A couple of readers have reached out to us over the last couple months, expressing hope for a new business on the horizon for Point Breeze Avenue. You may recall, about a year and a half ago, we shared the news that the triangular building at 2101 Reed St. was listed for rent. This was an encouraging development for this property, as it had been sitting blighted and vacant since a check cashing place closed several years ago. By the end of last year, we learned that a food business of some kind had signed a lease for the space, and was looking for ZBA approval for signage. But we didn’t know any other details at the time. We speculated though, that a sandwich / cheese steak joint might make sense for the location, having seen similar properties used that way in other parts of town.

Gee, we love it when we’re right. Since a few people have asked about the property of late, we did a little digging and found some answers in the City’s Zoning Archive. Indeed, a sandwich place is coming to this location, and one we’ve written about previously. Fresh Works is a small local chain, and their nearest location is a Port Richmond storefront which we’ve patronized a few times before. The menu is pretty much what you’d expect, with an extensive list of hoagies, cheese steaks, salads, and appetizers. We imagine that the Point Breeze establishment will bake its rolls on the premises like the other locations, and that it will also try to build a catering business. After all, it’s tough to pay those bills one hoagie at a time.

This business will be a great addition to this corridor, and as far as we can think, it won’t compete too much with existing businesses. Tasty Toast across the street has a nice selection of sandwiches, but it’s more of a breakfast spot than a sandwich shop. Philly Tacos also serves food you can eat with your hands, but nobody is confusing tacos for hoagies in this town. On Point Bistro, up the street, offers a higher end sit down experience, so the Fresh Works won’t directly compete with them, either. We imagine that these places and other food service establishments on the corridor are eager to see Fresh Works open and ideally draw more people to the neighborhood and Point Breeze Avenue. The whole point of opening a business on or near a commercial corridor is that the businesses should collectively draw a critical mass of customers to sustain the group. Fresh Works should only aid that cause.