2 weeklypress.com • ucreview.com • july 10, 2013 44th Street continued from page 1


week, the stores that line 44th


Street remain packed


with residents. But it’s not as if the actual storefronts are new. Just the concepts. “The previous busi- nesses did not produce as much foot traffic,” said Guy Laren. And Laren, a long-time landlord who owns the properties on 44th Street should know. Laren after all, has owned the storefronts in their previous incarnations. “There are a lot more people walking on 44th


Street today,” Laren


said when this reporter met him at Local 44’s dining room Friday, June 21st


. And


in warmer weather, like last week, “patrons enjoy the outdoor seating. This pro- duces a greater feeling of safety,” Laren emphasized. 44th


Street’s popularity as


a mini corridor, while not necessarily new, is not long- standing either. The trans-


formation began about five years ago after the closure of Kelly Ann’s. As a fairly large-sized pub, the location attracted offers from many well-established center city, businesses, Laren explained. But Laren wanted to open something unique. Brendan Hartranft and Leigh Maida, who had already enjoyed success from their craft pub, the Memphis Taproom, in Fishtown, fit the bill, Laren said of Local 44.


In fact, all of the busi- nesses except for the Lil Pop show had earned good rep- utations in Philly’s culinary scene. “The Lil’ Pop shop was the only start-up,” said Laren of Jeanne Chang’s business, which has grown so popular that Chang opened another location in the South Street HeadHouse District. As for Tampopo, its own- er Ben Yu operated in center


Local 44’s popularity started the ball rolling. Photo: C. Christian


city. Tampopo became par- ticularly popular for inter- national students residing in University City. The stu- dents, Laren relayed, would tell Yu. “This reminds me of home. When are you going to open a business in West Philly?” Tom McCusker, of Hon-


est Tom’s Taco Shop, sold his fare from a street truck. “This meant he was a slave to the weather. It was re- ally hot in the summer and really cold in the winter,” Laren said. Like Hartranft and Maida, Chang, Yu and McCusker, the location 44th Street proved ideal. “The different businesses blend together perfectly. People can purchase a beer at Local 44,” Laren said in reference to the takeout op- tions available at Local 44’s Bottle Shop. They can then


take that beer for dinner at Tampopo’s or Tom’s, fol- lowed by dessert at the Lil’ Pop shop.


“The owners of the dif-


ferent businesses really like each other,” Laren contin- ued, explaining that their support for one another contributes to the success of the corridor as a whole. “Ben at Tampopo might say, ‘if you don’t like sushi, maybe you’d prefer a hot taco at Tom’s next door,” Laren relayed, adding that the businesses create a “synergy with one another.” In Laren’s opinion, if a nail salon was located beside one of the eateries, the salon could detract from the other businesses’ success.


Following the above logic,


Laren determined that a fifth business would only augment 44th


Street. Enter


Winnie Chen, owner of an already well-established bakery in Chinatown. Ac- cording to Laren, Chen would sell both traditional and Chinese baked goods as well as breakfast items. It was a proposal sparking tremendous support from the surrounding business owners and neighborhood residents. Chen’s business would add something dif- ferent but necessary to the other businesses, Laren said. Residents would have somewhere to go for break- fast or to buy a cake for an occasion, Laren explained. Besides, the goods sold at Chen’s bakery would prove far more interesting than the typical muffins and biscotti’s sold at commercial coffee shops. The proposal of Chen’s bakery after it was intro- duced in January of this year, created such enthusi- asm, “people still constantly stop to ask me when it’s going to open,” Laren said. It hasn’t due to a sur-


prise ruling from the ZBA. Because the bakery would open in a residential home next door to Local 44 on Spruce St., the project re- quired zoning variances. Before taking the applica- tion to the ZBA, Chen and Laren met first with the neighborhood and then


the Spruce Hill Zoning Committee. While support for the bakery remained consistent, some residents expressed concerns over trash collection and food deliveries. However, Laren and Chen addressed those concerns. And the SHCA lent its support to the proj- ect.


When they made their application to the ZBA in February, a Spruce Street resident, who had never attended any of the com- munity meetings, opposed the project. According to Laren, the neighbor, who has lived on Spruce Street for over 25 years argued, “Spruce Street had always been a residential neigh- borhood. He wasn’t in favor of potential traffic. And he didn’t want that location acting as a prec- edent.”


Stunned by the ZBA’s


verdict, “we didn’t do anything for the last few months,” Laren said. “But at the urging of many neighbors, we plan to reach out to the neighbor opposing the project to see if we can make any conces- sions,” Laren added. Regardless, 44th


Street


remains a fun destination spot filled with locally brewed libations and lo- cally grown cuisine.


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