Months ago, in a post-Bloktoberfest haze, we brought you the good news that 1506 South St. would soon be home to the newest restaurant on the block, So Crepe. The space was formerly San Andres Salon and Day Spa, and for a few years sat mostly vacant or perhaps was used as a storage space for some other business on the block. We checked out So Crepe the other day, and found it to be a delightful addition to the neighborhood.

In the past

Current shot. So French indeed.

A peek inside

The restaurant, which seems to have seating for sixty or so, has a nice look, combining exposed brick, hardwood floors, and some reused wood from who knows where. We tried a couple of their offerings (one sweet, one…

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…

Over the past couple of years, we’ve chronicled most of the new additions that have come to South Street West. New coffee shops, pharmacies, restaurants, pharmacies, bars, pharmacies, and other types of stores have opened their doors, bringing new vibrancy to a corridor that was ripe for improvement with all the growth that’s been taking place immediately to the south. But most of these developments have been on the smaller side, with relatively little new construction as part of the puzzle.

Some newer spots on South Street

Then there's this

Until now, that is. Two projects recently broke ground that will fill in two rather large gaps in the South Street West corridor. We covered the project at 1600-02 South St. last fall, telling you about plans for 1,500 sqft of corner retail along with 5 apartment units.…

For the past couple of years, 2223 Grays Ferry Ave. has been a vacant storefront, available for rent. It seemed curious to us that this commercial space was empty for so long, considering the dynamic growth of South Street West during that time. And with the constant flow of people to South Square Market across the street and the long-term success of Grace Tavern a few doors down, it seemed even stranger that some business had not yet taken this space off the market.

View of the space last fall. Image from Grays Ferry Triangles Facebook page.

A couple of weeks ago, however, a new business finally made its way to this space, adding a new amenity to South Street West. We stuck our heads inside The Igloo last week, and came away with the impression that this place…

For years, the Zeidler Gallery has held down a space at 2207 South St., on a block of South Street West that never really lost its commercial vibrancy. The wooden slats covering the first floor facade evoked the Old West or Doobies, making this midblock storefront stick out from surrounding businesses.

But a reader checked in the other day, and told us that the space is currently being gutted.

The space

Closer look

The property sold for $500K back in November, and we’re guessing the gallery closed shortly before or after. Has anyone heard about plans for a new business in this space? Does anyone else hope they keep the look or the storefront more or less the same?

As the months have gone by, we’ve been peeking in the windows every couple of weeks to check on the progress of the new Honey’s Sit ‘n Eat planned for the northwest corner of 21st & South. Today, we walked by the long-awaited commercial space, and were surprised to see customers inside, chowing down on lunch.

You can't tell from across the street

We stepped inside the new space to take a peek, and discovered a warm restaurant that offers most of the same goodies you can get at the original location in Northern Liberties. It’s not quite as cozy as the first location, perhaps due to the higher ceilings and the less-worn-in furniture. But the down home vibe is nearly identical.

Based on the establishment’s reputation as well as the packed house on day one, we’re comfortable saying…