arrival experience seemed like a speakeasy.
But that’s often the joy of neighborhood life — you have to know the secrets. Let the outsiders and the tourists find their own way.
The Thai Restaurant will join other nearby neighborhood stalwarts, including Herman’s Discount Inc., a variety store and custom embroidery and screening printing operation, Pete’s Grille, Greenmount Loan and Jewelry, Melba’s Place, Red Emma’s and Jinji Chocolate.
“We’ve been on the street now for 25 years,” said Ricky Herman, the screen printer and variety shop owner. “Now my third generation of family is ready to get involved.
“The street is at a pivotal point — heading in the right direction. We’ve seen so many changes over the years and the number of vacant shop fronts has gone down. There is good momentum right now.
“Everybody is in a reboot business phase, trying to figure out what is going to work right now. The street traffic has changed. We are seeing new people in the neighborhood. Waverly is offering a wider selection of options — a chocolate shop, a book store and our own new custom screen print shop,” Herman said.
Herman points out other ways Greenmount Avenue is changing. Another restaurant, Toki Underground, opened four blocks south, in the 2700 block.
“I went there on a Friday night. It was full to capacity. There was a 40-minute wait,” Herman said. “I realize Toki is from D.C. and has a great reputation. But this is very encouraging.”
Herman’s block has been getting help from the Central Baltimore Partnership, a group that focuses on strengthening the business core of neighborhoods stretching from Penn Station to Oakenshawe. The block is also a component of Waverly Main Street, the business promotional group.
“It’s great to see the momentum of Greenmount Avenue wrap around the corner of 31st Street,” said Jake Wittenberg, Waverly Hall’s co-owner. “Waverly Main Street continues to be an amazing business community.”
