BALTIMORE — As the Ravens prepare to take on the Detroit Lions in Monday Night Football, some Baltimore fans are showing their purple pride in a different way, by shopping local.
Two small businesses are turning heads with Ravens-inspired gear that you won’t find on the racks of big-box stores.
From artwork to apparel
For Taylor Nicholas, owner of Been-Made, each piece she designs feels like a work of art.
“It’s like artwork, so I get very attached to the pieces,” Nicholas said. “But you know, I want to put it out into the world.”
Nicholas transforms recycled materials into one-of-a-kind clothing.
"Blood, sweat and tears, literally. I have cried trying to make pieces," she said.
A reversible jacket made from a vintage Ravens beach towel and a denim Levi’s jacket is just one example of her creativity. Another was crafted from a T-shirt found at the Patapsco Flea Market. And her hats are all hand-stitched.
"I was going to a game and it was going to be raining, so I wanted a Ravens hat to wear and I didn't want a hat that everyone else has," she said.
Self-taught through YouTube videos just a few years ago, she first wore her custom outfits to games. Fans quickly noticed.
“People would ask, ‘Where’d you get that jacket?’ And I’d say, ‘I made it myself.’ It made me feel good because sometimes you doubt yourself in your work and then you wear it out in public and people are complimenting it, so it made me feel really good and confident," she said.
Filling a gap in game day fashion
In Hampden, Brightside Boutique is also tapping into the demand for unique Ravens gear.
“We just had a ton of girls that just wanted more than just licensed NFL merch,” said owner Christie Vazquez. “It wasn’t giving them the fits and the looks they wanted, so we went ahead and said, let’s do it ourselves.”
Months before the season starts, Vazquez and her team brainstorm concepts for new drops, with slogans like Hot Girls Watch Football and Baltimore: They Love to Hate Us.
Brightside has been a staple in Baltimore for 14 years, with locations in Hampden, Fells Point, and Annapolis. But growth hasn’t come without challenges. Vazquez points to tariffs driving up costs and the difficulty of competing with larger retailers.
“The biggest difference that anybody can make is when they are choosing. It's like choosing a small business over a big retailer just goes such a long way,” she said.
