Baum’s Dancewear, a storied dance and theatrical (and Mummer) supply company dating back to 1887, is officially open at the former religious shop next to Stogie Joe’s. We first told you about a dance-inspired business coming to the space in July and, after a complete renovation, it’s now a reality. While it doesn’t have the dance studio element, Baum’s has created something extra special to make you feel like a true superstar.
The huge space at 1805 E. Passyunk Ave. is now Baum’s Dancewear.
A work crew was hammering away at gutting the 4,000 square foot space yesterday, and a couple of the guys on the site said that a dance studio was moving in. They didn’t have a lot of details but said the new tenant was planning a studio and a retail component to sell apparel.
This week’s SoPhilly Spotlight brings us to a rental in the heart of it all, at 1805 E. Passyunk Ave. That’s on top of the old St. Jude’s store, so you won’t yet know what kind of neighbor you’ll have downstairs.
The St. Jude’s ecclesiastical shop that has been hawking communion dresses, Catholic memorabilia and religious gear out of 1807 E. Passyunk Ave. for decades has officially vacated the space.
So, if you know anyone looking for 4,000+ square feet of space on Passyunk, you pass along the phone number in the picture above.
A sign in the window says the store is relocating, listing a Havertown address, but that’s actually another store they already have. Their online business is also apparently quite robust.
St. Jude’s is staying in the building being renovated at 1805 E. Passyunk Ave., according to a source familiar with the renovations.
Paper foretells nothing at this point, a source said
Two weeks ago, we raised the question about the future of St. Jude’safter paper went up over part of window display. The source, who asked not to be named, said Monday there were no plans to end the lease for the Catholic gear emporium.
We couldn’t help it if our suspicions were raised when St. Jude’s owner, Louis DiCocco, sounded frustrated that we were asking him about the store’s future.
“We’re still there and selling, and that’s all you need to know,” he said from his Havertown store before rushing off the phone.
At any rate, the building’s new owner, Ed Brown, who doesn’t deal with the leasing of his properties, said Monday he bought the building from the DiCocco family. It’s his first building in the neighborhood.
It’s a wonderful area that has a lot of real good solid vibrations,” said Brown, who normally works with Center City real estate. “I think it’s the right place to be.”
He’s renovating the five existing apartments above the store – three one-bedrooms and two two-bedrooms. The apartments were really old-fashioned and cramped, so they’re knocking down walls to open them up, and, of course, replacing kitchens and bathrooms. The building is so old, in fact, workers found newspapers from the 1880s stuffed into the chimneys.
They haven’t settled on a price for the apartments, which they hope to have ready by the end of October.
Brown said there are no plans to expand the residential part of the building on the second and third floors over the storage space on the first floor (which fronts Camac Street). But he does have high hopes for adding one or more roof decks back there. Those would require extra permits, though, so it might be a while.
Imagine if they put the residential entrance back here and added a couple stories to match its neighbor
