Market East Activations Arrive Before Philly's Big Summer, Long-Term Questions Remain
Temporary occupants will grace six Market East storefronts starting next week as the city prepares the neighborhood for the FIFA World Cup and the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Mayor Cherelle Parker also announced streetscape improvements and a festival in a Monday press release. Long-standing questions about the vacancy-riddled corridor remain unanswered as the Market East Revival Advisory Group solicits public feedback.
“Philadelphians deserve progress they can see,” the mayor said in a statement.
“We are delivering on our promise of new energy, new business activity, and new momentum on Market East right now while we continue the long-term work of reviving this historic corridor.”
The ephemeral users compiled by Meantime, a nonprofit initiative run by the design firm ISA, will be in place from May 6 through the end of July. They are coming to six spaces on the 900 block of Market Street, purchased by Comcast and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment last summer, which were previously earmarked for demolition.
West Philadelphia-based Siddiq’s Water Ice is taking over 938 Market St., while Two Persons Coffee, which has a location in the Bok Building, is planning a pop-up at 920 Market St. Vintage and upcycled clothing seller Almost Famous is opening next door at 922 Market St.
Nonprofits and creative installations will define the rest of the reactivation effort.
Clubfriends Radio & Records is coming to 926 Market St. The space, focused on music, design and culture, will be helmed by Alexa Colas, who will use it to expand her “I Turned My Living Room Into a Record Store” exhibit.
Art Philly is bringing a space focused on artists, storytellers and multimedia creatives to 932-934 Market St., and a gallery focused on interior design and architecture called Rarify will open at 924 Market St.
The users will not have to pay rent for these spaces during this temporary installation.
Parker and Center City District are also plotting streetscape improvements, including four refurbished SEPTA headhouses, 21 bus shelters and 42 new trees.
The mayor also shared plans for a Market East festival sometime early this summer, featuring car-free streets and live music.
She convened the Market East Revival Advisory Group in November 2025 to help chart the neighborhood’s future after the Philadelphia 76ers backed out of their plan to build a new arena there.
Few details have emerged from the group’s meetings, but it is currently collecting stakeholder feedback from residents, workers and business owners.
“These next steps will help ensure we build a vision rooted in community input, market opportunity, and the confidence that this corridor’s best days are ahead,” Brandywine CEO Jerry Sweeney, who is leading the committee, said in a statement.
Its members have been tight-lipped about the conversations, but Parkway Corp. CEO Robert Zuritsky told Bisnow in March city and state incentives will likely be part of the group’s recommendations.
At the time, there was a range of opinions on how extensive those programs should be.
“It ranges from throwing the kitchen sink of every incentive that you have available to you in the state to just doing a 20-year abatement for new construction,” Zuritsky said.
