The Pig & The Parrot Soars in Roland Park

In 2022, when artist Caroline Hearn moved from New York City back to her hometown of Baltimore, she and her interior designer mom, Karin Chriss, thought about combining their talents to open a gift shop. When they noticed an empty storefront in the same historic “mall” that houses Petit Louis Bistro, they leapt at the chance to move into the nation’s oldest strip center.

The result of their vision is The Pig & the Parrot, which opened its doors last October.

The designing duo have quite the pedigree: Chriss did design work for boutique hotels across the country, and then had a longtime wholesale handbag business; Hearn, a graduate of New York City’s famed Parsons School of Design, created showroom design for the Ralph Lauren store in Manhattan. She also does watercolor portraits and landscapes for the furnishings décor platform Serena & Lily. The partnership is an idea made in creative heaven.

“My mom is very good at putting home décor things together and curating beautiful vignettes,” says Hearn. “And I’m an artist and wanted a place to showcase my artwork in a space that wasn’t a gallery, where my art could be approachable and play with the interior space. We came up with this idea of the store to use as an avenue to showcase my artwork.”

Beginning with the logo—a parrot balancing on the tip of a pig’s nose—the shop couldn’t be cuter. Here, you’ll find a unique mix of curated home goods, accessories, antiques, and jewelry including Freya Rose earrings from London (Kate Middleton is a fan).

Of course, The Pig & the Parrot also features a collection of Hearn’s lush landscapes and seascapes on the walls.

“My husband and I have collected pigs for 45 years,” says Chriss, explaining the inspiration behind the store’s moniker. “I’ve always given him a pig Christmas tree ornament, so I knew I wanted to use an animal in the name. When Caroline was designing the logo, I said, ‘Why don’t we do something whimsical with the pig?’”

Hearn loved the idea and was further inspired by the mechanical parrot her grandmother had in her house. In fact, the logo sums up the shop. Says Chriss, “It’s kind of like our store, an unlikely combination of fun and fanciful and whimsical.”

In addition to getting to spend more time with each other, the mother-daughter team gets to see Chriss’ son, who works right next door at Eddie Jacobs, the men’s clothing shop.

“He’s worked there every Saturday for the past 12 years,” says Hearn with a laugh. “On Saturdays, I feel like we own the block.”