13th Street District Brands Itself as "Midtown Village"

Back when we were all tiny tots, the area around 13th and Chestnut was not pretty! Scary is more like it...enter Tony Goldman of Goldman Properties. The NY firm had already turned around SOHO and South Beach and figured Philadelphia would be the next perfect spot to spruce up. Goldman bought up properties in the area that were empty, rundown and needed a new lease on life. With a healthy infusion of cold hard cash, quality businesses started to rent.

What was once a sordid and seedy area of south of Market, north of Locust, east of Broad and west of 11th Street became a new hotspot. "Over the last 12 months more than 20 new businesses have opened," said James McManaman, owner of Absolute Abstract on 13th. "There is a real sense of unity among the business owners and a true desire to enhance the area for residents, workers and visitors."

The only stumble along the way was the branding of this new little enclave. Every trendy neighborhood needs a name. The first title, B3, bombed. While catchy and urbane, it didn't ring true. (FYI, B3 was for 3 Blocks Below Broad...get it?)

Since nobody was buying the B3 moniker, it was time for a re-branding. Business owners met and, with a democratic vote, decided on the new name of (drum roll please...) Midtown Village. Three other names were presented at the meeting, New City District (huh?), District 13 (Ja Vohl, Herr Komandant) and B3 (stop trying to make B3 happen; it's never going to happen). HX wasn't invited to the meeting, but barring the name Fantabulous Land, we think Midtown Village is fitting.

"Midtown Village connotes exactly what you've got here: a midtown location, a village unto itself," said Andre Stephano. Stephano has sunk a boatload of greenbacks into the area. He turned a long unused office building into the Gramercy condos. Asking price for said condo? $700K. Cha-ching!

Beyond getting a fancy new name, the business leaders in the area are committed to doing co-op advertising, streetlight banners denoting the area and an annual festival featuring arts and entertainment. More than anything else, Midtown Village is a marketing initiative. They will work with Washington Square West Civic Association on neighborhood improvement and police coordination, but the main focus is putting Midtown Village into the spotlight.

Leading the charge is Quaker City Mercantile, an internationally known advertising and design firm. Quaker City Mercantile (formerly known as Gyro Worldwide) just relocated its entire operation to 13th and Sansom. Quaker City Mercantile (formerly known as Gyro Worldwide) CEO Steven Grasse also opened a Sailor Jerry retail store on the ground floor of the Quaker City Mercantile (formerly known as Gyro Worldwide) building. "We think it's going to be an awesome location for retail. It's the new center of the city."