The sign approved for the roof at 1101-03 S. Ninth St. will light up at dusk and stay on until the shops below it close. On most of the 9th Street market, closing time comes early. South Philly Review reported in October 2026 that most market shops close between 5 and 6 p.m., most close between 1 and 4 p.m. on Sundays, and the outdoor produce stalls generally close on Mondays.
The building approved on Oct. 28 was designed with that schedule in mind. Midwood Investment & Development, a New York City firm, wants to change when people come to 9th Street. If the building works, it will change the hours of a market that Bella Vista uses by daylight and mostly on weekends.
A Market That Runs on Daylight
Posted hours from three businesses along the corridor show how the week is set up now.
| Business | Address | Posted hours |
|---|---|---|
| Anastasi Seafood | 1039 S. 9th St. | Mon–Tue 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; Wed–Sat 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sun 9 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Fante's Kitchen Shop | 1006 S. 9th St. | Wed–Sat 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sun 10 a.m.–2 p.m.; closed Mon–Tue |
| Villa di Roma | 9th Street | Wed–Thu 3:30–9:30 p.m.; Fri–Sat 3:30–10 p.m.; Sun 1:30–9 p.m.; closed Mon–Tue |
The two retail shops are done for the day by early evening. Fante's is closed for the first two days of the week. Villa di Roma doesn't open until mid-afternoon, and it's also closed Monday and Tuesday. So a Tuesday at 7 p.m. on this stretch of 9th Street gives you few options. Anastasi's and Fante's post these hours on their own websites, so check them before planning a trip, especially as the holidays get closer.
Anastasi's address in the table is one of the reasons the corner matters. The seafood business used to sit on the corner lot at 9th and Washington. It now operates up the block at 1039 S. 9th St., and the lot it left is the one Midwood plans to build on.
What the Developer Said It Is Building For
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Midwood CEO John Usdan said Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the market's heaviest business days. He described the project as an effort to change that.
"Part of the idea of our project is to help bring that population to the market every day and to extend the hours of shopping to the evening." — John Usdan, Midwood CEO, as quoted by The Philadelphia Inquirer
The building's design follows from that aim. The Inquirer reports a one-story building of about 27,000 square feet with 11 retail bays. Most are between 1,000 and 3,000 square feet, and one larger space is 7,000 square feet. The roof deck is meant for a restaurant, and the building has no parking.
Usdan told the Inquirer that some tenants have signed leases and others are negotiating. He described the mix as "some very well known restaurant concepts and health and wellness concepts." He said the neighborhood has changed since Midwood bought the land: "There are lots of families now," and there is "a need for everyday services like health and wellness that just aren't to be found in either the neighborhood or in the market."
He also pointed to demand from food businesses already on 9th Street. "There's also demand from food and beverage operators that have units in the market that would like to expand, where they need modern space," he said, according to the same report. Health and wellness businesses keep weekday hours, and restaurants keep evening hours. Both are aimed at the times the current market is quiet.
Why a One-Story Building Took More Than a Decade
Neighbors who have walked past the fence at this corner for years have seen several versions of the plan. Here is the record so far:
- 2012. Midwood buys much of the property, according to the Inquirer.
- 2015 onward. Apartment plans begin. Early versions reached six stories and as many as 182 apartments. A later version had 157 apartments and underground parking.
- Before the pandemic. A planned curb cut on Ninth Street becomes the main point of conflict. WHYY asked at the time whether a driveway could kill the market. The Passyunk Square Civic Association objected that the curb cut would disrupt the market's pedestrian character.
- December 2024. Midwood drops housing for a low-rise retail plan. At that point it was described as more than 23,500 square feet of shops plus a 2,500-square-foot covered pavilion and an outdoor deck, as the Inquirer reported.
- Oct. 28, 2026. The Zoning Board of Adjustment approves the current one-story plan with no curb cut and no parking.
- Second half of 2027. Midwood's projected groundbreaking.
Usdan explained why the housing came out. "While we really wanted to build a residential project and bring more density to the market … we just felt that it was a use that might be too intense given the infrastructure of the market," he told the Inquirer. Asked why the company was moving now, he said Midwood was seeing strong sales across its Philadelphia retail holdings.
For now the corner is still a fenced, vacant lot, and the second-half-2027 groundbreaking is Midwood's projection.
The Name on the Sign
The sign was first going to read "Shops at the Italian Market." It now reads "Shops at the 9th Street Market." The development team told the zoning board it made the change because the Passyunk Square Civic Association asked for it.
The new name matches how the market is laid out. The Inquirer describes it this way: north of Washington Avenue, older Italian shops and restaurants still predominate. South of the avenue, taquerias and other restaurants with roots in Mexico, Central America and South America are the main presence. "We had always heard the market referred to as the Italian Market, but there's a tremendous amount of diversity," Usdan said.
The site sits on the south side of Washington, across the avenue from Bella Vista. Usdan described the project as "a way to reconnect the market," which busy Washington Avenue cuts in two. David Smallets, the Perkins Eastman architect designing the building, called the rooftop sign "a retail beacon sign" and said, "It's for the whole community, not just this building." For people coming from Bella Vista, a lit sign there would mark the market's southern end.
Where Bella Vista's Evenings Happen Now
Until the Midwood building opens, Bella Vista's evening dining is mostly a block or more off the market or in places that open after the stalls close.
Villa di Roma is the clearest example on 9th Street itself. It opens at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and South Philly Review lists its weekend closing time as 10 p.m. 12 Steps Down shows up in the market's own merchant guide as a neighborhood bar and restaurant.
The newest addition is two blocks west. Ravello opened at 738 S. 11th St. on Nov. 4, the Inquirer reported. The owners are brothers Florin and Marco Matranxhi, who opened Adoro at 769 E. Passyunk Ave. in Queen Village in September 2024.
PhillyVoice reported that Ravello is an Italian BYOB named for the Amalfi Coast town. Its fine-dining menu focuses on seafood, with no dishes carried over from Adoro. Executive chef Marco Passante comes from Ravello and previously ran the kitchen at Thymari in Swedesboro, New Jersey. The brothers planned for 80 to 100 seats, which is much larger than Adoro.
Neighbors will know the room. It was the Lodge by Two Robbers, which ended regular service on Aug. 9 so the company could focus on its Fishtown tasting room and wholesale business. Before that it was Hawthornes, the brunch spot that opened in 2009. Marco Matranxhi told PhillyVoice that he and his brother used to walk past Hawthornes five years ago and think it was a great spot.
Ravello is the latest of several Bella Vista businesses that open when the produce stalls close. That evening crowd already exists, and the Midwood building would try to pull it toward the market itself. Similar turnover has been going on at the corner of 6th and Bainbridge, where Eggcetera Haus soft-opened in early November at 625 S. Sixth St. on the Queen Village side of the border.
The Next Few Weeks on 9th Street
The holidays are the market's daytime season. The 9th Street holiday shopping guide lists gift certificates at Anastasi's Seafood, ricotta cannoli gift boxes and Italian Market Reserve coffee at Anthony's Italian Coffee House, and tinned caviar and brunch boards at Biederman's Specialty Foods. It also lists olive oil and balsamic gift sets at Cardena's Oil and Vinegar Tap Room, plus holiday cuts at Cannuli's Meats and Cappuccio Meats. Christmas Eve seafood lines at Anastasi's are a long-running local ritual, and WHYY has covered them in past years. The guide has no dates, so check each shop's hours before a December run, especially on a Sunday or Monday.
Before that comes Thanksgiving morning. The 4th Annual Bella Vista Turkey Trot runs from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Nov. 26, at Cianfrani Park, 721 S. 8th St. It's a free 5K or 1.5-mile walk, according to the Queen Village Neighbors Association events calendar.
For more on the blocks around the market, see our Bella Vista neighborhood page and our look at everyday life near the Italian Market.
At Reid Rosenthal & The Rosenthal Group, we follow projects like 9th and Washington from zoning hearing to groundbreaking, because a change in a market's hours changes the blocks around it. If you own near 9th Street and want to talk about how this project fits into your plans, Schedule a Free Consultation.
