ROOT QUARTERLY art and ideas from philadelphia Issue One: The Animals
From Jewelers’ Row to Fabric Row by Lucy Erdelec
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“Old Hurt” by Darla Jackson, available at Paradigm Gallery
fter 45 years on Jewelers’ Row, Maryanne Ritter chose Fabric Row as the new location for her storefront, Maryanne S. Ritter Jewelers. “I was attracted to the history of Fabric Row,” Ritter says, “and it’s been great. I made a good choice.” History and tradition are important to Ritter, who began her gem-studded career at age 20 under the tutelage of Louis Neff. His business, Louis Neff Jewelers, opened on Jewelers’ Row in 1909. Decades later, the respected jeweler named his business’ successor and until 2013 Ritter led Louis Neff Jewelers before founding her namesake store. Ritter’s was one of many established businesses forced to leave Philadelphia’s Jewelers’ Row, the nation’s oldest diamond district, after her building and four others on the 700 block of Sansom Street were sold. Toll Brothers purchased the properties to build a 24-story tower of 85 luxury condominiums. A long-time Queen Village shopping mecca, earlier this year Philadelphia Magazine named 4th Street’s Fabric Row “Best City Shopping Destination.” And, considering the rich history of so many of the long-lived businesses there, Maryanne S. Ritter Jewelers will be right at home on Fabric Row. ■
FEATURING: Sarah Rose Etter on Sculptor Darla Jackson * How the Left is Eating Itself * An Appreciation of Leonard Baskin * Erotica by Neely B. * Essays by Heather Shayne Blakeslee * The Case for Mary Jane at 70 * Food and Neighborhood Picks by Diana Lu * Poetry Selections by Joshua Mehigan
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Queen Village Quarterly Crier // PAGE 11
