Last week, we lamented the conditions on Washington Ave., west of Broad St. as we hoped that NextFab Studio would help shake things up. Washington Ave. to the east of Broad St., while certainly not Shangri-La, interacts considerably better with the neighborhoods that surround it. There are active businesses on the street, and even some row homes to go along with a couple of Asian shopping centers, and some underused former industrial buildings. So sure, it’s not intimate like Delancey St., but it also doesn’t have the same moat effect as on the other side of town.

With the growth of Bella Vista in recent decades and the more recent stirrings on the northern side of Passyunk Square, businesses on Washington Ave. have the chance to draw neighborhood customers from both north and south. One would think that a well-conceived business that sits between these…

We came upon this ditty during a West Philly stroll this week. If you’re a cigar aficionado looking for a new place to find fine-rolled tobacco leaves, The Urban Traveler (UT) on Baltimore Ave. may soon be your new away-from-downtown spot of choice.

Located at 4832 Baltimore Ave. next to the future site of the Mariposa Co-op market, The UT is set to open later this month, according to owner Han Pak. The store will sell cell phones, fashion accessories, jewelry ($10 – $30), tobacco, tobacco pipes and more. But hey, it’s better than a Subway, right?

Probably the most interesting aspect of this store is the small-study sized humidor room in the back, where Pak will soon pack the shelves that line the room like bookcases with different cigar varieties.

Future humidor

The…

Famous Dave’s BBQ Shack has shuttered its doors, a little over a year into its lease at 1725 Chestnut Street.  If you’re still jonesing for some Famous Dave’s, the locations on Columbus Blvd and in the Northeast are still open! Otherwise, you may just have to slum it at Phoebe’s BBQ at 2214 South St. or Percy St. BBQ at 900 South St.

So Famous

Just not famous enough

Prior to Famous Dave’s, the space was home to Goodburger, which also only lasted about a year and a half.

Not "good" enough, either

We’re hopeful that this Center City block won’t allow the space to sit vacant for too long; we’re thinking that it would most likely be…

1700-04 Frankford Ave., a double-wide two-story commercial building across the street from the post office, is in the midst of a transformation. As recently as a couple of years ago, it looked pretty awful.

Not loving the vinyl

See Properties LLC purchased the buildings along with the vacant lot in the rear for $245K about a year ago, and in the past few months have been doing significant work on the property.

Vinyl gone, but cornice revealed!

Frontal shot

These photos were taken perhaps a week ago, and we’ll be very interested to see the developers’ vision for the look of the buildings come together in the next month or two. We’ve been trying to get the scoop on what’s going on with the space since we snapped the photos, but we’ve come up empty.…

A reader asked us about the large, vacant commercial space at 1306 Frankford Ave., where a liquor license application went up in the window a couple of weeks ago. A former welding shop, this large warehouse-like space was redone last year, creating a modern building with industrial touches that’s far more attractive than its previous incarnation. At least from a commercial real estate standpoint.

In the past

Yesterday

The property was purchased by its current owner in 2005, and has been on and off the market several times since 2007. In performing a renovation, the owner subdivided the building into four 2,000 sqft retail spaces, which could be sold/leased separately or combined to make larger spaces. The entire building is currently listed for $1.6M, and the four individual spaces are for sale, each for…

Back in August, Milkboy Coffee opened a new location at 1100 Chestnut St., replacing a beauty supply store and reinvigorating a corner property that looked terrible. Recently, the Pizzeria next door at 1102 Chestnut St. closed down, and the 1400 sqft space is currently available for rent.

Space for rent

This location has seen a number of businesses come and go in recent years, with a boutique and an art and framing establishment both renting the space before the pizza place. Posel Management is currently handling the leasing.

With the space fitted out for kitchen equipment, another restaurant would seem like a logical choice to rent this space. Could a different, better pizza place succeed where Chestnut Street Pizzeria couldn’t? Could the crowds drawn to late night shows at Milkboy sustain a business next door? Seems reasonable to us…