A new boutique should be arriving at the corner of Fourth & Monroe in Queen Village any day now. Where the children’s clothing store Rode’O Kidz at 721 S 4th St. once lived, is a sign in the window reading “Coming Soon Helena Boutique” with a phone number and an email.
Signs
An email to the proprietor of Helena Boutique went unanswered, but the store’s Facebook page, with one “like” as of this writing, says Helena will be an “upscale women’s clothing boutique” with “ready-to-wear designer and casual contemporary apparel and accessories.” The specialty shop is slated to open this month.
Old store signage still remains
The new business will augment what seems to be a growing fashion hub for Fourth Street in Queen Village. “Fourth Street is the new Ave. Spread the word,” proclaims the website for Rockers Closet, a thrift store between Catharine and Queen streets that opened in early 2012. Not just a motley assortment of secondhand clothes, Rocker’s Closet’s artifacts are picked specifically to cater to fashion-forward, music and art types.
Urban Princess, located at 750 S. 4th St., opened in March of this year. It is an “emporium” featuring designs and products from local artists, and caters to the woman who “relies only on herself to get the best of everything she wants.” And Bus Stop Boutique, which sells high-fashion footwear from fashion centers around the globe, recently expanded to a larger nearby space at 727 S. 4th Street.
On the beauty side, the chic Follicle hair studio moved to Fabric Row in 2011 after six years in Rittenhouse Square. The upscale nail and makeup salon Mwah Beauty Lounge set up shop at 704S. 4th St. in July, just down the street from neighbors Juju Salon and Spa and Salon on 4th.
Toss in a couple of traditional thrift stores and nail salons, and of course the mainstay fabric shops and tailoring businesses, and Fourth Avenue in Queen Village is shaping up to be not just Fabric Row, but Fashion Row. There are still several empty storefronts along that stretch of Fourth Street – perhaps more destinations for the trendy set are to come.
Still plenty of room for growth
— Ashanti M. Martin