Business District of 48th and Spruce Streets

Poor lighting, vandalism, loitering and parking problems create a gloomy atmosphere for the 48th and Spruce streets business district, but storeowners aren’t complaining.

The grievances come from the Garden Court Community Association (GCCA). This 300-member organization is composed of paid members who are generally residents of Garden Court. For over 50 years, GCCA has strived to create “the best” community. This passion has influenced the Spruce and Pine Streets business districts to reach for new community demographics.

In 2003, GCCA drafted a strategic plan to revitalize the business district of both 48th and Spruce streets and 48th and Pine streets. Over the past seven years, this neighborhood organization has rallied to bring a new look to the business district that would best fit the residential community.

Now, the Garden Court Business District includes a Dollar Store, a beauty supply shop, a beer distributor, Radio Shack, Blockbuster, a laundromat and cleaners, which run along 48th and Pine streets. Convenient corner stores, Chinese takeouts, a doughnut shop, a seafood market, a pizza shoe and auto repair shops outline 48th and Spruce streets.

In the 22-page business revitalization report, the GCCA highlights that these businesses generally attract “typically young, female African-American customers.”

GCCA’s primary goal is to encourage residents living south of Spruce, who are “primarily homeowners with more disposable income” to take advantage of this promising commercial area.
Along with improving existing establishments, the GCCA has indicated the most desired businesses are a “bakery, sit-down restaurant and café.”

Furthermore, the report reveals other various challenges that hinder renewal of the district. In the evening, the streets are poorly lit. GCCA wants to install neon lights that will outline the exterior of the buildings.

Another problem for the association is the duplication of businesses. The GCCA says there is no need for two Chinese take-outs and two convenient corner stores. Instead, the association wants a variety of options that better serve the needs of the community.

Perhaps, this renewal project will create an economic boost for businesses. Yet many of the private owners are not enthusiastic about this plan. Dawit Tsegay, the owner of Keren Food Market, says coffee and flower shops are great, but with the current economic conditions, these businesses are not practical and would not yield immediate profit.

“They told me there was too much competition and they [tried] to give me advise to open a flower shop, but I’m not interested and do not know [anything] about flowers,” Tsegay says.

It has almost been a year since Tsegay opened his doors and he does not want to see business decline. He thrives for the bustling morning commute and the evening traffic rush of people who stop in for snacks or to play the daily lottery. That is how he gets most of his customers. Tsegay watches many businesses, like the Baltimore Crab and Seafood closing, and does not want that distressing ending.

The GCCA has reached out for further assistance to progress the project. By raising $2,500 to hire urban planners, the GCCA conducted the Business District Revitalization Project. Through numerous e-mails and word of mouth, the GCCA was able to effectively communicate its vision to business owners.

It has been three years since the completion of the plan and virtually no progress has been made. Mark Mendenhall, the business district committee chair, says the worn down physical appearance and concrete landscape of the district does not match the residential community.

“There is a feeling that the business district is not reflective of the neighborhood. It looks beaten down and [there are] not attractive stores,” Mendenhall says.

The GCCA applies for grants for exterior improvements for the business district. Allocations would be used for planting more trees nut business owners do not want to worry about cleaning the leaves that fall. Mendenhall says these additions would greatly upgrade the visual perspective of the district.

“We want to help improve and make the neighborhood a better place,” Mendenall says.

The Enterprise Center of West Philadelphia, which provides business education to minority business owners, has lent a hand to the revitalization project. The Enterprise Center now owns the former Food Rite building on 48th and Spruce. Now with bars on the windows and empty shelves, this abandoned-looking store will house the Kitchen Incubator. This culinary enterprise will provide food training, allowing people to create products that would be sold in the store.
The Kitchen Incubator business model would be innovative for this neighborhood, but it is not unfamiliar to other communities.

According to Kerry Miller of Business Week, kitchen incubators are most practical especially with the increase of commercial reality. This transformative approach “offers shared workspace and equipment, and business advice to aspiring caterers, bakers, and specialty-food makers.” However, Miller does warn that these shared kitchens will leave a high utility bill.

These projections have not hindered the progress of the project in Garden Court. In the next five years with the opening of the Kitchen Incubator, the GCCA says it hopes the business district will attract new businesses and increase the diversity.

The GCCA is a neighborhood, self-help organization that encourages the preservation of its district. The organization concentrates on educational programs, crime and safety, greening projects, zoning and development.