The Modern Republic Philadelphia

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Bronwyn from Philadelphia

I moved to Philadelphia when I was 18 to study filmmaking and fell in love with ...

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The Modern Republic, a midcentury modern home decor shop recently opened by long-time friends Kenya Abdul Hadi and Steven Brown on Girard Ave in North Philly is a colorful, ebullient and very large, high-ceilinged space filled with tastefully curated and thoughtfully placed furniture, lamps, pottery, paintings and rugs from (mostly) midcentury.

After welcoming me to browse the first-floor space – I admired a set of ’70s Italian red and metal dining chairs with woven seats so co-owner Steve Brown brought one down for me to sit in (surprisingly comfortable) – he escorted me down to a huge basement showroom where many items were organized on shelves by eye-pleasing colors. He explained that the basement space housed mostly vintage art (I noted a piece by Peter Gee) while upstairs art, for the most part, is more recent and done by local artists.

A modern republic, by definition, is a place where sovereignty rests with the people, and a big goal of Abdul Hadi and Brown is to uplift. As successful African-American males who grew up in “rough” neighborhoods in Philly, they intentionally chose a space in North Philly as they are aware that the area is typically associated with drugs, guns, crime and poverty and they wanted to offer something of beauty – vibrant works of abstract modern art, leather chairs and cool lighting. A small piece of pottery spoke to me and I took it home for $26. It looks lovely on my hall table.

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Bronwyn from Philadelphia

Bronwyn Lepore photo

I moved to Philadelphia when I was 18 to study filmmaking and fell in love with ...

Read all articles

Details about this spot

Categories

Address

1600 West Girard Ave , Philadelphia

Opening Times

Fri 10:00 - 18:00, Sat - Sun 10:00 - 18:00

Price

Danish Rocker: USD 1600

Website

Last Changed Date: 2016-05-19 11:45:13 +0200 (Thu, 19 May 2016)