The corner lot on Parkside Avenue became known as Neighborhood Eyes six months ago. Once a SEPTA bus turns around, the sidewalk becomes a place for illegal dumping, littered with abandoned cars, sand and all kinds of trash.
But on Saturday, it was home to a bustling neighborhood gathering place, a unique new outdoor mall and even a brief campaign stop for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman.
West Philadelphia’s business associations and elected officials welcomed 20 small business owners — all of color, many of them women — as they shopped in renovated warehouses.
The outdoor shopping center, called the 4th Ward Container Village, took a year of planning and coordination with city officials, community groups and businesses, organizers said, and is the first initiative of its kind in Philadelphia.
Deborah Washington, 64, said she’s happy to finally have a more permanent location for her Islamic clothing business after years as a pop-up vendor, rolling out colorful turbans in front of a West Philadelphia storefront. Malls and mosques. The retired Navy and U.S. Postal Service employee said she had already met many of her new neighbors.
“Now we’re all starting to show up in the same place,” Washington said with a laugh.
“This is such a village and such a community,” said Mercedes Dennis, a 47-year-old thrift store owner in Northeast Philadelphia, who said she had a co-worker come over to clean her floors when she opened the floor in an hour. At her store, Allama Shopping, where all clothing is donated and costs $5, she said others have also shopped.
Germantown resident Lakia Brown, 40, believes the unusual mall will not only benefit individual businesses, but also the neighborhood.
“I think it puts money back into the community,” said Brown, who owns Kreative LAB, a clothing, shoe and accessories store. They have fewer shops than other neighborhoods, he says, “People who live here shop elsewhere.”
In what organizers call a Shark Tank-like process, the business owners are screened and more than 100 applicants are selected. They will receive a 12-week business management training and a monthly stipend of $500, which includes electricity and Wi-Fi.
The village hosts a rotation of food trucks and includes a performance stage.
On Saturday, Feitman briefly took the stage, urging Philadelphians to vote in the crucial November 8 election and reiterating his stance on key issues, but made no comment on small business.
His appearance comes four days after Fetterman, who is recovering from a stroke, stumbled over words during a crucial TV debate between him and his opponent, Republican Mehmet Oz. It was a performance that rattled some Democratic insiders.
Fetterman stopped and spoke less than 90 seconds into his brief speech before a small audience in West Philadelphia, never seeming to deviate from a script. He took a selfie with two fans and sped away.
The Container Village on the 4800 block of Parkside Avenue will be open from noon to noon Wednesday through Sunday, though West Philadelphia Corridor Cooperative President Jabari Jones said the hours could be extended if all goes well.
As West Philadelphia’s largest trade association, the cooperative provides private security for the village, which is also overseen by local police, Jones said. This summer, the co-op stopped a big block party because of rising gun violence.
“We made a promise to the community to turn this into a peaceful suburb,” Jones said, standing in the center of the village. “We want to make people feel safe here.”
