Well as we predicted we feel the downfall has started.
Yes we predicted it but did we really want it to happen? No.
The Piazza is not only a great social and gathering place but has allowed many small independently owned Fishtown and Kensington businesses to thrive and get lots of attention. For example; Bambi Gallery, Fresh Melt Water, and Fabric Horse have received great exposure and large increases in business. On the negative side The Piazza still has yet to fill the empty commercial spots and still has some duplicate stores from Liberties Walk, like the Delicious Boutique.
We feel that the first step in the downward spiral was canceling the wildly popular Sundae on Sundays at the Piazza. The Lee Jones dj/music event has been free and packed with people since the Piazza was finished being constructed. Sundae could actually get credit for exposing The Piazza to a large amount of people that would not normally venture out to it's 2nd and Germantown Ave location. Sundae has brought hundreds of people to The Piazza every Sunday for weeks now, all for free. This has spurred more artists renting tables in the courtyard, huge sales of food and drinks at Vino (formerly the official Sundae after party spot) and has increased awareness for all of the shops there. So what’s the problem?
A few weeks ago the official partnership between Vino and Sundae ended.
The business that Sundae brought to Vino’s after party helped keep the venue free and fun. Unfortunately that has ended, either from complaints from the other bars/restaurants losing Sunday business to Vino or just cause Sundae had done it's job of bringing the people into the Piazza and management now felt it was time to dump them. Whether it was for those reasons or for some unknown ones we feel it's a greedy mentality that has forced Sundae to the new club/restaurant on Delaware Ave. known as Octo. The vast open bar with a tropical feel is a great place for Sundae to switch to, it's not as easily convenient to get to, and is considerably smaller than the Piazza courtyard, but it's fun non the less and always crowded on Sunday.
So we feel as we did before; The Piazza management is only concerned with making money. Canceling Sundae before the agreement they had along with it's questionable half occupied commercial spaces can only lead us to believe that the Piazza will be a barren desert when cold weather arrives. This is much like Liberties Walk is and has been for years now. Liberties Walk started off the same way, and due to extremely high rent and lack of foot traffic in cold weather and daytime hours, 6 independent businesses closed up shop within a year in and half. We feel many of the small shops will do the same once their free monthly rent deals expire (especially since the Piazza and Liberties walk are run by the same people).
Only time will tell, but the recent addition of Tony Danza living at the Piazza apartments just seems like another gimmick to draw attention and will soon end much like Sundae. We really hope all the negative points we brought up don't occur, but if managed correctly, the Piazza and Liberties Walk can boost the neighborhood appearance, and business, along with bringing the much needed cleanup of Girard between 2nd and Front. Rumor has it that high-rise condos, a dog park, and a Wholefoods Market will soon appear on that corner of 2nd but we can only cross our fingers...
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