This morning Naked Philly has a post up about a space available in Bella Vista—a coffee shop that's had good amount of turnover:
...the space first became a coffee shop under Mt. Airy’s InFusion, before turning into Mazag Cafe. Mazag closed when the owner-operators moved back to Egypt, says a helpful reader, and it was the longest running business at this corner, operating for nearly two years. Filter Cafe was open for a short five-month stint, and Bookz-n-Beans/Brown Sugar Cafe was around for an even shorter 4.5 months. It may be one of those black holes of real estate—a spot (usually a restaurant) where no business can survive and the reason is mysterious. A few months ago on our sister site Eater Philly, chef Kevin Sbraga talked about his own previously cursed spot, Broad and Pine: "There was only one person in Philly that suggested I take this place. But, everyone else thought I was crazy. Other chefs, even my representation. They all said don't do it."
Other locations that have been considered cursed at one time or another: 17th and Spruce, Fifth and Bainbridge, 22nd and South, 15th and Sansom, 16th and Locust, and Chestnut Street between 15th and 23rd.
So perhaps it's wise to point out the positives in this cursed spot: that it's "turnkey," a Brokerbabble favorite that means a buyer can purchase the space and open for business the next day. That's certainly true of this coffee shop, which Naked Philly points out, still has drinks in the fridge.
Another good example of turnkey: a huge nine-bedroom house at 1808 Cecil B. Moore that's available as an income-generator for Temple student rentals. It comes fully (is blandly) furnished in both communal spaces and each bedroom, which is what makes it turnkey. In theory, kids could move in immediately.
Then there's the Reputations Hair Salon at 12th and Snyder (pictured above), which is actually the most turnkey business we've ever seen. It might be worth buying it just to have access to all the expensive hair products.
· Coffee Shop Space Available in Bella Vista? Again [Naked Philly]
· Top Chef Kevin Sbraga Talks About Cursed Restaurants, Chefs vs. Characters, and the Future [EPHI]