Visit to Phoenixville

Visit to Phoenixville

9/5/2024

by Brian Coll

While an in depth comparison of Conshohocken and Phoenixville sounds like it would be great to explore, I’m not sure I have that much time on my hands. What we can look at it is a few important historical notes and then move on to how each borough is looking today.

Phoenixville was incorporated in 1849, while Conshohocken was 1850. So, while our sister borough of West Conshohocken is celebrating it’s sesquicentennial right now, Phoenixville is celebrating its 175th year while we look forward to that milestone in Conshohocken in 2025.

The two boroughs have similar paths from how we started to where we both are today. Phoenixville got its name from the Phoenix Iron Company. I would not have known that if my son and I didn’t watch a brief documentary while visiting the Phoenixville Foundry. My family and I have visited it over the years, my wife and I attended one of the most incredible weddings there (thank you Matt and Katie) a few years ago. This past Sunday my son and I were there to explore while my daughter was attending practice for an upcoming production of Annie at the Forge Theatre Company.

I’ll get back to the Foundry and the unique building it is, in the meantime, here is the Forge Theatre. It is located on a residential street and it was formerly an undertaker house. The folks at the theatre company did a wonderful job repurposing it for use as a community theatre. This is my daughters first experience there and we are loving it. A Plymouth Whitemarsh graduate named Kelly Fitzgerald is involved with the company, she and the other volunteers there do a wonderful job.

In between the Forge Theatre and exploring the Foundry we had lunch at the Great American Pub in Phoenixville. It is located in an old historic hotel. Lunch was great and so was the atmosphere. One of the cool things we noted was all of Bridge Street was shut down for the day. There wasn’t a festival or a parade or anything we could see. Upon further inspection, it seems that a couple blocks are closed to traffic all weekend long to encourage walking along and visiting the restaurants and shops. I’m not sure if this is year round, or seasonal, but it was cool.

The history of the foundry is exciting and lucky for us and you… here is a link to check it out. https://phoenixvillefoundry.com/then-now/

In short it was built in 1882, they poured steel there well into the 1970’s and the Phoenix Steel company closed in 1987. The building sat vacant for over a decade and through some private and local government channels the building was bought, restored and turned into the gem it is now, part historical museum, part event venue. The grounds around the building are beautiful and if you are visiting Phoenixville, a great place to start your day.

In recent years Conshohocken has displayed some unique artifacts of our industrial past at borough hall (4th and Fayette). The Foundry has a nice display for the public and it acts like a welcome center to visitors. There was a knowledgeable gentleman working there and taking time with folks as they came and went. My son and I watched a documentary in a small room and got to look at some artifacts. I kind of wish Conshohocken had a space like this. A traditional museum is a tough sell, but how they pulled this together in Phoenixville makes a lot of sense and brings a sense of pride to the community.

While Conshohocken and Phoenixville both have industrial pasts and deep ties to the production of steel, both boroughs being situated along the Schuylkill River helped shape their past and the thriving boroughs we have today.

While I am proud of what we have in Conshohocken and thankful for where it is today, there are a few things I was a little jealous of in Phoenixville. For one, the Colonial Theater. Conshohocken lost all of its movie houses over the years, Phoenixville still has theirs. I also noted what seemed like more small shops. Once again, I LOVE what we have in Conshohocken and I try to shop at Flocco’s, XTRA Boutique, Sanctuary Blu, The Artist’s Loft, Thirteen Circles, Conshohocken Party Supply. My wife and I are helping plan the Conshy Adult Prom (give the Facebook page a like and vote on what this years theme will be…. Barbie, Masquerade, Great Gatsby) when the time comes for the event, she’ll visit the ladies at La Bella Moda, or maybe see what the new store The Collective has to offer and find the right outfit for the event. Recently, we have framed a few things at Coll’s Custom Framing (our family business) and customers have wanted their finished pieces to look better when they give them as gifts and we send them up to Wrapping Papered, a new service and shop between 9th and 10th on Fayette.

I think I listed all of our non food related retail shops in about a half a paragraph. Even as recently as a few years ago it would have been an even shorter list. Let’s hope we can keep these shops and businesses in the borough. Moving back to Phoenixville, I saw a record shop, a little shop that only sold jerky, a couple places that seemed to put live music at the top of their signage. It seemed like there was more mom and pop type places. They were closer together, it was very walkable and exciting.

If you see a place pop up for sale or rent and want to take a chance on opening your own shop or store or unique service here in Conshohocken, go for it. We could use more brick and mortar shops to join the handful of stores that are having a END OF SUMMER SIDEWALK SALE ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 7th.

Here are a few photos we took on our walk around Phoenixville. For those of you who live there, forgive us, we didn’t get to spend too much time checking things out. I’ll be sure to visit again soon and hope to appreciate everything you have to offer.

While I still have you, there are 24 hours from the time I put publish until the raffle gets pulled for the Conshohocken Baseball & Softball League. Your support helps and is appreciated : https://go.rallyup.com/conshohocken-baseball-softball/Campaign/Details?fbclid=IwY2xjawFG-CZleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHXytneOlEfwbI4FLDxcsd2QYz1RB6VCRSLt2iqrnb359PYk_DMZ1RIJEZg_aem_4jQW_F2_x18yVxa-GTv-CQ

If you want to buy a paver and be a part of the batting cage for years to come, order your paver for you, your loved ones, former coaches and or teammates. Order here: https://4everbricks.com/donors/Conshohocken/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFG-O1leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHXhKEzgZj3aqlg0HJGYR2oiyq1aWKcwzXDqbFQ_kk0VIP7nI3lm_nuD16w_aem_NAIN8uK9ESh7pC12FkTtUA

Thank you for reading this, Phoenixville, we loved our trip. Can’t wait to get back and explore more. You have a beautiful borough and everyone we met and talked with was very kind. Thank you. Sorry I was only able to take a glance at your wonderful borough.