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For a century Market East thrived, serving Philadelphia's diverse community. It was America's Main Street, its success waxing and waning. But then Strawbridge and Clothier was purchased by Macy's, closed, and Market East was declared dead.
Macy's retained the Wanamaker Building and not wanting to compete with itself, relinquished the historic Strawbridge and Clothier building. The Wanamaker Building is certainly the more significant of the two, but the Strawbridge building on Market East was Strawbridge's historic flagship location.
Rumors of casinos and condos circulated for years until it was finally turned into a dull office building. For now the ground floor is occupied by the Franklin Flea Market, a temporary winter market that will undoubtedly be one of those places only truly appreciated by history, like Center City in the 90s or McGlinchey's.
The latest rumor is that Food Network's celebrity chef, Mario Batali and his colleagues are eyeing the building's retail space for Eataly, a Gourmet Italian grocery store started in New York.
With many Center City residents asking for a grocery store, Eataly may be one solution. There's no doubt that market research pointed Eataly to DiBruno's apparent interest in a Ben Franklin House location as well as the Reading Terminal Market, making Strawbridge's a perfect location for competition.
Grocery shopping is different for urbanites. Although Whole Foods and Trader Joe's (for some reason) serve their purpose, many city folks don't simply go to a big box grocery stores on Sunday afternoon. They grab things on their way home to work, selecting various items from one vendor or one shop, moving to the next.
Eataly provides this opportunity, particularly near DiBruno Brothers and Reading Terminal Market on the path from Center City to Washington Square, Society Hill, and the emerging Callowhill.
Of course the biggest question for Eataly if it decides to open here is, will they sell wine?
I'm indifferent when it comes to casino gaming in Philadelphia. Personally, I kind of see them in the same light as strip clubs, or even your neighborhood tavern. They are simply a den of vice, and therefore will always be an easy target for an angry mob of naysayers. Often surrounded by a lot of "Please think of the children!" type of hype (by some of the least informed activists), casinos rarely cause the problems these fear mongers would like you to believe. The blue-haired casino junkies that pack slot barns across the country bring money to undervalued locations. Thugs don't go to slot barns, they go to Vegas, and not one major city that has gone casino has managed to bring the skank factor with their casinos. Not Detroit, not New Orleans, not London, casino gambling doesn't destroy established cities, it destroys Indian Reservations and small towns with nothing better to offer, which is exactly what Las Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City were when gaming came to town. So unless you're setting up a casino in Terre Haute, IN, chances are nothing is going to change. Sorry Chinatown. Sorry Northern Liberties. You're just plain wrong.
What I do take issue with is bad business, a lack of basic common sense, and the "progressives" who halt progress. Foxwoods has been yanked again, this time back to the original location. No wonder they weren't too pressed to issue a rendering for the potential Strawbridges or Gallery locations, the state and the NIMBYs have been jerking them around for the past several years while everyone, not just the casinos, pisses away money. Renderings and planning cost money and the transparent plan on the part of the NIMBYs (as it always is) is to nag the target until they get frustrated and leave or simply run out of money. Unfortunately in this case, they got it seriously wrong. Market East needs something, anything, and Foxwoods wanted to be it, was willing to be it, and was an ideal client for the decaying corridor between the Convention Center and the historic district. What better way to tie two family oriented destinations together than by sticking a place to drop off granny right in the middle? In a mall of all things! What do tourists like better than cheesesteaks and the Betsy Ross House? They like seeing what the other Gaps are like. It was a dream location and a dream opportunity. And in a delicious slice of irony, this is a lose-lose for the NIMBYs. We're still getting a casino people. But now we're getting a big ugly sprawling stip mall completely inaccessible by public transportation, which means no Market East transit improvements and another huge surface parking lot lining the South Philly waterfront. YOU IDIOTS!
The Idiots
For a century Market East thrived, serving Philadelphia's diverse community. It was America's Main Street, its success waxing and waning. But then Strawbridge and Clothier was purchased by Macy's, closed, and Market East was declared dead. 
