People lined the sidewalk outside the Mitchell Courthouse, prepared to bid on a piece of Baltimore’s history.
“When I don’t have to give you an address and just give you a name, Bertha’s, and if you know where that property is, then it’s important,” said Auctioneer Paul Cooper.
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The site of the former restaurant in Fells Point occupies multiple parcels, and the bidding opened at more than 300 thousand dollars on top of nearly 200 thousand still owed on its original mortgage.
“Third and final call at a million and 25 thousand dollars. Any more?” called out the auctioneer.
Ultimately the bidding fell short of expectations, and the property was sold back to the existing lender for future considerations, leaving its fate unknown for now.
With its owners eyeing retirement, Bertha’s Mussels closed its doors for good in October of 2023.
The sale has cleared the Norrises to pursue the next chapter in their lives.
“We’d like to see the best thing happen to it, but right now, we’re just concerned with getting on with our lives playing that music,” said Tony Norris. “We both play. I’m a classical guitar player, and my wife is a violinist. She teaches classical mandolin to kids.”
In fact, in August, the couple will accompany some of their students to Italy for a related event, making some new memories.
Not that their existing ones tied to more than half a century in their Fells Point restaurant won’t remain.
“It takes a while for it to finalize, so we have a few more days to get things out of the building,” Norris told us. “We’ve collected a lot. I mean everything in there has a history behind it or a story behind it, or someone we know made it.”
