It was less than five years ago when the Piazza on N 2nd Street was being derided as “what’s wrong with Philadelphia.” A lack of vision, coupled with “blank anonymity of developments” led some to conclude that the area would tank. It was clear that the Piazza needed a re-branding, but to what?

This was the question Kushner Company had to answer when it purchased the Piazza in 2013.   In a “risky” move to attract a millennial crowd, the company changed the name of the area to The Schmidt’s Commons, after the iconic brewery of the same name. The shift worked. With plenty to drink, a younger crowd began to fill the neighborhood, enjoying the many forms of entertainment that accompanied it, including movie nights, fairs, and musical performances.

Tech In NoLibs

Kushner Company then began to focus on sprucing up the area with shops that would appeal to the demographic, hiring RothbergDubrow as brokers. RothbergDubrow realized that if they wanted to inject the area with a youthful aura, they would need to build it up with the thing that most appeals to the millennial base- technology. RothbergDubrow recognized the enormous potential of the walk and over the next two and a half year worked on re-purposing the quasi retail spaces on Liberties Walk into creative spaces, bringing in a slew of tech-based and creative companies in the process, including Webjunto, ReMade, 215 Marketing, Atrium Design Group, Maestro Filmworks, and Media Star Promotions.

Tech In NoLibs #2

Today, The Schmidt’s Commons is thriving as a vibrant area for tech entrepreneurs and community-focused businesses and restaurants, and attracts top students from schools around the Philadelphia area. RothbergDubrow is proud to have been a part of the process and worked with innovative and exciting companies, and look forward to continuing the path of technology in deals to come.

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