The Graduate Hospital neighborhood has easy access to Center City, close proximity to South Street West, and a great community. One of the complaints we hear from people in that area, though, is that there isn't enough commerce inside the neighborhood itself. SOSNA, the local community group, is trying to change that situation with a new push in cyberspace. The SOSNA Economic Development website is a new resource for residents, realtors, businesses, and especially entrepreneurs thinking about opening a business in the neighborhood.
The site is divided into five different sections. The first page details why the Graduate Hospital neighborhood is an attractive place to do business. It provides statistics drawn from analysis of census data to detail the viability of doing business in the neighborhood. The next two sections of the site involve maps. You can find any of the businesses in the neighborhood, either filtering by industry or not. Alternately, you can search for all the vacant commercial spaces in the neighborhood. There's no shortage.
Then there's a collection of success stories from business owners who have made a go of it in the neighborhood. And finally, for someone who wants to open a business in this neighborhood or any other, there are links to different resources for opening a business in Philadelphia.
It seems like we're always dreaming of big national retailers opening here, like Wegmans or Top Shop, but it's the small businesses that make our economy hum. Hopefully, this website will help expand the commercial presence in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood, and it will serve as an example for other neighborhoods looking for a similar type of growth. And if you're thinking about opening a business in this town, by all means, check out the site!