{"id":238295,"date":"2026-07-08T11:15:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T11:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/238295\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T11:15:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T11:15:17","slug":"your-guide-to-old-city-phillys-iconic-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/238295\/","title":{"rendered":"Your guide to Old City Philly\u2019s iconic businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Love Philly? So do we. Let\u2019s be friends. Sign up for the Billy Penn newsletter today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For, Mike Campo, life inside his family\u2019s cheesesteak shop is all he\u2019s ever known.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the only lens that I\u2019ve ever seen life through,\u201d he said. \u201cMy home and in the shop are kind of one.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mike\u2019s grandfather started the store in 1947 when he came back from service in the Navy. The store began as a butcher shop in Southwest Philadelphia. Then, in 1975, the store became a deli, selling things like cheesesteaks and hoagies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad took over the store in the 70s,\u201d Mike said. \u201cAnd he\u2019s still there every day at work.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eventually, Campo and his wife Denise, took over the shop and moved it to the current Old City location in 2001.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As Campo\u2019s has continued to evolve, the third-generation owner said it has become more of an institution.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe older that businesses in the area get, the more important they become,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have some things like homemade meatballs that are by far the best meatballs around.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Mia Campo puts together hoagie platters at Campo\u2019s deli on Market Street in Old City. (Emma Lee\/WHYY)<\/p>\n

Mike\u2019s two children, Michael and Mia \u2013 Campo\u2019s fourth generation \u2013 help their father run the store.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard work,\u201d Mia said. \u201cI can\u2019t call in sick, like, if I call in sick, the door doesn\u2019t open that day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Mia Campo and her father, Michael Campo, make hoadie platters before the morning rush at Campo\u2019s deli on Market Street in Old City. (Emma Lee\/WHYY)<\/p>\n

Campo\u2019s is family-run \u2013 an attribute Mia says is few and far between in many businesses these days.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen somebody orders a cannoli, I\u2019m screaming in the back like \u2018I need a cannoli,\u2019 or \u2018I need a chicken soup,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s not many places that could say, \u2018Dad, do this.\u2019 I\u2019m calling my mom, like, \u2018Hey, Mom, take this catering order, because I can\u2019t do it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Campo\u2019s has existed in Old City for over 25 years, through everything from construction on Market Street<\/a> to changing neighborhood populations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Campo\u2019s has existed in its Old City location since 2001 (Emma Lee\/WHYY)<\/p>\n

There are actually very few continuously operated businesses in Old City \u2013 and lots of that is due to its changing industries and history. We dove into this and learned more about some of its businesses that have stayed afloat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

America\u2019s first planned city\u00a0<\/p>\n

Old City stretches<\/a> from Front Street to the east, 6th Street to the west, Florist Street to the north and Walnut Street to the South. Some also consider the Delaware Waterfront between Florist and Walnut to be a part of the neighborhood, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The \u201cbirthplace of America\u201d<\/a> was where William Penn and the Quakers first settled. The neighborhood is steeped in history \u2013 as the meeting place of the First and Second Continental Congress, the Constitutional Convention and the temporary capital of the U.S. before the District of Columbia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The neighborhood is also home to Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and other popular historical and tourist sites.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Old City continued to be a hub<\/a> for industry in its early days \u2013 selling things like fine textiles and garments, jewelry and paintings, craft shops and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Old City\u2019s 2nd & Market Street corner in the 1900s (Photo courtesy of the Athenaeum). <\/p>\n

One popular industry that emerged was also candy. And one big player in this game was Shane Confectionery at 110 Market St.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the time when Shane was built as a confectionery in the 1860s, this area was known as the place where you got candy and confections,\u201d said Laurel Burmeister, the store\u2019s\u00a0 manager. \u201cWe had Wilbur Chocolate,<\/a> we had the Franklin Sugar Refinery<\/a>, we had Whitman\u2019s<\/a> up a little further, but this is where all the chocolate and candy was made.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The space was originally owned by William T. Wescott, a businessman who also owned a small chocolate factory on Spring Garden Street. He ran the shop until Edward Shane purchased the store in 1910. (Photo courtesy of the Athenaeum). <\/p>\n

Shane Confectionery is America\u2019s oldest continuously running confectionery. Burmeister said the business has seen Old City shift and change throughout the years.<\/p>\n

Started in 1863, the confectionery passed through several owners, and was eventually purchased by Edward R. Shane in 1910 (hence the Shane name).\u00a0<\/p>\n

The store remained strong, even as business declined in the late 1900s. Old City was changing during this time, said Pavia Burroughs, the director of design and employee relations for Shane Confectionery.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the 70s through the 90s, it was pretty rough,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have some photos of the 70s, and most of the buildings are boarded up and there were more vacancies than there are today. So, it was sort of just not a great time in the city in general.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even before that, construction was always an issue. The neighborhood used to be a quick walk to the Delaware Riverfront, before the construction of I-95. The bulk of the highway\u2019s construction on this portion happened from 1970-1979,<\/a> and threatened many businesses that used to rely on the footpaths from Old City to the river.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Shane\u2019s Confectionery (far left) in 1972 (Photo courtesy of the Athenaeum). <\/p>\n

Despite this, Shane Confectionery stayed strong.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Shane\u2019s were one of the last holdouts for a really long time, for like decades,\u201d Burroughs said. \u201cI think there\u2019s some news articles that said, \u2018if you go all the way to the end [of Old City], there\u2019s still that candy shop that\u2019s way at the end of the street.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The store was taken over in 2010 by brothers Eric and Ryan Berley, who owned the Franklin Fountain Ice Cream Parlor next door. Burroughs explained that their business was one that came into Old City as its restaurant scene was being revitalized.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Continental restaurant was kind of the start of the early 2000s restaurant renaissance, and also kind of marked when the brothers moved the Franklin Fountain in,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was one of the first businesses that were kind of revitalizing the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomewhere between tourism and food and art\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Today, Old City wears many hats.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For some, it\u2019s a cheesesteak destination \u2013 between Campo\u2019s, Oh Brothers, Philly\u2019s Gourmet Steaks and Franklin Steak and Shakes, you can find many options within a block of each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Campo\u2019s on Market Street in Old City. (Emma Lee\/WHYY)<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s lots of places,\u201d said Mia Campo. \u201cI tell people to eat as many as they can when they\u2019re here, this way they could decide who\u2019s good, who\u2019s not good, and where to go when they\u2019re coming back. There\u2019s a lot of good ones.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another part is its natural history.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was this colonial era, when Market Street was High Street, which was the main thoroughfare of the city,\u201d said Burroughs. \u201cSo you have all of this, sort of, \u2018red brick history\u2019 colonial era stuff.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Burroughs explains there\u2019s a strong tourism industry as well, with souvenir shops offering goods such as Philly postcards, tiny Liberty Bells and presidential figurines.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"BoxBar offers fun and cute wedding-related gifts for bridal party needs and beyond. (Courtesy of the Old City District)<\/p>\n

\u201cThen interwoven into that is stores like The Book Trader, and we have a lot of antique stores and a lot of really quirky, artsy shops,\u201d Burroughs said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She added you can also find food, cafes and independent clothing stores and more in the neighborhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But, concerns remain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLandlords are asking too much for rent here, so we still have a lot of empty storefronts,\u201d Burmeister said. \u201cWe also actually had to put in a security grate again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Additionally, the pandemic affected the neighborhood\u2019s livelihood. Burroughs said many office workers did not return to work fully in person \u2013 meaning some lunchtime institutions without the usual lunch rush.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd increasingly during the pandemic, we saw an increase in the houseless population coming down, and also especially with drugs and drug users from Kensington coming down, and so there\u2019s just like a much larger population of people who need services that they don\u2019t have,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Campo\u2019s said the recent construction on Market Street also affected business.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to ride the wave,\u201d Mia Campo said. \u201cWe\u2019re at the bottom of the wave, and we got to get to the top.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"A sign announcing the upcoming construction, which starts on August 4 and runs through mid-November, as seen on July 26. The construction will close westbound Market Street from 2nd to 6th streets. (Davis Cuffe\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

But, there is still hope. Campo\u2019s remains a popular destination for cheesesteaks, and Shane Confectionery remains a staple candy and ice cream spot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Burroughs said Shane has some exciting projects on the horizon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c104 Market Street, which is our newest space, is both a private event space that you can book for ice cream parties or hot chocolate gatherings, and then we also are doing public events there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we\u2019ve started back up doing classes and workshops, so we\u2019re going to be having an ice cream molding workshop in August, and in July, Laurel\u2019s going to be doing a \u2018Talk and Taste\u2019 and an exploration of the history of man\u2019s quest for the perfect sweeteners.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And both businesses have come a long way since their beginnings many years ago. You can visit Campo\u2019s Cheesesteaks at 214 Market Street and Shane Confectionery at 110 Market Street.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Love Philly? So do we. Let\u2019s be friends. Sign up for the Billy Penn newsletter today. For, Mike…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":238296,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[4877,9233,79593,33255,94,13272,69,71,70,12516],"class_list":["post-238295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-arts","tag-cheesesteak","tag-city-guide","tag-franklin-fountain","tag-history","tag-old-city","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news","tag-small-businesses"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238295"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238295\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}