Shop Catonsville Open, Boosts School Sports, Hometown Pride

Catonsville residents looking for a place to get all of their hometown gear need to go no further than Frederick Road, where Shop Catonsville is now open.

The store, located at 819 Frederick Road between Atwater's and You Scream Ice Cream, is run by Catonsville High School's Comet Booster Club.

The club, which raises funds for various needs of the athletic programs at the school, had been looking for a more permanent space to sell of the spirit wear they had in stock.

Vice President Beth Reymann said they thought it might be successful after they set up booths at events like the Catonsville Arts and Crafts Festival and the Sunday Farmers Market.

When Larry Zwick, owner of Peace of Sunshine, vacated his space on Frederick Road and moved around the corner to 2 Mellor Avenue, Reymann contacted him about the lease.

Zwick offered to donate the space through the end of the year and now the store has been open for a little more than a week.

Parent volunteers helped take the inventory out of storage and set up the store. They also volunteer to man the store.

"Hopefully we won't have much to take back to school," Reymann said.

The shop is filled with all types of clothing with Catonsville on it, including Under Armour shirts, hats, shorts, rain jackets and T-shirts. They also have scarves, blankets, mugs and towels.

Some of the items are fundraisers from different grades and clubs in the school as well as Catonsville Middle School. Other items from Catonsville authors and Catonsville groups are also on display, including the book "Gardens of Catonsville" by Jane Byers.

The shop has been successful so far, Reymann said. A lot of the gear has Catonsville but not high school on it, so many people may want to buy the gear to show their pride for the community, Reymann said.

"This is a fundraiser for us, but we also do it to promote school spirit," she said. "We try to keep it reasonable because some kids pay for their own stuff."

When Reymann approached Zwick, he said he was happy to donate the space.
"It's a good cause," he said. "I was paying for [the space] until the end of the year."

While Reymann said she likes an idea of having a permanent storefront to sell Catonsville gear, the shop takes a lot of time of the volunteers' time.

"We'll kind of just see how it goes," she said.

The shop's hours are:
Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Sundays, 4 p.m. - 8 p.m., except it is closed on Halloween.

Hours may change slightly in November and December. The shop does not take credit card, it takes cash or check.

For more information, go to www.cometboosterclub.com