Towson Contains One of Oldest Family Businesses in Greater Baltimore: Report

TOWSON, MD — A Towson party business is among the oldest family-owned establishments in the greater Baltimore area, according to a new report from the Baltimore Business Journal.

Loane Brothers was founded in 1815 as a sailmaker by Joseph Loane, who set up shop in the Inner Harbor and developed the business with his family. His son Jabez Loane created what the company says was the country's first awning, based on a drawing of an awning in France.

During the Civil War, the business made tents for the Union Army and later made flags for Maryland's counties as they came up with their own designs, according to the Loane Brothers company history.

As it grew, the business moved from downtown to Clipper Mill to Essex to its current 80,000-square-foot location on Joppa Road, where it has been headquartered since 2004. The current business model has three prongs: awnings, tents and party rentals. "We can tent almost anything, almost anywhere," its tent division promises. The business has created custom tents for everything from ships to rooftops.

In addition to Loane Brothers in Towson, the five oldest family-run businesses in greater Baltimore range from a baked goods distributor in Hanover to woodworker in White Marsh. See the list from the Baltimore Business Journal.

Loane Brothers is at 1302 East Joppa Road in Towson.

Screenshot from Google Earth.