Phillyist Framed Returns!
Hey Man, Can't We All Just Get Along?
Playlist Rewind: AFI at the Factory
Yo, Philly in the News
Whole Hog Is All Heart
Once a week, Phillyist will be visiting a different block in town and letting you know what's discovered there. This may or may not be an excuse to validate random wandering - either way, if you've got suggestions for places to check out, send them along!
Though I don't get to the Italian Market as much as I'd like to, this block is one I assumed I knew inside and out. Pizza at Lorenzo's and just about anything the staff at Sabrina's will feed me are two of the surest paths to my heart. On the opposite side of the street, Butcher's Cafe has also offered me many a stomach-pleasing meal, and Superior Pasta Company is high on the list of places people tell me to go, I promise them I will, I forget, and the cycle repeats itself. But until my most recent visit to the block, I hadn't realized there was a school just towards the southwest end of the block (I blame french toast-induced-post-Sabrina's food comas). And I was entirely unaware that one of my happy shopping places had been holding camp between Lorenzo's and Sabrina's, waiting for me to discover it.
Less than a year old, Mew Gallery is a locally-owned and run boutique, dedicated to the promotion of Philly-based artists. Owners Lauren Parker and Carolynne McNeel, who met while studying art at Drexel University, have opened a shop with an atmosphere that makes you want to peruse every wall, shelf and clothing rack before you leave.
Peruse carefully, you should, because there's a lot to see. They've got a wide variety of apparel, jewelry, accessories, home decor, and even some bath and body products. In the back of the shop, they have a rotating display of a gallery exhibits by local artists. Right now, they've got work up by Isaac Bushkin. And they've also got Eiffel, an adorably talkative dog who spends his time behind the counter, and may pop up to say hello when you go to pay for your belongings. Because, unless you've got the type of iron will I shall never possess, you are not going to leave without buying something. It was all I could do to make it out of there with only a pair of hoop earrings covered in a burnt yellow yarn and a red shirt with a city skyline painted in white along the bottom of it. I've got complete faith that my next visit will yield similarly exciting purchases.
Images by author.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
this is a great idea, sounds like a fun column to write!
Is the Superior Pasta Co. a place that sells pasta to cook at home or a place to buy/eat food made with pasta?
The Superior Pasta Company sells fresh pasta and sauces. I think they also sell some stuff you can just take home and stick in the oven (stuffed shells, etc.) and some Italian cooking supplies.
That Mew Gallery place is cool, but what's with "peruse carefully, you should." Is this shopping with Yoda?
No Yodaisms, just my words of advice. Didn't really realize it came off that way... oops.
Another great thing on the block is St. Paul's Catholic Church. It was constructed in 1843 for what was then an Irish neighborhood. Later, the interior was painted by Italian immigrant artists. Stunning! And a quirky side note is that the founding pastor is buried right next to the church in a marked grave dug into the sidewalk.
The church used to be called the parish church of the Italian Market, and even today, once a year, there's a colorful procession from St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi Church to St. Paul's -- the faithful carry a statue of the Virgin Mary in a parade.
The school (Christopher Columbus Charter School) was formerly St. Paul's parish school, and the playground/parking lot in front of the school was the site of the old Moyamensing town hall, the seat of government for the area before the 1854 uninfication of Philadelphia city and county. During the Civil War it was a hospital.
Glad you've profiled my neighborhood!
Hey, thanks for the historical background on some of the block. It's a great neighborhood and that area is just one part of it - which means I'm sure I'll be back to eventually cover more of it!
I like the idea for a new feature. I really enjoy the Philly-centric and Philly-unique features. I enjoy most of the features on the site, but it's stuff like this that really makes it Phillyist.
And thanks, Jay, for the extra info!