They say never go into business with family, but these Baltimore couples found success doing just that.
From trendy thrift stores and savory brunch spots to homey bookstores, these local businesses are marrying relationships with business and thriving because of it.
Charles and Kristian Miller, owners of Sunny Side Cafe in Lexington Market, have had their fair share of challenges over the years. After 14 years of business and an electrical fire that claimed their brick-and-mortar in 2021, the couple said their love and trust is what keeps their business flourishing.
“The love that we have for one another is most important,” Charles Miller said. “The trust that we have in one another to know that we got each other’s back in this business, because it’s not easy.”
Shawn and Ameena Brown, owners of Reversed Thrift Store, have shared a love of thrifting since they grew up in the Edmondson Village neighborhood of Baltimore. In 2025, the couple decided to open a store after having a conversation about the economy.
“My wife and I talked about what the economy’s going through, how we can help and benefit our community and where we come from,” Shawn said.
After opening the shop, a viral TikTok created by their niece, Kendall McGill, sent the thrifting community into a spending frenzy at their store. The pair have been collecting and folding their way into the heart of the local community ever since.
“The secret to growing this business in a relationship is love,” Shawn Brown said. “We put our love and passion in everything that we do. It starts with us, and our love from home spreads into the store and into the communities.”
After spending their adolescence and early adulthood on theater stages in Virginia and Maryland, Daven Ralston, owner and founder of Charm City Books, and her husband, Joseph Carlson, opened a quaint bookstore in Baltimore’s Pigtown neighborhood shortly after they married in 2019.
For seven years, the couple, along with their team of bookworms and their furry four-legged shopkeepers, have welcomed customers, and even relocated to a larger brick-and-mortar in Seton Hill.
“It’s like our first baby,” Ralston said.
Over the years, their book store has continued to grow to become a place of gathering, hosting DJ sets, book clubs, and author talks.
As books continue to fly off the shelves, the couple’s love has only flourished.
“It can be more work,” Carlson said. “It is not an easy thing to do, which is why so many marriages don’t last. You have to make that choice every day, and in every way, I’m choosing to love.”
The couple has also watched as the store transformed to a backdrop for blossoming love in the local community.
“We’ve had a number of people who shop with us have their wedding photos in the store,” Ralston said. “Someone got married in the store.”
“Families that we knew before they had children got married and they took their photos and then they had their baby shower,” Carlson said.
Behind the store’s success, the couple gives credit to their team and loyal customers.
“You need other people in your life to help strengthen your relationship, to help keep you accountable, to help share the load of life around you,” Carlson said.
