RE SalonSpa relocates to Locust Point rowhouse after rent increases

A 15-year Southside Marketplace fixture is moving a few blocks south and betting on ownership as the way to survive Baltimore’s commercial rent pressures. RE SalonSpa will reopen May 13 at 1632 E. Fort Ave. in Locust Point, after owner Resu Sunuwar bought the rowhouse and turned it back into a business property.

The move says as much about neighborhood real estate as it does about hair and skin services. Sunuwar decided not to keep absorbing rising rent at Southside Marketplace in Riverside and instead purchased the Fort Avenue townhouse for the salon and spa. The business is not starting from scratch. Its team already includes salon manager and esthetician Megan Kazmierski, hairstylist Mindy Klemkowski and threader Ramila, giving the new location an established client base and a built-in neighborhood following.

The renovation was modest but practical. Workers removed a kitchen and added new lighting, then reworked the layout so the first floor will hold salon services while the two upstairs bedrooms become treatment rooms. That setup fits the building itself: the property at 1632 E. Fort Ave. is a two-bedroom, two-bath townhouse built in 1875, with about 1,590 square feet. Public listings show it sold Jan. 12 for $285,000.

For Locust Point, the move adds another small commercial use to a block that already benefits from foot traffic and proximity to familiar landmarks. The rowhouse sits directly across from Latrobe Park and within walking distance of the Patapsco waterfront, local restaurants, shops, Harris Teeter at McHenry Row and nearby fitness centers. Kazmierski said the team was excited to land on a busy stretch of Fort Avenue, and the location carries a personal connection too: she and Klemkowski both attended Francis Scott Key Elementary and Middle Grades School, only a couple of blocks away.

That local tie matters in a part of Baltimore where neighborhood loyalty can make or break a service business. Locust Point has long been defined by its waterfront identity, dense rowhouse streets and civic landmarks such as Latrobe Park and Francis Scott Key. With park upgrades and tree plantings adding to the area’s appeal, Sunuwar’s purchase shows how small operators are responding to higher commercial costs by securing their own space in walkable neighborhoods where customers already live, work and pass by every day.