Trohv, a home goods store on The Avenue in Hampden, will be closing its brick-and-mortar shop for good, owner Carmen Brock announced on Tuesday.
“We tried to remain steady and hold tight during the pandemic, but we are not able to sustain our unreduced overhead,” Brock wrote on Instagram. “Though we wish the circumstances were different, it’s time for Trohv to pivot, reprioritize, and look ahead.”
Brock said the shop is anticipating to close near the middle of August, but she has not set a final date.
Starting Wednesday, Trohv will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a sale of 20 percent off all merchandise. The store will also sell its visuals, fixtures and supplies.
The shop will also be taking private appointments for individuals or small groups. People can email hellobmore@trohvshop.com or call (410) 366-3456 to set up an appointment.
“We are uncertain what the future holds for Trohv, but we are hopeful…perhaps this means a new location, a different concept, pop-ups, collaborations, and/or some rest,” Brock wrote.
A phone call to the store was not immediately returned.
Trohv joins Ma Petite Shoe, Hampden Junque, Sprout, and Milk & Ice Vintage and Sturgis Antiques on the list of longtime businesses on Hampden’s signature shopping street that have closed since the start of the pandemic.
Brock first opened the home goods store, then called Red Tree, in Hampden in October 2006, according to the business’s website.
In January 2011, she renamed it Trohv–as in a trove or collection of valued items.
Speaking to Baltimore magazine in January 2019, Brock discussed how she curated the store’s selection of furniture, housewares, gifts and curios relying on local artists.
“It’s been the joy of my life to work with local artists, and I’ve learned so much from them,” she said. “I think I’ll be a student forever, and I’ll always be learning about my environment and how to make things mutually beneficial.”
Brock opened a second Trohv location in the Takoma Park Historic District of Washington, D.C., in April 2011, which closed five years later in January 2016.
Now that the Hampden location’s 14-year journey is drawing to an end, Brock said that the business has “so much love” for its supporters.
“Our overwhelming feeling is one of gratitude for YOU, and we have lots more to say about this in the coming days,” Brock wrote.
Yoga Tree is also closing its location on The Avenue after 15 years there, transitioning to outdoor and online classes. Add it to the list.
Another business killed by a landlord who values money over small business success (and one who could afford giving small business a break). Pity he cares little for the neighborhood and more for lining his already full pockets.