The trend of hip NYC brands opening up retail locations near Rittenhouse continues unabated. Earlier this month, we reported that Brooklyn-based Catbird would be moving into a building on Chestnut Street. Now we can share that Veronica Beard is planning a new location around the corner as part of a nationwide expansion effort.

With a location planned at 1709 Walnut St., this women’s lifestyle brand is surely aiming for the same shoppers already visiting rag & bone and Theory on the 1600 block. While the excess of commercial and retail space in Market East may be a problem nobody knows quite how to handle, the situation feels quite different on the other side of Broad, where growing companies are eager to open physical locations near Rittenhouse Square.

The last tenant at this address was Allbirds, a sustainable shoe company in the process of shutting down some locations across the country. While that might serve as a cautionary tale that the jump from online success to a sustainable brick and mortar business isn’t always so easy, it’s also just another example of how shops are always coming and going in these small Center City commercial buildings. In fact before the Allbirds opened up the location was a different shoe store, Timberland.

The existing two story building was originally built in 1934, as the neighborhood transitioned away from the mansions for the local elite toward a greater diversity of uses and housing types. Previously the site had been the home of Eli Kirk Price, a civil and cultural leader and member of a historic Philadelphia family who may be best remembered for his efforts on behalf of the Parkway and the Philadelphia Art Museum.

Originally operated as a shop for a wall paper company for two decades, the retail space has seen a number of businesses come and go. For a while the building served as one of the locations of Rib-Its, a local chain of rib joints with a frog mascot from back in the day when local restaurants used to run delightfully weird commercials with comedians from the Catskills.

Subsequently the building was used primarily for nightlife with The Alfa American Tavern on the ground level and the Walnut Room, a dance club, above. But old zoning records serve as a reminder the building has been used for a cafe, a furniture showroom, and a beauty salon over the decades.

It’s a little odd that this building is only two stories tall, given its desirable location and the fact that it was preceded by a taller building. But its inclusion in the Rittenhouse-Fitler Historic District means that it won’t be replaced any time soon. Fortunately, while the built environment of Walnut Street is mostly frozen in amber (assuming nothing catches fire), the shopping district is still able to attract high profile tenants that contribute to the buzz of the corridor.