Thank You Thank You Coffee Brewers is packing up its tiny Jewelers’ Row storefront and heading to Graduate Hospital, trading its longtime spot at 700 Sansom St. for a new address at 2401 Washington Ave. Owner Cody McGregor says the move isn’t by choice so much as necessity, with a major construction project next door making it untenable to stay put.
McGregor attributed the relocation to a “massive construction project” beginning right next to the shop, according to WhatNow. The coffee shop, founded in 2021, has built a following for its hot and iced batch brews, espresso, and rotating specialty coffees sourced from around the world, including a Colombian washed pink bourbon with notes of pink grapefruit, mango and berries, and an Ethiopian espresso featuring peach, lemon zest and floral flavors.
In a statement, McGregor struck a reflective tone about leaving the space that built the shop’s reputation. “Nothing is permanent, and seeing how a space can be molded over time by all of you is a gift I’m excited to witness again,” he said, per WhatNow’s report.
Construction and Renovations Force the Issue
The pressure on the shop isn’t limited to noise and dust from next door. According to the Inquirer, McGregor said the construction project beginning on the adjacent building, combined with his own building needing renovations, left him with few options. “This is the only tenable option for us,” he told the paper. That same report indicated the shop is expected to shutter at the end of December.
Behind the construction next door is Pearl Properties, which purchased the coffee shop’s building along with two neighboring properties as part of its plans for a residential development on the site, per the WhatNow account. The developer has previously proposed a tower at the location with 99 apartments, ground-floor retail space and parking, though reporting on the project’s exact height has varied — WhatNow’s sourcing describes a 34-story design, while the Inquirer has reported that the project received a zoning permit for a 35-story tower with 99 units, 50 parking spaces and nearly 1,500 square feet of commercial space.
No Firm Date for the Graduate Hospital Opening
For now, customers hoping to follow the shop to its new neighborhood will have to wait. An official opening date for the Graduate Hospital location has not yet been announced, and the team has not finalized whether a gap will separate the Jewelers’ Row closure from the new opening, the same report notes.
The Jewelers’ Row shop has long been known as a cozy, close-quarters operation — WhatNow describes the space as 350 square feet, while an earlier Inquirer profile put the footprint at 300 square feet. Whatever the exact dimensions, the shop has carved out an outsized reputation in a small footprint since opening in 2021.
A Broader Pattern on Jewelers' Row
The redevelopment pressure facing Thank You Thank You fits into a larger story playing out along Jewelers’ Row. Pearl Properties obtained the vacant land at 708 Sansom St. from Toll Brothers in 2022, according to the Inquirer, and has since pursued approvals for its residential tower. More recently, the developer filed an application with the Philadelphia Historical Commission to alter two protected, one-story buildings at 124 and 126 S. Seventh St. as part of the project, per philadelphia.today.
That kind of friction between historic preservation and new construction isn’t new to the block. PhillyLandSites notes that in 2019, Toll Brothers demolished six historic buildings on Jewelers’ Row after proposing a 24-story condominium tower with 63 units. For now, Thank You Thank You’s move to Graduate Hospital stands as the latest ripple effect of that ongoing transformation — one more small business adjusting its plans around a changing block.
