Chinatown closings: Wawa, Simply Shabu
Wawa says it is looking in the neighborhood for a new store.
Two Chinatown businesses buttoned up over the weekend.
The long-time Wawa store at 11th and Arch Street fell victim to what a note on the door said were "circumstances beyond our control." Spokeswoman Lori Bruce said the company hopes to find a new location in the area, whose convenience-store quotient is now scant. (In a side note: Bruce said Wawa hopes to begin construction on the new store at Broad and Walnut Streets in late June or early July with the goal to open in November.) As for 11th and Arch, rumors abound. No new lease has been signed, said broker Jason Winig.
Around the corner, Simply Shabu (1023 Cherry St.) has served its last locally sourced, healthfully prepared hot pot after nearly a year and a half.
Lacking a liquor license and located on a backstreet, Simply Shabu simply had two strikes against it, despite a two-bell Craig LaBan review.