BALTIMORE — Take a drive down Old Harford Road in Northeast Baltimore and just before you get to Harview Avenue, you'll see a brightly painted garage with the words "Dear Baltimore, You're So Charming" written on it.
"I don’t think we were expecting as much reaction as we got from the community," said Kim Tabb, the owner of the colorful garage.
Tabb had the mural commissioned by Jessica Langley, a designer/muralist and owner of White Coffee Creative. The mural also has icons of Baltimore, like the Ravens and Orioles logo, the National Aquarium, crabs and the Natty Boh man.
"Kim gave me so much creative freedom. She was very much like make it Baltimore, make it pretty, I just want it to be fun and I trust you," said Langley.
The idea for these murals came after Langley shared her own "Dear Baltimore" post on social media, following former President Trump's comment that Baltimore was a "rat-infested" city.
"I posted on Instagram a design mock up that said “Dear Baltimore you’re so magical” and it was probably one of my most-liked photos for awhile."
When Langley offered to paint these murals on homes and businesses, Tabb said she quickly jumped at the opportunity.
"We live on a semi-busy street in North Baltimore, people are always passing by. We had this blank canvass so as soon as I saw Jess was doing these murals, it felt like the perfect fit," she said.
As soon as it was finished, the mural became a neighborhood tourist attraction. Tabb said people are always stopping to take photos and strangers will write letters to express their appreciation for the artwork.
"We started getting Christmas cards from people just saying thank you so much for beautifying the neighborhood and bringing in some color and life into the neighborhood," she said.
And that's exactly what Langley hoped for when she started this project.
"I was definitely hoping people would resonate with it and relate to it," she said. "I feel like as Baltimoreans, we’re very proud of our city and I just feel like that pride exudes from a lot of us."
"I’m super proud of it and super excited that people enjoy it so much."
And Tabb agrees that the murals bring some much needed positivity and hope to Charm City.
"I think it gives the message that the city is resilient, it's special, it's colorful and thanks to Jess and White Coffee Creative, it's immortalized on the garage forever."
Langley has two other murals in Charles Village near the Abel playground/32nd Street Park. She asks that visitors be mindful and respectful when they go to see the murals, since they are painted on private homes.
For more information on how to commission a "Dear Baltimore" mural, click here.
