It's been more than three years since Mako's Retired Surfers Bar & Grill closed its doors on the northwest corner of 3rd & South due to a lapsed liquor license and general crapitude. The hilariously tie-dyed building that formerly housed the bar, though located on a prominent corner of a very busy commercial corridor, has sat empty ever since. Perhaps it's because the owners were at one point looking for $10K per month in rent.
Earlier this week, after grabbing a bagel at South Street Bagels, we spotted some dude chipping the paint off the front door of the former bar. Intrigued, we went over to ask him what was coming into the space. As we got closer, we were very surprised to see a bunch of shoes arranged neatly on shelves inside the former bar. It turns out Image on South, which "provide(s) Philadelphia with exclusive, speciality clothing for the style conscious and image aware," has expanded into the space. They cut a neat little doorway into the brick wall separating the buildings and now they have a dedicated shoe section.
For this move to work, we would have to imagine the property owners brought down their rent demands pretty significantly. And honestly, as lousy as Mako's was, we're really surprised they couldn't find some other drinking establishment to take over on the corner. Unless, after years of aggravation, they were willing to take less money for a tamer tenant. It seems likely that we'll never know the why, but for now we'll take comfort in the knowledge that another South Street space has been filled.