Back in December, we brought 1526 Frankford Ave. to your attention, noting that the former Samuel Machinery Co. warehouse had recently gotten its facade ripped off. At that time, a tarp was temporarily covering the front of the building, and we had no idea about what plans might be in store.

In the past

In December

Fast forward five months and the building has most of a new facade and we have a halfway decent idea of what’s to come. Next week, the developers will come before Fishtown Neighbors Association to present plans for a restaurant/cafe with residential units above. We’re not going to speculate on the restaurant concept that’s in the works, because no matter what it’s gonna be a huge upgrade over what was there before.

Facade is progressing.

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Baltimore Avenue you keep making us smile, and you may soon make us nod to a little bit of jazz. On the heels of the new businesses opening between 49th and 50th streets along Baltimore Ave. this past year, including Little Baby’s Ice Cream this month, we had been wondering and waiting for news about when some beat up properties on the 5000 block of Baltimore Ave. would be become a bit more handsome. It was actually around this time last year we first wrote about the blighted block.

Changes coming soon

And so the news did come: earlier this month we spotted ZBA notices at 5037 and 5039 Baltimore. In April, Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN) hosted community meetings to discuss the projects, which are two distinct proposals for each building. At 5037, the owner plans to renovate the…

It’s clear that South Street West has experienced a tremendous rebirth in recent years, with a plethora of new businesses appearing on the corridor. Much of the momentum, however, has been limited to the stretches of South Street that have a critical mass of businesses, leaving some other blocks lagging behind. While the 1500 block has seen perhaps ten new stores open their doors in recent years, change has come much more slowly to, say, the 1900 block.

It’s on this block, at 1906 South St., that Neighborhood Books, a new used book store, appeared on the scene just a couple of weeks ago. We stopped into the store for a minute and discovered a nice open space full of reasonably priced old books. (Editor’s note: Books are those things in your Kindle, but on paper). The most recent business to open on this block, from what…

Not even two months ago, we told you that Fishtown’s Little Baby’s Ice Cream would be opening a second retail location at 4903 Catharine St., right next to Cedar Park. As you surely already know, this commercial stretch has seen plenty of new businesses open in the last couple of years, and the ice cream shop makes a wonderful new addition.

New shop

Sign coming soon

Yesterday, Little Baby’s had their grand opening celebration. Unfortunately, we were unable to make it over there to bask in the glory of this wondrous event, but we were able to swing by today to snap a couple of photos and enjoy a tasty cone of mint cookie.

Yum.

Just a couple of months ago, the only reason you’d go to Washington Avenue was for tile, lumber, or to possibly get run over by a forklift. Last month, NextFab Studios and Cafe L’aube opened in a combined space on the 2000 block, bringing new uses and new energy to an area that’s been “contractor central” for many years. And soon, Adam Ritter of Sidecar and Kraftwork will be doing the same to the 2200 block.

In the past

Current view

According to Foobooz, Ritter will be taking over the storefront previously occupied by Pier-22 Seafood, one space off the corner and immediately next door to Shop & Save Beverage Wholesale. The concept will be called Kermit’s Bake Shop, and will offer a “one stop shop for a birthday…

Yesterday, we learned from @Foobooz that the long awaited Corner Foodery had opened its doors at last. Located in the former Petulia’s Folly space at 1710-12 Sansom St., this new establishment takes the Foodery concept to a whole new level.

As you may already know, the first Foodery, located in the Wash West neighborhood, is pretty much a corner store with a staggeringly good beer selection. The second location, in Northern Liberties, is an upscale corner store with a deli which also has a phenomenal beer selection. The third location is something completely different thanks to the presence of the chef from The Corner- a fancy lunch and dinner spot (still with a very fine selection of hoppy things).

The new spot

We stopped by yesterday and came away very impressed, and we’re not just…