In Northern Liberties, just down the street from Silk City, sits the Liberty Shopping Plaza, voted in an internal poll to be the least attractive shopping center in Philadelphia. For many years, access to every store was from the inside of the structure, with no interaction whatsoever with Spring Garden St. Recently, a Dollar General opened in one of the many vacant spaces in this building, and broke through the exterior wall to actually have a presence on the street to, you know, possibly be noticed by people who might be walking or driving by. Well done, Dollar General. Wow, never thought we’d say that.

Yaaay Dollar General!

The prison-like entrance to the shopping center. Can't wait to see what's going on in there!

We understand that when this building was built, the neighborhood wasn’t exactly all that, and perhaps the extra security afforded by the inward looking shopping center made it more attractive to tenants. Today, however, it just looks like an embarrassing relic from a bygone era. And a jail. It really really looks like a jail. For stores. Store jail.

Jailhouse chic. Shuttered businesses always a plus.

Open? Maybe?

Can we just bulldoze this thing and start over please?