Entrepreneurship : Development News

With multiple local train stops, boutiques, restaurants and entertainment all within walking distance, Manayunk seems to have everything a walk-happy city resident could want. So why does it seem everyone in this Northwest Philadelphia nightlife destination drives? Turns out, the neighborhood was missing one important necessity: a nearby grocery store. This week marked the opening of Main Street Market, a full-service corner grocery providing 'Yunkers access to local coffee, meats and cheeses, and more upscale products than you are likely to find at your average city bodega. Owner Rob Nydick says his inventory walks a fine line.

"We realize there is a very wide demographic in Manayunk, from young professionals to people who have been living there their entire lives so we didn't want to alienate or exclude any of those demographics," says Nydick. "We do have some higher end stuff, imported products, some higher end cheeses. But we also have groceries and staple items. We didn't want to pigeonhole ourselves as being a gourmet shop or a quick stop, we wanted to be as well-rounded as possible."

Nydick and business partner Richard Rivera are no stranger to food sales in Manayunk. The pair own Belvedere Restaurant Group, the company responsible for Terrace Tap Room, Agiato and Agiato Bread Company, all in the Manayunk area. Like many Manayunk properties, the building at 4345 Main Street used to be a retail store. Now, the L-shaped space utilizes two entrances and bifurcates the deli counter from the dry goods, creating an easy flow for foot traffic.

"The building allows us to have entrances on two streets, which gives us great visibility," says Nydick. "There aren't many buildings on Main Street that are that size and that shape so it was a really good fit for us."

Source: Rob Nydick, Main Street Market
Writer: John Steele

It's hard to imagine a game cooler that pool. Everyone from Tom Cruise to the Rat Pack have famously chalked up. But for a sport known for scotch, suits and smoke, Philadelphia's billiard halls instead attract the young college set to brightly lit amusement centers or back-room, quarter-vended tables. A new project from architecture/interior design firm DAS Architects looks to bring billiards center stage, giving the game's classic cool the home it deserves.

On Friday, the Philadelphia Historical Commission approved a proposal from Philly developer Paul Giegerich to redesign the former Beneficial Bank building at 1200 Chestnut Street into an upscale billiard hall. The project would feature a circular, second-floor bar overlooking the action below, board rooms transformed into banquet spaces and a rooftop lounge with a retractable glass roof. The proposal goes before the Center City zoning board this week, trying to sink the 8-ball on this high-concept development.

"A lot of vagrants have used the porch as a place to hang out," says DAS principal David Schultz of the long-vacant building. "Everybody is, I think, excited that there is going to be a positive use for the building, that we are bringing life back to the building and will help improve the neighborhood."

1200 Chestnut is a historic space, designed in 1916 by famous Philadelphia Museum of Art architect Horace Trumbauer, so architects are limited in their alterations. DAS will add LED light fixtures and green roof elements like reflective roof tiles for the outdoor lounge, but hope to bring understated design elements from its last bank building renovation, Union Trust steakhouse, to the stately design of Trumbauer, an achievement Schultz says he wouldn't change if he could.

"One of the benefits of this space is that it doesn't require any meaningful changes," says Schultz. "We will beautify the existing space while maintaining its architectural elegance."

Source: David Schultz, DAS Architects
Writer: John Steele

When it comes to sharing experiences, Barney Leonard just can't help himself. As a veteran of corporate communications, Leonard has spent his career blogging and filming for profit. After five years searching for a home in Chester County, Leonard and his wife stumbled on a piece of land with views of the Brandywine River, nestled in the wooded seclusion of Pocopson Township near Chadds Ford. They decided to build their dream home and they decided to build it green. Leonard began chronicling the experience on a blog, 60BraggHill.com, named for the lot, in order to make some extra revenue and gain community support. This week, after three years of well-documented battles with state and federal regulators and Mother Nature herself, construction began on 60 Bragg Hill, the most sustainable property in Chester County.

"We decided that, not that we are tree huggers, but if you are going to start from scratch, why not be smart and use green building techniques," says Leonard. "What we didn't realize is how difficult that would be to do. We just broke ground but it took a long, long time."

As his project ran into several roadblocks, the blog became increasingly dramatic, gaining hundreds of weekly readers. For one thing, the wood from their property had been pillaged by loggers, leaving only stumps and remnants that had to be collected for construction. The property nudged up against the natural habitat of the endangered Bog Turtle, living in nearby wetlands. It wasn't easy being green, especially with an audience. But eventually, local construction companies began helping out, hoping to show off their sustainable abilities, and community support kept pressure on the powers-that-be. Today, Leonard firmly believes that without the blog, he never would have gotten this far.

"I will say this: the government agencies who issue permits and environmental groups who provide clearances for land disturbance tend to be highly conservative and overly cautious because these issues are new," says Leonard. "I want to go through this so maybe it will be a little bit easier for the next guy."

Source: Barney Leonard, 60BraggHill.com
Writer: John Steele

When former Library of Congress researcher Ann Tetreault decided to open a book store in Manayunk, she knew she would have to create an environment people can't get at Borders or on the internet. Tetreault created the Spiral Bookcase (112 Cotton St., Philadelphia), a new take on the neighborhood book store, where she is currently featuring a collection of rare and out-of-print books from the 19th and 20th century. When she and her fiance bought their first house, they fell in love with the Manayunk neighborhood and wanted the Spiral Bookcase to play on their varied literary interests, as well as a love for their new-found neighborhood.

"Since we both have different backgrounds--he did electrical engineering and I did the arts--the spiral was common to them both. From science and math to the arts and religion," says Tetreault. "But also Manayunk is the coming together of a lot of different people from locals to students to people from the suburbs who come and visit and we want to be inclusive to everyone there, allowing them to share their love of books."

Tetreault hopes to offer a neighborhood feel by expanding her hours, creating book clubs and participating in community events like last Saturday's EcoArts Fest. While a bookstore may seem like an old-fashioned idea in today's world, Tetreault believes that the feeling of holding a book in your hand is something that will never go away. It is that joy of first cracking a book that Tetreault hopes to bring to Manayunk.

"If you sit down with your kid with a Kindle, you lose that intimacy of having the child flip the pages and have that kind of closeness," says Tetreault. "It is a different experience browsing a selection of books than knowing what you want and going online and getting it. You can't recreate the bookstore experience with an online store."

Source: Ann Tetreault, The Spiral Bookcase
Writer: John Steele

Of all the stations on all the car stereos in all the world, Philadelphia entrepreneur Hal Real's dial happened to stumble on 88.5 one afternoon and a live music institution was born. An avid concert-goer, Real became frustrated with Philadelphia's smoky stages. When he heard WXPN's World Cafe, hosted by David Dye, he knew he had found his live music muse.

Six years later, World Cafe Live is one of the most popular music venues in Philadelphia, driving a nightlife crowd to a sparse section of UPenn's campus. Earlier this summer, Real began a crusade to bring live music to another underutilized area as his company, Real Entertainment Group redevelops the historic Queen Theater in Wilmington, Del. Real created Light Up The Queen, a non-profit redevelopment group designed to restore this storied theater to its former glory.

"You can't have a monumental building like that sit there like a piece of urban blight," says Real. "It needs to come back to life."

Opened as a vaudeville theater in 1917, the Queen went dark in 1959. But as downtown Wilmington begins a $325 million Market Street redevelopment, buildings like the Queen have been targeted for demolition. Real believes the hype in Wilmington and hopes his venue can help draw visitors from nearby Philadelphia and South Jersey. The Light Up The Queen foundation has already hosted musical acts like Trombone Shorty at public locations around Wilmington to promote the new venue.

"Geographically, Wilmington is smack in the middle of New York City and Washington, DC. It is five minutes off of I-95 and a 10-minute walk to the Amtrak train station," says Real. "That's why Wilmington is going through this great renaissance. Lots more acts would be willing to play Wilmington if they had a venue."

Source: Hal Real, Real Entertainment Group
Writer: John Steele

There is an old saying in Lebanon that one who doesn't drink coffee is in danger of losing his nationality. Lebanese residents of West Philadelphia with dual citizenship need not worry because a new caf� is bringing a taste of Lebanon to University City, a neighborhood known for fine international cuisine.

In a historic Philadelphia building that was once a printing company and, more famously, a bank, general manager Abd Ghazzawi has completed construction on Manakeesh Caf� Bakery, a modern spin on the traditional Lebanese breakfast. The caf� will offer coffee and Lebanese pastry made on site. With Saad's Halal Restaurant across the street, it will give the corner of 45th and Walnut a distinct Lebanese flavor.

"The concept is centered around the Manakeesh, which is a Lebanese flatbread sandwich," says Ghazzawi. "We have imported an oven from Lebanon to bake everything on-site, but we have a lot of Lebanese merged with American concepts. You can get the flatbread sandwich in all different flavors like an egg and cheese or a tuna melt or a pizza."

Also on the block is the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects mosque that, according to Ghazzawi, gives Manakeesh a strategic location to become a mainstay in this diverse neighborhood. With community support coming from the Enterprise Center CDC and various neighborhood associations, Ghazzawi hopes to use his location to draw in not only customers but local artists and employees to make Manakeesh a truly neighborhood experience. And of course, he'll keep the coffee and the Lebanese nationality flowing.

"We plan to support the mosque in all their efforts, from block parties to school fundraisers," says Ghazzawi. Having a fairly good-sized space definitely works to our advantage to hold community meetings here and partner with the community in many different ways."

Source: Abd Ghazzawi, Manakeesh Caf� Bakery
Writer: John Steele

A new proposal from West Philadelphia after-school innovators Hybrid X Engineering Team could lead the public school system in a greener direction, using sustainable rehabilitation including green roofs and solar panels as a hands-on teaching tool, and keeping the next generation of students where they belong.

As part of a submission to GE's annual EcoMagination Challenge, the Hybrid X team has created a comprehensive plan for Green Technology High School, a fully functional high school powered by a series of green energy systems entirely maintained and monitored by students. These systems would provide full access to a science and math curriculum geared toward the green jobs of the future.

"These students know what is going on, they see their friends in the mix, and then they see their own experience, traveling around the country, meeting top scientists," says founder Simon Hauger. "They want more kids to be affected by this.

Founded in 1998, the Hybrid X team has worked on creating hybrid car systems. Their hybrid racecar, built in 2005, won a national competition and went on to gain media attention not only for its hybrid engine but its speed and sleek design. The club has routinely beaten college-level teams in engineering competitions, most recently reaching the semi-final round of the Progressive Automotive X Prize. Green Technology High School will be the team's first foray into green building but according to Hauger, it won't be the last, especially if the team wins. Vote for them here.

"They tell us 'this is what school should be," says Hauger. "All the learning that needs to occur can be based in real stuff instead of just go to class, get lectured for an hour, go to the next class, get lectured for an hour, its just not working. And these kids know better than anyone."

Source: Simon Hauger, Hybrid X Team
Writer: John Steele

When Erica Zito and her partner Mary Button moved to Fishtown five years ago, they didn't know anyone. The New Jersey natives arrived from Baltimore and began getting to know their neighbors on regular dog walks. Since those days, the pair have dreamed of owning a coffee shop. So when their dream becomes a reality this fall, they couldn't think of any name better than the name of the dog who started it all. With The Lola Bean, Zito and Button envision a dog-friendly environment and even a little corner of the shop dedicated to Lola herself.   

"She's a staffordshire-husky mix...she's a mutt basically," says Zito of the now-famous Lola. "When we moved here about five years ago, we were not familiar with the neighborhood. We spent a lot of time out and about with the dog and meeting other people. It really helped us integrate into the community and make some, what I consider to be lifelong friends. I look at Lola like a bridge that helped cross the gap between us and Fishtown at that time."

Being accepted into the Fishtown fold is not always an easy feat. But Zito and Button feel they are up to the challenge. After living in the neighborhood, getting to know the people and mining the blogs and message boards, they feel they understand what the Frankford corridor needs. Construction is complete and now the pair put the finishing touches on a community coffee shop that they hope will provide not only great coffee but a friendly, neighborhood environment that they found in the dog parks and plazas of Northeast Philadelphia five years ago.

"I think we bring something different to the neighborhood than the other coffee shops so it will be interesting to see if we can really pull in people the way we want to," says Zito. "I feel hopeful because a lot of businesses have sprung up from the families being here, have been sustaining themselves and have been welcomed by the neighborhood. I think there is a large part of Fishtown that is definitely ready for more."

Source: Erica Zito, Lola Bean
Writer: John Steele

International foods company Bertoli began in a Tuscany basement as an olive oil stand. The company now known as Progresso Soup started with two families importing Italian food to the U.S. for their families and friends. In an effort to pull Philadelphia's next foodie phenom out of a rowhouse kitchen or barbecue pit, West Philadelphia's Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation has launched Philly Food Ventures, a development program for home-based food entrepreneurs looking to take their businesses to the next level.

"When we grade applicants, we are looking for three things: managerial capability, the strength of their business idea and then we are looking for what we call entrepreneurial spirit," says Enterprise Center Managing Director Greg Heller. "People who come in with small or home-based food businesses and have the ability to run the business and take it to the next level but they don't necessarily have the know-how or the resources to get there."

Philly Food Ventures serves as a precursor to TEC's forthcoming Center for Culinary Enterprises, a 13,000 square foot food incubator with three community kitchens, urban farmland, and a training restaurant. The project is slated to transform a long-vacant grocery store at 48th and Spruce into a results-based food venture program, creating 130 new permanent jobs within its first two years and 20 new food ventures yearly.

"We are rolling this program out slowly so we can build up a client base so when our Center for Culinary Enterprises is open, we have a program and a set of clients and we can just plug and play," says Heller. "Every week, I get calls from folks who are trying to start food businesses, who have existing businesses and need assistance so this type of program is very timely."

Source: Greg Heller, The Enterprise Center
Writer: John Steele