Last week, after a tasty lunch at Steap and Grind, we noticed that the appropriately named "Pizza Shop" at 1451 E. Columbia Ave. had closed and the building was available for sale. We got a slice there once upon a time and were sad to see the business gone, but considering the alarming number of pizza places in the neighborhood we wouldn't call it a huge loss. As is always the case, we started wondering about the future for this property.
We found the listing for the property from Michael Salove Company, and a price of $175K (down considerably from the original asking price). But the property is already under agreement, scheduled to close next week according to agent Jacob Cooper. The new owners intend to fix up the property and lease it to a food service operator, but we don't know the concept just yet. Considering the little niche Steap and Grind has been able to carve out next to the park, it will be nice to have another new option nearby.
Generally when we talk about new businesses in Fishtown, we're covering places on either Frankford Avenue or East Girard. It will be refreshing, when the time comes, to cover a new business that isn't located on either corridor. In the meantime, let's speculate! What would people like to see in this space? Please note that coffee and pizza are off the board as options.