A story from Michael Klein clued us in a couple weeks ago about the recently opened Sarah's Place at 29th & Flora in Brewerytown. This building was, for many years, home to Sara's Place, which shut its doors a few years back. But new owners from MM Partners, a company that's done a ton of construction and renovation in the neighborhood, have fixed up the building a little bit and opened the new neighborhood bar. The inside is apparently relatively unchanged from its earlier incarnation, but the exterior has a bold new sign painted on the facade.
With this place now open and Crime and Punishment in the works around the corner on Girard Avenue, Brewerytown's getting maltier by the day. We wonder though, whether the new bar on 29th Street will have a positive influence on some surrounding buildings. Immediately to the north, there's a zoning notice on 1222 N. 29th St., a former salon. The owners are hoping for a tattoo shop, and the application was continued by the ZBA back in August. So stay tuned on that property.
Across the street from Sarah's Place, at 1214 N. 29th St., we see a vacant former grocery. That property has gotten worse in recent years, with the boarded up windows upstairs now complementing the metal gates on the first floor. The building sold at Sheriff's Sale back in 2011, and was most recently on the market in 2012 for $39K.
Maybe the new bar across the street will inspire the owners to fix up their property, or spur the sale to another party. In fact, we wouldn't be shocked if MM Partners eventually stepped forward and bought this property (no pressure guys). Whether it's MM Partners, the current owners or someone else, we'll just be happy to see the property just over. And the sooner the better.