April 27, 2026
Provided image/Irina Belashov
Almost Famous will sell thrifted clothing and vintage items out of 922 Market St. One of the brand's previous pop-up events is pictured above.
A West Philly water ice shop, a South Philly cafe and a record listening room are opening (temporarily) on Market Street.
The city has revealed six of the tenants that will take over vacant spaces slated for demolition on the Market East commercial corridor. These pop-ups, designed to boost business along the struggling Center City shopping hub, will operate in buildings owned by Comcast and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment this spring and summer.
The so-called Meantime Market will operate from May 6 through July 31 on the south side of the 900 block of Market Street. Tenants include the long-running West Philly shop Siddiq's Water Ice (938 Market St.), the Bok Building cafe Two Persons Coffee (920 Market St.) and the Bella Vista furniture store Rarify (924 Market St.).
Almost Famous, a thrift shop without a permanent space, will gain a temporary home at 922 Market St. Art Philly will likewise bring its cultural programming to 932-934 Market St. Local designer Alexa Colas is expanding her DesignPhiladelphia installation, "I Turned My Living Room Into a Record Store," into an listening space at 926 Market St., with help from the Free Library's music department.
Another pop-up will open on the 900 block of Market Street in the Fashion District, but the retailer has not yet been announced.
The seasonal shopping hub is an initiative from the nonprofit Meantime, which partnered with the Center City District, Comcast, HBSE and Fashion District on the project. The city's commerce department supplied $1.85 million in grant funding to support the stores and streetscape improvements including 42 new trees, lighting upgrades and the refurbishments of 21 bus shelters and four transit headhouses. Mural Arts will also oversee the installation of 5,500 square feet of artwork in the area. The first window display at Fashion District was unveiled in early April.
These pop-ups have effectively halted plans to tear down their empty Market East properties. A spokesperson for the redevelopment project said last month that the Sixers and Comcast had paused demolition to "avoid any delays or disruptions that could have an adverse effect" on the World Cup and semiquincentennial celebrations happening across the city this summer.
Neighborhood advocates had criticized the team's plans to raze the buildings, arguing that this would bring further blight to the depressed area. The Sixers had originally intended to develop the lots for their 76 Place arena, but abandoned the project in January 2025 to work with Comcast Spectacor on a new home in the South Philly Sports Complex.
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