N 2nd St Restaurant Supply Row

Jan 29, 20212 min read

For decades, 2nd Street in Old City was the place that restaurant owners went to buy their supplies and equipment. Between Race and Arch (and on Arch St), N 2nd St hosted several major restaurant suppliers; only one remains today.

Trenton China & Pottery was at the NE corner of 2nd and Arch Streets since the company's founding in 1927. The firm eventually had a total of nine buildings (extending east on Arch St), which have been converted to mostly residential units. The corner building is wallpapered with faded multi-colored painted advertising and illustrations of appliances. The company is now located on Memphis Street in Port Richmond and operates under the new name: Trenton China.

W.F. Dougherty & Sons was on the SW corner (now Grossman's Furniture) having moved there in the 1960s. Originally at 10th & Arch St, where they made & sold kitchen equipment since 1852, they closed in the 1970's.

Economy Restaurant Supply started on the NW corner of 2nd & Arch (now PAWS) and then moved to the SE corner of 2nd & Arch, which previously housed Aetna Stove Co. Economy also owned additional buildings on N 2nd St and on Arch St, which have been sold over the years. Started in 1946, Economy is now farther north on 2nd St., above Callowhill.

The National Products Co. grew from 1929, when it first moved in at 111 North Second Street, to incorporate several additional buildings on N 2nd St & on Arch St. The National closed in 1996. It's warehouses on the west side of N 2nd St were destroyed by fire and torn down, to be replaced with The National Condominiums, built in 2006. The original buildings at (and adjacent to) 111 N 2nd date as far back as the late 1800s and were rather plain. The fanciful façade changed that when it was installed between 1958 and 1962. Running from 109 - 125 N 2nd St, the façade was made uniform throughout: orange terra cotta tiles with white vertical granite reveals, and a more intricate terra cotta tiling over the main entrance of the showroom. In 2002, a proposal to demolish the building prompted the Historical Commission to motion it for designation, and on November 8th of that year, it was accepted into the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, the first midcentury commercial building to do so. None the less, the buildings were torn down in 2016 to be rebuilt as apartments, however the developer recreated the unique orange tile facade.

Swift Restaurant Supply is the last remaining restaurant supplier in Old City. Established in 1912, they have several buildings on N 2nd St, near Race.