Rodeo East

Joan Shepp's only the beginning, say promoters of Walnut Street's upscale retail.

Still Life With Hats: Joan Shepp is anxious about upscale retail on Walnut Street.

photo: Jay Matsueda

On a recent day, with her wavy auburn hair stuffed under a black baseball cap emblazoned with the words "Mindy's Team" (in support of a friend who ran the New York Marathon), and wearing a Yohji Yamamoto skirt and a black velvet jacket handmade for her by a Belgian designer, Joan Shepp is both stylish and unpretentious—not unlike her new clothing boutique. With a gala opening on March 24 attended by throngs of the fashionable, some of whom waited outside the packed store to get in, Shepp's eponymous Walnut Street shop was christened by the omnipresent mayor and seemed to be causing a minor sensation even a week later, with neighboring shopkeepers coming to gawk at her window.

The former flower shop at 1616 Walnut is indeed an impressive space. "I had just moved to the Rittenhouse area," Shepp says, as she pushes one of her rolling clothes racks around the floor. "I saw the Art Deco trim around the window and the height of the ceilings and I thought it would be an incredible space."

Unique to Walnut Street, the store has the expanse and atmosphere of a SoHo loft. Downstairs, Shepp features everything from Body & Soul cosmetics and cotton T-shirts to designer togs by Yohji Yamamoto and Dries Van Noten. Upstairs is formal attire and some of her own private label's sweaters. Not satisfied with her arrangement of the store, Shepp pushes a bewheeled couch to a new spot and motions for a guest to sit, mentioning that "everything in the store is for sale," including the furniture, antique rugs and fixtures. Shepp herself doesn't sit for long, jumping up to chat with customers and well-wishers or to suggest an outfit to a browsing shopper.

Though she is new to the Rittenhouse area, Shepp is no newcomer to the retail business. Her store in Elkins Park has long been a destination for local clotheshorses. Yet her Walnut Street store does seem to embody a nascent energy on the street.

Ann Gitter, co-owner of Knit Wit, which sells such designers as Alberto Ferretti and MaxMara, says she welcomes Shepp to the area and doesn't view her as competition. "I don't think [Shepp's store] will affect my business at all," Gitter says. "What I'm really excited about is what's going on on Walnut Street. Joan is just one player."

Gitter's partner, Don Davidow, is also president of Rittenhouse Row, an organization of area restaurants and retailers. He explains that Rittenhouse Row has been working with the city and the Rittenhouse Square residents' association to have input into what retailers will open on Walnut Street, and has hired local KB Consultants to coordinate their efforts. His organization believes there is a glut of restaurants and banks on the street, so they are looking for upscale retailers.

Here's what's in the works. New and soon-to-arrive businesses on Walnut Street include recently opened clothing store Bebe; upscale SoHo bathroom fixtures emporium Waterworks, which has a signed lease for 18th and Walnut; Williams-Sonoma, opening this summer in the former Rizzoli Books location; and Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters' more upscale vendor, which will take over UO's space off the Square. Some definite maybes are Kenneth Cole, which is considering a location at 15th and Walnut and MAC cosmetics, which is looking into a spot at 16th and Walnut. Both Prada and Armani Emporium have made inquiries about spaces in the area.

Shepp says she is excited by the plans for other retailers on the street. "We have to be supportive of each other," she says. "The more stores there are, the more people will come into the city to shop. If you have to pay $11 or $13 for parking, you have to have somewhere to go."

Judging by the warm embrace Shepp's store has received, Philadelphia just may be ready for a little L.A. or New York-style glamour. Davidow says, "We're anxious for us to have our little Rodeo Drive on Walnut Street."