In the spring of 2012, a Subway franchise opened near 46th & Baltimore. At the time, several neighbors decried the move- some were upset because it was a chain and others that were worried customers would zip in and out of a parking alley behind the adjacent homes.
The store had a 10-year-lease, but it closed this past winter. At the time, the Spruce Hill Community Association was told that Subway was actively engaging new tenants for the spot. But the space, at 4533 Baltimore Ave., has remained shuttered. Now, plans for a new tenant have emerged and work has been ongoing at the site.
Cafe Renata will move into the storefront, owners announced this month, on Facebook. Before a fire ripped through the original Cafe Renata two months ago, it was located near 43rd & Locust. In March, The Barn on Baltimore and Wynridge Farms joined forces to host a fundraiser for owners Kate Steenstra and Yasser Aiq. The pair first hoped to be able to reoccupy their original establishment where they had already developed a neighborhood relationship and made a home. But due to the projected construction timeline, length of lease, cost, and other issues, West Philly Local reported, they decided to begin a new chapter on Baltimore Avenue near from Clark Park. Owners told the WPL that it was an easy decision to know they weren't going to quit on the Cafe.
As a major project to develop a long-vacant 43rd & Baltimore lot into a 132-unit apartment complex progresses through the community stages, with the ZBA hopefully approving it sometime soon, it's possible to think Cafe Renata would benefit from an expected gust of new residents. Of course, there is already Green Line Cafe down the street at 43rd, but it seems cafes can survive here every few blocks—there's also Milk & Honey at 45th. After all, all the students in the area need places to study.