On West Girard in Brewerytown, it seems retail is doing well, or at least retailers want to stick around because they believe in the neighborhood.
Consider Rybrew, the cafe and bottle shop that opened at 2816 W. Girard Ave. last summer. Or Teaful Bliss, which recently moved from 11th & Spring Garden to 918 N. 28th St. just south of Girard. And, we also recently spotted workers carrying lumber into the ground-floor retail location at 2819 Girard, that last hosted Icy Signs, which served as a studio space for renowned Philly bred artist Steve Powers. Or the High Point Cafe, which opened this fall about as fast as Mugshots left. With that in mind, something else recently happened on the 2800 block. Music Box Records has moved from a location on the 2700 block next door to the future neighborhood brew pub to 2826 W. Girard Ave., and now the 2800 block is pretty much swinging.
So is West Girard in general. Back to the 2700 block, renovations are now underway to convert the former historic St. Augustine's Church, first constructed in 1888, into residential units. That church first went on the sales block back in the summer of 2011, and eventually was purchased by developer Jordan Brody in December 2012. And across the street on the southeast corner at 27th & Girard, a huge vacant parcel that extends almost the length of the entire block, has been eyed for a major mixed-use redevelopment. Word of that project first hit last winter, so we wonder if soon there may be more talk about it. Nevertheless, the commercial corridor of West Girard in Brewerytown is quietly shaping up, feeling the draft of renewal as another snowstorm looms.