Intuitively, you might expect that the block of 50th Street south of Baltimore Avenue would be a solid block, with a mix of housing and retail runoff from the commercial corridor. And you’d be correct! What’s somewhat surprising though, is that this situation is a relatively recent development. If we look back just a few years, we see a couple of blighted buildings just south of Dock Street Brewing and further south, some former industrial buildings that looked rather underused and unloved.

As the years have gone flying by, times have changed. The owners of Dock Street purchased 705 and 707 S. 50th St. back in 2015, giving hope that these long vacant buildings would come back into active use. In the time since then, they’ve totally renovated 705 S. 50th St., opening Dock Street Cannery a few months ago. In the back, they put Dock Street beers into cans (hence the name). In the front, there’s a lounge and tasting room that offers beer, cocktails, and small bites. If Great Caesar’s Ghost knows what’s best for you, you’ll make your way over there sometime soon.

Next door, the permits call for retail sales on the first floor and office space above. We don’t know what kind of retail to expect, but figure it’ll somehow relate to beer.

Immediately to the south is Black Hound Clay Studio, an “affordable coworking space for ceramic artists.” They also offer classes and workshops during the year and summer camp sessions for children ages 7-12. The fenced-in space in the image above is a patio space for Black Hound, and is available for events. Green Tambourine Music School also operates out of this building.

Next door to the clay studio is Sera Phi, which we believed was some kind of health and wellness business based on the name and the eye painted on the facade. It turns out it’s a combination recording studio, video production studio, and event coordinator. Using sound and light, Sera Phi kicks up client event several notches, and they also offer a food service that includes superfoods. See, we weren’t crazy, they have a health and wellness angle after all.

Undoubtedly, all of these businesses represent a major upgrade over what was here before, and they create real vibrancy just off the beaten path of the commercial corridor. Already, we’ve told you about increased residential development south of Baltimore Avenue around these parts, and the new businesses will only make the area more palatable to students and more attractive to developers. Ideally, we’ll continue to see new commercial development on and off Baltimore Avenue push all the way to west to 52nd Street, connecting two major corridors much more completely than they’re connected today.