Philly’s hottest DJ just opened an ice cream parlor under the El
Sweet 45, a new ice cream parlor and listening room in Kensington, mixes scoops with DJ sets, community vibes, and late-night parties under the El.
Around 10 p.m. on a recent Friday, echoes of Afrobeats and reggae spilled out of a building glowing neon red at Norris and Front Streets. Curious passersby wandered through the open double doors and found a DJ spinning records while people danced with cups of ice cream topped with caramelized sweet plantains and caviar.
It’s the scene Nashirah Felder envisioned when she got the keys to a long-vacant storefront at 2000 N. Front St. The address is now home to Sweet 45, a listening room and ice cream parlor that opened Sept. 5.
Weeks later, the new kid on the block is still creating a buzz — alcohol-free — under the El.
Open daily from 1 to 11 p.m. (starting at 3 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday), Sweet 45 offers flavors such as bourbon peach cobbler, salty caramel, and mango water ice, sourced from Pennsylvania businesses, including Hershey’s and Fred’s Water Ice. Housemade toppings include Scotch bonnet honey, candied ginger, and guava puree. Customers can enjoy scoops in cups or waffle cones while they listen to vinyls displayed on the walls in one corner or lounge on plush couches in another.
What sets Sweet 45 apart is the after-dark parties featuring local DJs.
Felder, also known as DJ Nash, is the founder of Interna$hional Bounce, a music-driven movement celebrating the sounds of the African diaspora through parties and dance workshops. The ice cream shop, she said, doubles as a hub for DJs to play and connect.
“There’s a million ice cream shops in the area and I was like, ‘how can I make this feel like a mini club, an extension of Interna$hional Bounce, but as a whole different business?’” she said. “So I meshed an ice cream shop with a listening room into Sweet 45.”
Philly’s DJ scene is community-based, Felder explained. In New York, promoters host parties and book DJs. In Philly, she said, DJs drive the scene and fans follow them.
“It’s really important building a community as a DJ in order to be successful [here],” she said. “I really wanted to incorporate being a DJ into [the shop] and having a space for me and my friends to do our thing.”
In the next couple of months, Felder plans to expand the menu to breakfast items (bagels, pastries, coffee/tea) and baked goods from local bakers (cookies, pies).
She also plans to host daytime DJ parties along with the current weekend lineup run by DJ Bobby Flowers, and use the basement of the building to host her Interna$hional Bounce parties. Folks will also be able to purchase records at the store.
“Whether you’re at my DJ sets or at the ice cream shop, you’re in a whole different world,” she said. “Everything else is on pause for a second, and you’re in a whole different vortex.”
Sweet 45
📍2000 N Front St, Philadelphia, Pa. 19122, 📷 @sweet45philly