Led by some of Baltimore’s best and brightest activists, artists, educators, and leaders, GHCC’s 5th Annual Neighborhood Institute: Love Where You Live is all about learning what you can do to build and strengthen vibrant urban neighborhoods.

For many Baltimore residents, learning to effectively advocate for the schools their children attend is integral to creating positive change. Organizer Jimmy Stuart, who will lead the workshop Transforming Schools, explains why.

Tell us about your background in school organizing.

I have been working with Child First as an Organizer in several city schools since August of 2011. The heart of my work is building strong core teams in those schools – identifying parents, teachers, and community members with an appetite for creating change in their schools and communities, and bringing them together to act on and win on the issues they care most about. Before joining Child First, in my time as a VISTA with GHCC, a large part of my work was with the Baltimore Education Coalition, where I first engaged with the principles of organizing that I now utilize in my current role with Child First.

As you know, GHCC’s Neighborhood Institute is about helping residents learn ways to build and strengthen their own neighborhoods. How does school organizing help them to accomplish that?

Plain and simple, school organizing is about building stronger schools, where all of a school’s stakeholders – parents and families, staff, administration, students, and community members – are working together to create real change for their kids and their community. And, as GHCC knows well, a strong neighborhood school is crucial to building and sustaining a strong neighborhood.

Why did you choose to participate as a workshop leader in this year’s Neighborhood Institute?

As an organizer with Child First, I have seen firsthand the kind of positive change an organized school can make happen for kids and communities. The Neighborhood Institute is an opportunity to share with more people how we make that change happen, and to thereby effect more schools and more kids.

What are you hoping that your workshop participants will take away with them?

This workshop is not a one-stop shop for how to create change in schools. That said, my goal is that participants walk away with an understanding of the basic building block of any effective school organizing – the individual meeting – and an interest in using that tool to build the quality of relationships in their school community that can bring about real change.

The staff at Eddie’s Liquors of Charles Village know their product. Amongst the seven employees, they have more than 20 years in the business, and their vast experience alone is enough to ensure the best in customer satisfaction. The staff taste everything that come into their store, so whether you’re looking to entertain guests on a budget or you want the perfect complement to your brie and apricot preserves, they’ve got you covered. Over the years they’ve developed a great relationship with the community, and whenever you walk into the store, you know you’re amongst family.

(Left to right) Jason Zaiderman, owner of Eddies Liquor, and employees Steve DeBois and Chris Morawski.

We recently sat down with Jason Zaiderman, the owner, to talk about his business and what makes Eddie’s such a fundamental part of the Greater Homewood community.

Tell us a little bit about Eddie’s and how you came to be here.

Eddie’s has been around for quite a while. We’re about 30-40 years old! The previous owner Arnold Greenberg was a friend of mine and I had always been really interested in his store. Previously I was working in DC as a banker, but I would come to visit on the weekends and would pester Arnold to sell me his store. His answer was always the same – no. Then one day, completely out of the blue, he called me up and asked if I was still interested. The company I was working for had just been bought out, so the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I said yes and in February 2008 I officially took over as owner. Since then we’ve made a lot of changes-we’ve renovated the store, cleaned things up, increased inventory, and changed the culture completely. Eddie’s is now a fun place to shop, and our customers have really loved all the improvements we’ve made.

What core values does Eddie’s strive to adhere to?

We are all about excellent customer service. The customer always comes first.

What is the biggest challenge you face as a business owner?

Customer service is the most important part of our business, so it’s a challenge striking the right balance between keeping people happy and making a profit. We want to make sure everyone has a great experience when they shop at Eddie’s so they keep coming back.

What do you love most about having a business in Greater Homewood?

This is a neighborhood unlike any other. When you walk around you find that everyone knows each other and everyone’s got their own thing going on. It’s quirky and laid back and it just feels good. I love the people that live around here.

What prompted you to become a supporter of GHCC?

Karen Stokes, the Executive Director, is a regular customer of ours. She was one of the first people I met when I moved to Baltimore. She showed me around the community and encouraged me to be a part of something. She’s a great woman and I’m happy to support the work they do at GHCC.

What is the weirdest question you’ve ever been asked at work?

“How many beers come in a 6 pack?” Yeah, that question takes the cake.

Eddie’s Liquors of Charles Village - is located at 3109 Saint Paul St. Their knowledgeable staff is available six days a week, Monday through Saturday from 10am to midnight, to answer your most difficult questions. Just one word of advice: think before you ask.