Zo Salgado started the line outside of Carpet Company’s new store at 2:55 a.m. Saturday.

Salgado, 23, who drove in from Northern Virginia with their partner, Sarah Wade, 27, passed the time hanging with others in line who joined shortly after they did. Some of the others drove in from Newark, NJ for the opening, they said.

“We’re out here because it’s a historic moment for the city of Baltimore,” Salgado said just minutes before the doors opened at 11 a.m. “It’s more than just a brand.”

Salgado and Wade said that their budget was $600.

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“It might be a loose budget, though,” Salgado said. They wanted the pony hair, light blue jacket, earrings and a T-shirt to commemorate the day.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2026 - Zo Salgado (they/them), right, and Sarah Wade (she/her), left, were the first people in line at Carpet Company's flagship store. They arrived around 2:45am from Northern Virginia.
Zo Salgado, right, and Sarah Wade, left, were the first people in line at Carpet Company's flagship store. They arrived around 2:45am from Northern Virginia. (Kaitlin Newman/The Banner)

The couple were just two of the hundreds who lined up and wrapped around the block for Carpet Company’s store and cafe opening on Saturday morning in the Station North neighborhood. The line started at its entrance on St. Paul Street, snaked down North Avenue and then turned onto North Calvert Street. The line for the cafe, run by Hampden’s Good Neighbor coffee shop, was out the door as well.

The Baltimore-based streetwear and skate brand has been around since 2016 and has grown a loyal fan base around the area. It was started by the brothers, Osama and Ayman Abdeldayem, who are both first generation Egyptian-Americans from Prince George’s County.

The Abdeldayem brothers said they picked North Avenue as the location for their flagship store because they wanted to help liven up the historic Station North neighborhood.

The music playing inside the store spilled out onto the street where people were chatting while they waited. A security guard let a handful of people in at a time. The Abdeldayem brothers chatted with customers and friends celebrating the opening inside the store.

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Those in line waited for hours on the sunny Saturday morning to get a chance to peek inside the store’s sleek white-and-red interior.

Closer to the back of the line with more than 100 people ahead them were Victor Corenjo and Adnan Shiyazel of Woodbridge, Virginia. Both said they appreciated the sense of community the Carpet Company has built. The two have belts, shoes and other merchandise from the brand, and they were excited to support the brand.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2026 - People shop at the flagship store of Carpet Company on its opening day.
Customers shop at the flagship store of Carpet Company on its opening day. (Kaitlin Newman/The Banner)

Cornejo said it was “awesome” that the brothers who “have a nice little vision for this area.”

“I think they’re just a little early, it’s going to be dope,” he said.

The two friends said they had no budget for the store opening.

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“We haven’t splurged in a while,” said Shiyazel. “This would be a worthy splurge.”

Shiyazel added that uplifting to see the brand collaborate with the Baltimore community as well as the Arab community.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2026 - People shop at the flagship store of Carpet Company on its opening day.
The Abdeldayem brothers said they selected North Avenue as the location for the store because they wanted to help liven up the historic Station North neighborhood. (Kaitlin Newman/The Banner)

Plenty of people were joining the line even after the store opened, including Taiya Davenport, a Morgan State University student. She joined her friend, Goke Ade, who held their spot in line about an hour before the opening. She called the Carpet Company the “modern Supreme.”

Ade said he was never able to go to their previous pop-ups, but he was determined to see their new store.

“When I seen that they was opening up on Station North, I was like oh nah I got to go,” he said. “I’m very excited to see what they got going on in the store.”

The store is open until 7 p.m. on Saturday.