The 100 block of Washington Avenue has seen some serious changes in the last few years, with a bunch of new homes rising on the south side (technically on Alter Street but whatever), and a one-story garage on the north side turning into three new homes just last year. We found ourselves on this block earlier today and noticed yet another project, this time of a commercial nature.
The building at 113 Washington Ave. was a Summit Real Estate office for many years, but they've moved deeper into South Philly and now a new business is taking over this one-story structure. The building was previously pretty uninspiring so any renovation effort should be a step in the right direction.
Looking at the sign in the window, we see that Goldenhome Kitchen is taking over the space. This company is a kitchen cabinet manufacturer, one the largest in China. This kind of store certainly makes sense on Washington Avenue, where countless building supply stores have found a home over the last few decades. And even though it's still in progress, there's no question that the work they're doing on the facade of this building is a major improvement. Still, we find ourselves a little disappointed in the use because we were hoping that Washington Avenue was finally moving away from building supply stores and toward retail that engages people that live nearby. In addition, we would have likes to see some additional height here, as a short one-story building seems like an underuse of the property.
Ah well, enough grousing. If this store indeed offers something new and different in terms of kitchen cabinets, it has the potential to be a nice addition. Gotta think that a bunch of folks in Queen Village and/or Pennsport are thinking about redoing their kitchens at some point in the near future.