In Bella Vista

We were in the neighborhood the other day and noticed some work going on at 603 Catharine St. From the looks of it, the house is being completely gutted. Being curious and a little forward, we stopped to ask the crew what they were up to. Turns out they had

On the south side of the 1100 block of Carpenter St., you might notice 1116 Carpenter, a somewhat out of place first story of a row home, with what looks like a new facade and new windows as well. Upon closer inspection, however...

The property is owned by Fabian and Maria

A reader tipped us off about some work going on in the commercial space at the southeast corner of 13th and Carpenter Sts. We vaguely remember a hair salon in this space many moons ago, but it's been empty for at least the past five years. The building is certainly

618 South St. was recently granted a zoning variance that will transform it from the eye-catching glowing lemon-lime colored former 6th St. Mini-Market to a take out/dine in Chinese restaurant. As we noted a few weeks ago, the 600 block of South St. is full of vacancies, and it looks

A few months ago, South St. stalwart Gennaro's Pizza moved from 1200 South St., to a new location at the corner of Bainbridge and Clarion Sts. The move to their new location, the former home of the King of Clubs, among other short-lived concepts in recent years, seems like a

On the northwest corner of 9th and Catharine Sts. once stood a retail market owned by the Alioto family, which specialized in imported olive oil, with the brand name Alto. The photo below is from 1954.

The Aliotos were out of the building in the decades that followed, and in the

We got a tip from a reader that work was being done in this space on the occasionally bustling corner of 10th and Christian Sts., so we went over to check things out. And no, we absolutely did not get a cannolli at Isgro when we were in the neighborhood,

We've noticed a few older buildings around town get new facades recently, and it makes a huge difference. Case in point: Take a look at Foreman's Pawn Shop before and after.

Not so attractive, not so welcoming.

Looks like they built a brand new building. Now we're far more interested in trading

A few months ago, a neighborhood coffee shop bit the dust as Mazag Cafe, a quaint little Mediterranean spot run by a friendly mother-daughter team, shuttered its doors after about two years at the corner of 10th and Carpenter Sts. One would think that a place serving up the essentials:

In a recent interview with the Inquirer's Michael Klein, Stephen Starr discussed his intention to take a break from opening restaurants in Philadelphia. At least in the immediate future. His reason? Starr says "Philadelphia is my favorite city, but I do believe that the city needs to work on some