By Alexia Scott
Alo Yoga, a California-based athleisure chain, will occupy a portion of the vacant retail space at 1608 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. The storefront, formerly home to Modell’s Sporting Goods and City Sports, has been vacant for nearly three years.
Midwood Investment & Development owns the retail section of 1608 Walnut, with MSC Retail serving as the leasing agent. The office floors above the retail space are owned by Philadelphia Management Inc. Neither company offered comment. Alo Yoga did not respond to inquiries.
- Alo Yoga will occupy a portion of the 6,711 to 15,324 square feet of retail space.
- Windows at 1608 Walnut display “Leased” signage.
The 1600 and 1700 blocks of Walnut Street constitute an “athleisure district” with numerous stores catering to a similar audience, including Philadelphia Runner, Outdoor Voices, Marine Layer, Athleta, and Lululemon.
Prema Katari Gupta, Center City District’s vice president for parks and public realm, commented on the evolving retail landscape: “Walnut Street offers a wide range of yoga pants options. We are witnessing agenerational shift in retail, with legacy brands withdrawing from downtowns and being replaced by digitally native brands like Alo.”
Historically a prominent shopping destination, West Walnut Street experienced a downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic and the unrest following George Floyd’s murder in 2020, which resulted in the vandalism of several businesses.
As the pandemic recedes, vacancies have been filled with a distinct mix of brands compared to pre-2020. “Digitally native brands are selecting locations with high pedestrian traffic and attractive physical attributes,” said Gupta.
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