The excellent and adorable Lil’ Pop Shop hasn’t even been open for a year in its West Philly digs, and is already eyeing a second location. According to Michael Klein, the store, which sells artisanal popsicles made from fresh and local ingredients, will soon be taking over 534 S. 4th St., which was most recently home to Chicken.org.

West Philly location

Future spot one door off of South Street

In West Philly, Lil’ Pop Shop has had great success catering to Penn students as well as the Penn Alexander set. In the new location, the store will more often be serving tourists and high school kids, and competing with Rita’s, Phileo, and Haagen Dazs, all located within a couple of blocks. But we’ll put our…

We’ve covered vacant commercial spaces on South Street ad nauseum, and today we have a spot of good news regarding a space we’ve never even brought to your attention. The northeast corner of 2nd and South Sts., just a block south of the Shambles, has been empty for years. Honestly, we don’t even remember the last business that called this address home.

The space

Headhouse is up the street

You would think that this location would be desirable because of constant South Street foot traffic, as well as proximity to the Shambles, home of Headhouse Farmers’ Market. Perhaps nothing has opened here for years because of the curious layout of this intersection that’s friendlier to vehicles than to pedestrians. Or maybe the rent number was too high, we just don’t know for sure. What…

The building pictured below, 2509 Grays Ferry Ave., sits at the intersection of Grays Ferry Ave., 25th St., and Christian St. According to public record, this is nearly a 4700 sqft. lot, though looking at it in person, the parcel seems to occupy less than half of that space.

A few years ago, a local businessman attempted to open a Rita’s Water Ice at this address and received a three year temporary use variance from the ZBA. Near neighbors objected to this use, appealing the variance on the grounds that a Rita’s at this location could become a gathering place, possibly leading to violence and crime. On appeal, the PA Commonwealth Court reversed the ZBA, insisting that the developer could reasonably construct a home on the lot and was unable to prove a hardship.

The owners of this property, Eileen and Gary Schwalb of Henderson Nevada, have owned…