Original tenant at Cross Keys to close, after owner dies

There are a lot of new restaurants and businesses at the Village of Cross Keys, but one jewelry store has been there since the beginning.

The Store Ltd., was an original tenant at the north Baltimore shopping center, dating back to 1965.

But now the store is shutting down, after its owner - and acclaimed local artist - Betty Cooke passed away this week.

Cooke "passed peacefully... at the age of 100," posted The Village of Cross Keys on social media.

The shopping center noted she "was a true icon in the world of jewelry design and art."

Baltimore's MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) honored her legacy. She graduated the college in 1946; the Betty Cooke and William O. Steinmetz Design Chair is named in her honor .

MICA said:

Her jewelry—pure, precise, and sculptural—has a unique place in the history of modern design.

American Visionary Art Museum noted that it hosted a "Breakfast at Tiffany's" themed birthday for her in 2017. Another Cross Keys business, the Pink Door Spa, called her "an inspiration to women in business."