BOK-Newspaper-Spring25

Spring 2025 A Look Inside

Issue 29

Lights, camera, action— Bok turns 10!

Clockwise from top left: Xenia Matthews of BlackStar Projects, Steve Boyle, Donté Knox of .out/put, Matt Ober, Jared Wood of Days Away Creative, Elijah Crawford of Ugly Art, Nicole Ayers of MadLab Entertainment, Julie Melton and Dutch Huff of Sweetwater Portraits.

Photo by StevieChris

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Spring 2025

Snap to it: Bok Photo + Video From capturing life’s special moments to bringing a creative vision to life, Bok’s talented photo and video professionals can make it happen!

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Nothing Left Undone

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The Social Climber Circus

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1. Matt Ober

4. Steve Boyle

7. Ugly Art

Matt is a documentary filmmaker and the weekday friendly face at the Bok info desk. Available for video editing and directing commissions!

Steve is a commercial and editorial photographer specializing in sports, portraits, and corporate photography.

Ugly Art, led by film and advertising director Elijah Crawford, is an exhibitionist collective known for pushing creative boundaries.

matthewober.com / @matt_name

steveboyle.com / @steveboylephoto

2. Madlab Entertainment

5. Days Away Creative

uglyartsfilms@gmail.com @elijahcrawfordd

Madlab specializes in independent film education, media production, and experiential events.

Days Away Creative is a full-service wedding photography studio dedicated to creating exceptional experiences for couples.

madlabpost.com / @madlabpost

3. Colin Lenton Colin Lenton specializes in commercial portrait and lifestyle photography, primarily serving clients in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. colinlenton.com / @colinmlenton

daysawaycreative.com / @daysawaycreative

Book your shoot @ Bok!

Matt specializes in commercial, lifestyle, and portrait photography.

The building is home to a collection of flexible spaces, each ideal for a variety of creative endeavors. Use our unique spaces to turn your photography ideas into reality and elevate your vision.

mattstanleyphoto.com / @stanleyphoto

To inquire, visit buildingbok.com/events.

6. Matt Stanley

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Snap to it: Bok Photo + Video 8

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Jess & Aaron’s wedding party

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mewithoutYou “The End Of The End”

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The Innerview (Richard Beymer, 1974), restored by Lightbox in 2021

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Ourika (2022), directed by Xenia Matthews, photo by Daniel Jackson

12 Brian Westbrook, Eagles Running Back, Philadelphia Magazine

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TAKE_the_EDGE_off

8. Merryweather Films

11. BlackStar Projects

14. Knox

Merryweather Films crafts candid, cinematic wedding and event films that beautifully capture every moment.

BlackStar produces programs that uplift the work of Black, Brown and Indigenous visual artists—including the annual BlackStar Film Festival (July 31-August 3).

Knox is a creative director and filmmaker who creates edgy hyper-stylized worlds to get lost in with his creative agency “.out/put.”

merryweatherfilms.com / @merryweatherfilms

9. Astrobus Media Astrobus Media produces event videos, documentaries, livestreams and brand videos. astrobusmedia.com / @astrobusmedia

10. Lightbox Film Center Lightbox is Philadelphia’s premier exhibitor of film and moving image art. lightboxfilmcenter.org / @lightboxfilmcenter

blackstarfest.org / @blackstarfest

12. Sweetwater Portraits Sweetwater is known for natural, artistic wedding photography and Super 8 films. sweetwaterportraits.com / @sweetwaterportraits

13. Mangrove Media Mangrove Media produces documentaries that explore climate change, science, and other unconventional topics. mangrovemedia.com / @mangrovevideo

knoxtripleseven@gmail.com / @knox.777

15. StevieChris StevieChris is a visual creative specializing in commercial and editorial photography, directing, and creative direction. He’s also recently launched a new apparel brand. steviechris.com / @steviechrisphoto wearphilthy.com / @wearphilthy

To see our full list of photo + video businesses at Bok, visit buildingbok.com/community.

Sweetwater Portraits Billy Cress

Mike Persico

Bricklaying shop

Home economics room

Mike Persico Mike Persico

Ed Newton

Mike Persico

Fringe Salon 7th floor hallway

Business practice room

Bowery Presents

G Kellum studio

Mike Persico

Philly InMovement

Machine composition room

Bok Bar

Cafeteria kitchen

Mike Persico

Diadora

Ed Newton

David Guinn studio

Elementary composition room

1st floor hallway

Conference room

Conrad Benner Ed Newton

8th floor

Mike Persico

Girls gymnasium

Conrad Benner Joana Moono

Bandit

8th floor terrace Mike Persico Mike Persico

Bok Wed

Basement Conrad Benner

Mike Persico

Science room

7th floor terrace

Conrad Benner Mike Persico

Mike Persico

Conrad Benner

Scout

Conrad Benner

Ed Newton

Mike Persico

Ed Newton

Mike Persico

Ed Newton

Scout Mike Persico

Ed Newton Billy Cress

Conrad Benner

Conrad Benner Mike Persico

Weaver House

Mochi Robinson

the BOK transformation

Cafeteria

Electrical shop

Tuft the World

The Craftship

Redshift Sports

2015 - 2025

Miles Table

Ed Newton

Ohm Chiropractic

Service shop

Machine Shop Conrad Benner

Ed Newton

Weaver House

Mechanical drawing room

FEB31

Car mechanic shop

Studio Incamminati

Conrad Benner

Bok events space

Fitness room

Scout Mike Persico

YouWraps

Storage room

Room Shop Mike Persico Ed Newton

Two Persons Coffee

Utility room

Project P.L.A.Y. Conrad Benner Ed Newton

Boys gymnasium

Motor shop tool library

Irwin’s Conrad Benner

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Spring 2025

One old school, millions of possibilities— how we built the community you see today.

Celebrate easy wins

Engage spaces immediately Activate spaces early with installations, pilot programs, or pop-ups.

Take advantage of what’s already working.

Build from the outside-in Let people see your progress early and often—visibility creates momentum.

Invite the public in

Create the tenant you want

Talk to your neighbors—it’s important to create deeper connections with your community and build trust early on.

Get scrappy to create the business or activity you want to see, even if it’s temporary.

Consider adjacencies The value of a “big binder” Do your research, stay organized, and keep all the essential details in one place.

What tenants and uses work well together?

Always consider sounds and smells when Tetris-ing tenants together.

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time! Work to complete viability for a small piece of the puzzle, and bring the project to life incrementally and strategically.

It’s always a work in progress

Community is everything

Mochi Robinson

Ed New ton

Grace Dickin

son

Embrace that no project is ever “done,” and changing circumstances mean you have to react creatively.

Bok is about people first. The strongest projects are built with and for the community.

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Tool Time with YUNS Hardware

What is YUNS all about?

YUNS is a hardware store for beginners. Our goal is to build a strong relationship between people and everyday tools in hopes that the more they can do for themselves, the more they can improve the world around them. In providing a welcoming and simple-to-navigate collection of quality tools, YUNS aims to help people overcome their intimidation or disinterest in the world of hardware and DIY. What inspired you to start your business?

I’m from a rural town and my dad is a farmer.

He taught me how to use tools, drive tractors, and harvest food so that I could feel a strong sense of self-reliance and use those things to aid those around me. Our local hardware store was a resource that not only supplied the stuff

Photo: Ed Newton

We chatted with owner Kelly Wright about setting up shop in the WKSHP and the importance of doing it yourself.

we needed, but where the community could be together and of service to one another. I knew a long time ago that if I could, I wanted to somehow build that kind of place.

stories, ages, talents, and interests. Yet we’re all in it together and try to build each other up and support one another every day. It really has changed my life being here.

What do you like about being in the community at Bok?

What’s new at YUNS this spring?

After being an exclusively online shop for a few years, I wanted to test out a physical space. The Bok team found me the right space to accommodate my specific needs and goals—something I never thought could happen. The building hosts this incredible cross-section of Philadelphia—people with wildly different backgrounds, disciplines, life

Look out for more gardening and outdoor-related things, as well as my ongoing obsession with tools from Japan. Also, we are hosting our first DIY classes in partnership with our friends Matriarchy Build—all welcome and free admission! helloyuns.com / @hello.yuns

and host our showroom (open Saturdays from 11:00am-5:00pm). Eventually we moved all our sewing operations to a factory in Chinatown.

Having the studio space and the printing facility helped us push our business to the next level.

Ed Newton

Michelle Gustafson

Why is this type of community important?

Nicole and Jordan in their studio in 2017 (left) and today (above).

Then & Now: Bok’s first tenant, Lobo Mau Brother-sister textile design duo Nicole and Jordan Haddad on growing their business and reflecting on their decade in the Bok community.

What is Lobo Mau all about?

Nicole Haddad: Lobo Mau means ‘Big, Bad, Wolf’ in Portuguese—I wanted my clothing to be bold and have a masculine edge. When Jordan and I joined forces we made sustainability a key pillar of the business. We make comfortable, fun, easy, everyday clothing that has soul, while also offering an alternative to fast fashion.

How did you first discover Bok? NH: A friend alerted me that studio spaces were opening up. We took a tour and the Scout team told us about their plans for the building, including “We are thinking of making a bar on the roof, but we aren’t sure yet.” By the time the tour was over I was sold. These smart, young women had a dream for the building, and I believed in them.

We were the first tenant to move in; we had a little studio where the Wellness Center is now.

Jordan Haddad: The synergy that happens here is powerful; I can’t tell you how many ideas and collaborations stemmed from impromptu drinks at Bok Bar or a tenant mixer down the hall. I even met my wife, Lisle, here in 2017—we just welcomed our first child. I don’t think any of it was coincidence; rather a testament to how community grows and builds in a place like this.

What’s new for Lobo Mau this spring?

JH: Aside from our new collection and zerowaste home decor and graphic tee collabs, we’re really looking forward to hosting more education-based community events in our studio this year—a space we now share with Tuft The World, who offer workshops of their own, too.

Being with our community and customers brings us so much joy, we couldn’t imagine having our brand without that.

How has your business evolved over the years?

NH: A year after moving into the 1st floor, we built our dream studio on the 5th floor where we began to produce larger quantities of merchandise

lobomau.com / @lobomauclothing

Issue 29 // Spring 2025 A Look Inside

buildingbok.com @buildingbok

What’s Next Bok Bar Opening Day Thursday, April 10 Everyone’s favorite seasonal rooftop bar is back—come celebrate 10 years of skyline selfies and sweet rooftop hangs! This season Bok Bar has a full menu of cocktails, wine, craft beers, and zero-proof options. Stay tuned for their rotating month-long chef residencies and robust calendar of events and activities all summer long. Join the Bok Bar crew on opening day from 5:00pm-10:00pm for drinks and bites.

Spring Open Studios Friday, May 2 Join us for Bok’s signature biannual building-wide event! From 5:00pm-9:00pm, all nine floors will come alive for you to explore.

Many of the 200 talented artists and small businesses will open their doors, offering an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at their creative processes. You’re invited to shop, learn, and engage with our vibrant tenant community during this free, family-friendly night.

Enjoy delicious food and drinks available for purchase as you wander, and cap off the night with a skyline view at Bok Bar.

B[L]OK Party Sunday, June 29 It’s not summer in the city without our annual B[L]OK Party! Each year we invite friends, families, and neighbors to join in on this South Philly-inspired celebration. Eat, dance, sip, and shop alongside Bok creatives and pals all afternoon, right on the 800 block of Mifflin.

For more events, visit buildingbok.com/calendar

Produced by

scout

Cover photo StevieChris Content + Design Kelley Garrard + Joana Moono Template + Anniversary illustrations Smith & Diction Photos Provided by each feature unless otherwise credited