The Windup Space
12 W. North Avenue Baltimore, MD 21201
Open Tues-Sat 5pm-1am
BEST NEW BAR in Baltimore!
The Windup Space might just be the most smartly planned DIY venture to hit the bar circuit in Baltimore since, well, we really have no idea. Even if it didn't double, awesomely, as a multifarious art space--regularly featuring homegrown art, music, and film--this large, unselfconsciously cool bar would have hold of our boozing hearts with its friendly vibe, topnotch unassuming service--frequently at the hands of owner and local scene vet Russell de Ocampo--an open, mingle-inducing floor plan, a comfortable, populist, and inexpensive beer and liquor selection, and a crowd that consistently seems to be more about enjoying and socializing than posing and blackout drinking. Add all of that to the Windup's rather bold, and so far successful, stab at one of the grimier blocks in Station North, and this one was easy.
-Baltimore Citypaper 2008 "Best of Baltimore" http://www.citypaper.com/bob/story.asp?id=16603
CP REVIEW 06/11/08
"Baltimore's got a lot of there's no way there's a bar here bars, and, of them, there's a subcategory: hidden in plain sight bars. Enter the Wind-Up Space. Maybe you've noticed the giant effing burned-out building at the corner or North Avenue and Charles Street, and maybe you've noticed the giant concrete shell of a building that houses Family Dollar on the adjacent corner at North and Maryland avenues. Making the ballsiest stab into Station North development since Joe Squared, the Windup Space occupies the slight building sandwiched in between the two. Right now, it's only open Thursday through Saturday, from 4 p.m. until 1 a.m., and the rest of the time it's guarded by metal roll-down doors and marked by thin white block letters that you'd expect to be advertising a check cashing joint, not a casual-hip drinking/art/music/film/performance space. The bar is large and comfortable: solid maroon and gray walls frame assorted local artwork and give the space an unhurried vibe, as did a DJ spinning relaxed electronic music at a volume just about perfect to compete with the North Avenue traffic. Our drinks were reasonable: $3 for a rum and coke and $4 for a Pilsner Urquell, including a short glass of wasabi peas to munch on. Nice touch. Moreover, on a recent night we saw more foot traffic on Charles Street above Lafayette Avenue than we've seen in a long time. With the Wind-Up Space here to bridge the Club Charles/Metro Gallery/Depot and Joe Squared/Load of Fun poles, Station North is that much closer to reaching its cultural/drinking district aspirations."
-Michael Bryne, Citypaper
http://www.citypaper.com/clubs/review.asp?rid=13435
