Last week, we updated you about the enormous upcoming project at 2400 South St., which will ultimately bring a couple hundred residents to the area and (perhaps) a new commercial space at the corner of 24th and Bainbridge Sts. Today, we remind you about a prime retail space is poised to come open at the end of January, when the lease runs out for Dollar General on the northwest corner of 23rd and South Sts.

The space was originally constructed to contain a Eckerd, later held a Rite Aid, and Dollar General has been subleasing it for years. Needless to say, the owners of the property have got to be enthusiastic about the prospect of a higher-end, higher-rent-paying tenant take over the space.

Evidence of its pharmaceutical past

For South Street West, the space is huge. There’s about 5,200 sqft of interior space, along with additional usable basement space that’s probably best for storage and not retail. We spoke with the broker at Equity Retail Brokers, who indicated a willingness to divide the space for the right tenant, but we see more value in a single, complete space.

Though the square footage is significant for the area, it’s probably not large enough for some uses that could fill a need. The space is too small for a pharmacy, which would probably be looking for at least twice as much space. A grocery would require even more space. The space screams restaurant to us, with a customer base that would likely come from Graduate Hospital, Rittenhouse, and Fitler Square. Either that, or laser tag.

Uh… any other ideas?