It's been relatively quiet along Baltimore Avenue on our end of late. Last month, an SHCA meeting for plans to turn a vacant 43rd & Baltimore corner into 132 condos and apartments was rescheduled due to a fizzled blizzard. The meeting should take place sometime this month. A few blocks away though, an old auto garage next to a gas station at 46th Street has plans for new action.
Soon, the second floor of that building at 4542 Baltimore Ave. will be converted into the 8 Limbs Academy, a Muay Thai kickboxing gym. 8 Limbs plans to open by March, according to the West Philly Local. It will feature an open floor plan covering 2,200 sqft of space with over a thousand sqft of mats, and will offer youth and adult classes.
The academy will be another addition to the Baltimore Avenue commercial corridor. But the block still has some vacancies. First, there's the Subway across the street. Remember, this is the business that neighbors contested before it opened in the spring of 2012. Right now, it's closed. According to the Spruce Hill Community Association, the company is working on placing another Subway owner on the site. But it was still closed at the beginning of this month. At the end of the block, at 45th Street, the corner location is for rent. It was most recently a vintage boutique shop.
A few blocks to the west, numerous retail sites—like The Marvelous record store and Little Baby's Ice Cream—have opened in recent years, anchored by the relocation of Mariposa in 2012. There are still spots on the corridor that need strengthening, but this is true of any growing commercial corridor. For now, we'll wait and see how the big 43rd & Baltimore project plays out. With so many new apartments, it could have a very beneficial impact for current and future businesses on Baltimore Avenue.