A florist’s fixer-upper in Port Richmond
The rowhouse Hadassah Stoltzfus bought in 2022 was lacking charm. Now it has character in every corner.
Event florist Hadassah Stoltzfus was renting in West Philly as she searched for a home in Philadelphia where she could create a home studio space.
“I’d been scouring listings for off-street parking for my flower van and was beginning to think it was out of reach given my budget when this home popped on the market,” said Stoltzfus.
Her price point and the available inventory led to Port Richmond, where she found the rowhouse that would become her home. It did not have much charm, she recalled, but it had one key attribute.
“The attached carport sold me,” she said. “Having a secure place to keep my van so close to my studio is invaluable.”
Raised about an hour west of Philadelphia, Stoltzfus had frequently traveled to Philadelphia for work as a wedding florist. She moved to West Philly initially because of a roommate connection.
“After a year, I was sold on the city, with its impeccable food scene, access to the arts,” Stoltzfus said. “West Philly was a lovely introduction to the city. It’s so green, which makes my florist heart happy.”
But her house hunt ultimately brought her to Port Richmond in 2022. That summer, she went to work tearing things out and doing much of the early renovation tasks herself.
“I was filling up my flower van multiple times with layers of old flooring, drop-ceiling tiles, fake wood wall paneling, old kitchen cabinets, and more. I had no experience in home renovations, and the process was quite stretching,” she said.
But she got some help along the way, particularly from her father.
“My dad is a whiz with all things woodworking and home-finishing and I knew he would bail me out,” Stoltzfus said. “Without him I would have been very unlikely to buy a fixer-upper.”
As she tore out the excess, she saw that the bones of the house featured design elements like exposed beams, brick, and hardwood floors.
Her parents made frequent day trips to help paint, finish trim, and install new cabinets.
“My dad made a custom kitchen, and it’s my favorite part of the house,” she said. It’s small, but efficient.
Tiling was one of her favorite renovation projects, as she made the ceramic tiles for the kitchen backsplash and entryway floor.
In the house’s small entry vestibule she went “full maximalist” with a floral pattern on the upper walls, dark green paint on the lower half and trim, and handmade tiles on the floor. “I felt I could go bold without overwhelming the rest of the house,” she said.
The living room and dining area have an open floor plan, providing versatility for large dinner parties and the like. Stoltzfus sets up a long table that stretches across the two rooms.
Her studio is set at the back of the house. She scored a spiral staircase on Facebook Marketplace, which her father installed in the studio, ascending to a loft area and carport roof access. The project turned out to be a bit tricky given tight space.
In the main part of the house, a regular staircase goes to the second floor where there are three bedrooms: one for Stoltzfus, a second for her cousin who rents, and a spare for guests.
The outside space is another opportunity for Stoltzfus to express her creativity.
“I’m forever adding pots and planters and by midsummer, it’s a lush hangout spot,” she said. She added a walk-in cooler for flowers at the end of her carport, with help from a cousin who is a contractor, who also did work on the studio.
As the home renovation took shape, decorating was especially rewarding.
“I was most excited about the wallpaper picking and vintage furniture sourcing, and I had my mood boards ready to go, but there was a lot of grimy work before I could get to that part,” Stoltzfus recalled.
She said her style is vintage eclectic.
“This means most things are old and thrifted but not contained to a specific decade,” Stoltzfus explained. She searches thrift stores for art to hang on the walls, she said, and she’s painted murals on some of the walls and ceilings.
“My parents used to own a used furniture store but were closing it down and moving to the next stage of retirement around the time I was furnishing my home. I’d pay them a visit and haul out furniture with impunity.”
Scouring Facebook Marketplace and making stops at Thunderbird Salvage rounded out the decor. She gravitated toward greens for a color scheme.
The home’s exterior was tan and gray when she bought it, “two colors that I find incredibly uninspiring, particularly in tandem,” said Stoltzfus.
While she “played it safe” with a pearl-white on the exterior, the trim is green, tying into the rest of the house.
“I love a pop of color or a bold print here and there,” she said.
After moving across the city and getting settled in, she’s found that she loves the neighborhood where she landed in Port Richmond. Some of her neighbors have been there for decades, she said.
“I have neighbors who have patched my tires, replaced my car battery, collected countless packages from my stoop, brought me dinner, and generally kept an eye out for me,” she said. “In return, I keep people supplied with leftover wedding flowers.”
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