Sherman Brothers, the family-owned shoe shop that opened in Philadelphia in 1953, is packing up its Center City shelves after 73 years. The longtime Rittenhouse Square storefront at 1520 Sansom Street is set to close as the business relocates to the Main Line.
The move was reported July 16 by Philadelphia Business Journal, which also noted that a new restaurant and bar is expected to take over the 1520 Sansom retail space.
On its website, Sherman Brothers traces its roots back to 1953 and notes it operates two retail locations plus an online store. The Rittenhouse address appears on the company’s contact page and in public business listings such as MapQuest, underscoring how firmly the shop has been planted in Center City.
Ardmore's Pull
Suburban hubs like Ardmore have been drawing a steady stream of new restaurants and retailers in 2026 as operators chase residential foot traffic. The Philadelphia Inquirer recently tallied roughly a dozen openings in downtown Ardmore this year, highlighting the Main Line’s growing retail and dining momentum, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
What This Means For Rittenhouse
Philadelphia Business Journal did not include a timetable for the relocation, so it is still unclear when the Center City shop will close and when the Main Line location will open. What is clear is that swapping a long-running shoe retailer for a restaurant-and-bar concept marks another shift in Rittenhouse’s ground-floor mix and fits into the ongoing reshaping of Center City’s retail strip, according to the outlet.
