A few years ago, James closed after five successful years at 824 S. 8th St. when their lease ended. And we wondered what would replace this popular restaurant, located just a block from the Italian Market. In September of 2012, The Mildred took over the former James space, only to close this summer. A reader recently reached out, concerned that the former restaurant space would be converted into offices. These fears stemmed from a sign on the building from Phillyofficeretail.com.
With a name like that for a leasing company, we can certainly understand the confusion. But we're here today to calm everybody down. We popped over to their website and the 3,600 sqft space is indeed available for rent as a turnkey restaurant. The space comes with a full commercial kitchen, but the liquor license costs extra. They're looking for a monthly rent of $6,200.
For those who enjoyed James and The Mildred, this is surely a relief, as the space is pretty great inside. That it's turned over twice in a few years could be a cause for concern for potential tenants though, given the fact that it's got a ton of other restaurants nearby but it's really on a commercial corridor. It certainly bears watching to see how long it takes for a new operator to take over here, hopefully with a rock solid concept. If the next guy can't make it work, it's not out of the question that an office conversion could indeed come next.