We asked local Baltimorean and key leader Kaitlyn for a sneak peek of our almost-open new store. Keep on reading to meet Harbor East!

After spending some time in Baltimore, Maryland, you'll quickly learn that a few things reign supreme: crabs, “Natty Boh”, row homes with rooftop decks, active professionals, and of course, the birds.

a little bit of history

In the late 1970s, Baltimore’s popular downtown tourist destination known as the Inner Harbor, replaced what was formerly just a collection of abandoned warehouses. Later developments to the once-industrial city have left it with a lot of iron-front buildings, steel architectures, art-deco style, and an urban, rustic vibe.

why birds?

As for the birds, it all started with a poem called The Raven, by Baltimore native Edgar Allan Poe, which inspired our NFL team to name their mascot the Raven. Baltimore’s MLB team then chose to identify their mascot with Maryland’s state bird, officially becoming the Orioles in 1979, and later nicknamed the “O’s”.

So when our showroom grew into a full-time store, it seemed only natural that we would build the store in a way that celebrated the spirit of our city.

Packing up the showroom to move to our new space

inside our store

Columns within the store’s interior are jet-black with a layered tiling; meant to be reminiscent of a raven’s feathers. The art display behind the store’s cash register area (pictured above) is a beautiful and eclectic collection of mix-matched birdhouses with tattered roofs. It’s a cool space with a simultaneously calming and energizing feel - somewhere that not only Baltimoreans but visitors to our city can really feel right at home.

outside our store

Nest-inspired elements outside the store constructed by local artist Adam Scott Cook.

Design elements outside include an expansive, steel, black birds’ nest with a red raven perched at the bottom.

yoga. sweat. b'mary.

In Baltimore this weekend? Join us Sunday morning, October 7th, for our pre-grand opening event, “Yoga. Sweat. B’Mary” to celebrate our city together! Yoga outside starts at 10 a.m., followed by live music and a Bloody Mary bar. Need we say more?

Learn more about Harbor East here or on their Facebook page.

It seemed like Barefoot in the Park, an hour and a half yoga sampler featuring 7 different styles of yoga, was destined to be a rain date. So it was appropriate that on this glorious summer evening, lululemon Regional Community Guru Liz Eustace expressed her thanks to Mother Nature in addition to all the people who made this event possible.

The Lawn at Bryant Park was filled with 417 people young and old, experienced and just starting out, on top of a sea of yellow, blue and red mats. The soft lull of the sitar and the driving rumbling of the drums, created by the group Yoga Organix, provided the atmosphere for an open mind and open heart and accompanied the seven different teachers who were sharing seven different styles of yoga, everything from Kundalini, to Iyengar, to Vinyasa flow.

For those of you who have never done yoga outside, you must drag your mat out into the sun and experience your practice in a completely new environment under completely different elements. As New Yorkers, it's hard to find time to wind down and establish a consciousness that is solely centered on indulging in your yoga practice. In a city where its pure expansiveness can swallow you whole, it can also act as the perfect backdrop to embrace the fresh air and join with strangers in a unifying Om.

Above: The Team Lemon crew is decked out in Mac and Cheese yellow!

Bay to Breakers annual 12km race in San Francisco is more than just running, it is pure San Francisco fun loving time with ten thousand-plus participants. This year the lululemon athletica northern California region, Team Lemon, participated in this ninety-eight year old race that starts at the bay and ends at the ocean. Our Mac and Cheese bright yellow outfits blended in with the other outrageous costumes such as little red riding hood, fairies, cops and naked people.

We enjoyed an 83-degree day [ed. note to Canadians: that's about 28 degrees!] with bands every quarter mile cheering us on. Running Bay to Breakers is almost like being in a parade because there are as many people watching from the sidewalk and apartments to see the floats and costumes as there are runners. The course is not exactly easy. By the 6 mile I was so focused on finishing that the sight of another naked runner hardly had me dying from nervous laughter as it did during the start.

Most rewarding was finishing together as a team and celebrating with a nice cold drink of beer followed by a medium rare burger. A month ago I wrote a goal to finish a 15k race by 2015. As long as there is food at the end of the finish line, achieving my 15k is going to be much easier than I thought.

Want to keep up to date on all the other Team Lemon fun? Check out their page on Facebook!

Take a peak at some pics from the event below:

Above:  A little mid run photo posing!

Above: Look at the crowds!

Above: Definitely time to beat the heat with a cool drink!

Above: You'll know how to find us! Look for bright Mac and Cheese yellow!