October 01, 2026
Chris McAdams/Provided Image
The Chocolate Factory Community Hub at 2201 Margaret St., opened on Sept. 17 after a roughly two-year-long adaptive reuse project on the 124-year-old building in East Frankford.
A 124-year old building in East Frankford where Sno-Caps and Raisinets were invented has been transformed into a sprawling center for social service, childcare and healthcare nonprofits.
After years of standing vacant, the three-story, 66,000-square-foot Chocolate Factory Community Hub at 2201 Margaret St. opened Thursday, Sept. 17, after a roughly two-year-long adaptive reuse project by architect ISA. Concilio, a social services organization geared toward Latino families in the region, leased 46,000 square feet of the building in August 2024. Other tenants include the Madden School childcare center; Gateway Community Action Partnership and BAYADA Home Health Care center.
"This building asked us to work with what was already there — the light, the structure, the memory of the place," Alex Gauzza, principal at ISA, said in a statement. "The Chocolate Factory shows what's possible when adaptive reuse isn't just about preserving a facade, but about giving a building back to the neighborhood it was built in — this time as a home for the organizations that serve it every day."
The site was originally built in 1922 for the Blumenthal Brothers Chocolate Company, which were among the country’s leading manufacturers of candies, chocolate liquors and cocoa powder. The company was eventually sold in 1984 to Nestlé, who closed the Philly factory that same year. The building, which has remained empty since, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2023.
ISA restored the building's terracotta detailing and original signage and also preserved the steel-frame windows, masonry, brick walls and an 80-foot water tower jutting from the roof.
"The Blumenthal Chocolate Factory adaptive reuse project is a model factory-to-commercial conversion project, repurposing a well-built but long vacant and decaying historic industrial building into productive and attractive workspaces," Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, said in a statement. "We hope that it serves as an example for owners of other similar historic buildings in Philadelphia and elsewhere."
The Chocolate Factory is one of several Philly businesses that have recently begun a new phase. Here are other announcements that have been made over the past couple of weeks:
2300 S. Croskey St., Girard Park
Opening soon
Proudly branding itself as the first Japanese cutlet restaurant in the city, Panco kicked off its soft opening on Thursday, Sept. 24. A grand opening date is slated to be announced soon, the restaurant said on social media.
Chef and owner Ryo Igarashi, a longtime Philadelphia restaurant worker, specializes in katsu, which is Japanese for cutlet. Panco's small menu offers chicken, vegetable and pork katsu as well as kasudon, which serves the cutlets over eggs and rice.
"Panco is about spreading positive energy through culinary experiences to the world," its website says. "Driven by passion, grounded by values … Panco is hoping to keep making a small contribution to the world."
1901 S. 9th Street, Lovely
Opening in October
A full-service film lab will be joining the lineup of tenants at the Bok Building, offering color and black-and-white developing, high-resolution scanning and printing services. Recess will make its debut during Bok Building's open studio event on Friday, Oct. 9 at 9 p.m.
711 S. 4th St., Queen Village
Opening Saturday, Nov. 7
University City-based vintage clothing boutique will open its second location across the river in Queen Village later this fall on Fabric Row.
"We've been bursting at the seams — with excitement, fear, possibility and all the feelings that come with doing something NEW," owner Dorit Avganim wrote on Instagram on Sept. 23. "... To be featured in the company of so many of our favorite vintage heroes, on a street we've loved, shopped and been inspired by for years makes the whole thing feel even more surreal."
Avganim, who opened the original location in 2023, told Philly Mag that she hopes to make the South Philly spot more of a community space with events, rather than solely a retail spot.
Brothers Florin, left, and Marco Matranxhi will open their second restaurant at 738 S. 11th St. in Bella Vista, the former home of the Lodge by Two Robbers.
738 S. 11th St., Bella Vista
Opening soon
The brothers behind Adoro in Queen Village will open another Italian BYOB at the former Two Robbers tasting room. An opening date hasn’t been set yet, but the owners said they are looking to get the restaurant running as soon as possible.
On social media, the owners said the new location would have a "completely different concept and menu."
"We're growing. A new second location is officially part of our journey," they wrote. "More space, more memories, and the same passion for Italian food and hospitality."
These businesses also opened in the past few weeks:
• Gateways Cinescape: 1203 Germantown Ave. Suite 103, North Philly
• Curaleaf: 1321 N. Front St., Kensington
• Madis Coffee Roasters: 828 N. Second St, Northern Liberties
• Haraz Rittenhouse: 1822 Chestnut St., Rittenhouse
29 Haddon Ave., Haddon Township, New Jersey
Closing Oct. 31
The vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free fast-casual restaurant will close its flagship location in Haddon Township after 11 years. The last day of its full kitchen will be Friday, Oct. 9, and limited offerings will be available through the end of the month.
Ashley Coyne, owner and founder of the restaurant, announced the closure in an Instagram post on Tuesday, Sept. 22, adding that the restaurant industry is "not for the weak."
"This isn't a goodbye — goodbeet will be around in some capacity," she wrote. "Doing pop ups / some wholesale accounts / whatever else I can dream up once I have a clear head and for the first time in eleven years, some real days off."
510 Beaver St., North Wales
Closing soon
After eight years in business, Ten7 Brewing in Montgomery County will close its taproom in the coming months. A final closure date has not been made public.
"Over the years, we have felt an incredible amount of love and support from so many of you," the brewery wrote on Instagram on Sept. 23. "Ten7 has been so much more than a brewery to us, and we hope that you have felt the love from us in return."
202 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown
Closing Oct. 10
The elevated Mexican restaurant in the heart of Downingtown will close Saturday, Oct. 10, exactly one week after its one-year anniversary.
"Since its beginning, mother. was never about us and what we could gain," the restaurant wrote on Instagram. "From day one, it was all about what we could give to the town we love. … However, not everything we give is expected to be received and received in the right way. We may not have been everyone's choice, but we are proud of everything we put forth and the amazing staff and culture we've cultivated here."
The restaurant will remain open during regular hours leading up to its closure.
The Fire, the Northern Liberties music venue housed inside the Philadelphia Bar & Grille, is closing after 27 years on Girard Avenue.
412 W. Girard Ave.
Closing soon
A longtime music venue in the Philadelphia Bar & Grille shut down after 27 years on Wednesday. Owner Karen Lauria Saillant said she decided to close after struggling to keep it going after her son, venue manager Christian Bygott, died two years ago.
Over the years, the Fire has hosted performances by My Chemical Romance, Maroon 5, Jason Mraz, Dr. Dog and more.
These businesses also closed in the past few weeks:
• Yellow Bicycle Canteen: 930 Locust St., Center City; will reopen on the 1200 block of Sansom Street in December
• Cacia Bakery: 26 S. Haddon Ave., Haddonfield
