By the Numbers: The 2025 Retail Report Just Dropped & Rittenhouse Showed Up

Center City District’s annual retail report and the data confirmed why almost half of all new businesses came straight to Rittenhouse.

The Center City District just released its annual retail report for 2025, and if you’re a Rittenhouse resident (or aspiring to be), the numbers paint a pretty compelling picture of what’s happening in the neighborhood right now. Between the new storefronts popping up, the pedestrian traffic flowing through, and some seriously impressive dining accolades, 2025 has been quite the year.

Let’s break down what the data actually means for our daily routine, weekend plans, and why the neighborhood keeps attracting the kind of attention usually reserved for Taylor Swift concert tickets.

The New Business Boom

Here’s the headline stat: of the 130+ new businesses that opened across Center City in 2025, roughly 50 of them chose Rittenhouse as home base. That’s nearly 40% of all new openings happening in one neighborhood.

Think about what that means on a practical level—more coffee shops for your morning routine, more dinner options when you can’t decide where to eat, more places to grab those last-minute gifts you definitely didn’t forget about until today.

What’s Actually Opening?

Food and beverage spots, clothing boutiques, and personal services—salons, spas, fitness studios—led the charge. It makes sense when you think about it: the neighborhood’s residential population keeps growing, and people want to actually live here, not just sleep here between trips to the suburbs.

You could say the neighborhood is having a glow-up—literally, if you count new spa openings like
Daya Aesthetics and Urban Oasis…

When Major Brands Come Knocking

Some of the most buzz-worthy openings this year happened right here. We’re not talking about another chain that’s on every corner—these are the stores that make people genuinely excited:

Abercrombie & Fitch 📍1702 Walnut St (yes, they’re back, and no, it’s nothing like you remember from high school)
Aritzia 📍1725 Walnut St (the luxury womenswear brand people waited years to see open here)
Borromini 📍1805–09 Walnut St (Stephen Starr doing what he does best)
Equinox 📍1911 Walnut St (premium fitness for the “workout is a lifestyle” crowd)
Jordan World of Flight 📍1617 Walnut St (Nike’s exclusive Jordan concept—their first in North America, and they chose Philly)

That last one deserves extra attention. When Nike decides to launch an exclusive brand concept and picks Philadelphia, that’s not just a store opening. That’s a statement.

The Foot Traffic Story

Let’s talk about what makes a shopping district actually work: people. Lots of them. Walking around. Rittenhouse has the numbers to back up the hype:

46,129 daily pedestrians (up 9% from last year)
62,563 residents within a 15-minute walk
8,252 households earning $200K+ in that same radius
ZIP code 19103 ranks as the 10th wealthiest in the country

But here’s what makes it interesting: Rittenhouse sees its highest pedestrian activity on weekday evenings. While some shopping districts wind down after office hours, this neighborhood is just getting started. Happy hour energy translating to retail energy? We’re here for it.

The Experiment That Worked

Remember when they started closing Walnut Street to cars on select Sundays? Turns out it wasn’t just a nice idea—it was backed by some pretty compelling data:

10,000+ average attendees per Open Streets event
39% higher business sales compared to typical Sundays
65% more foot traffic for participating businesses

The math is simple: give people space to walk, browse, and linger without dodging traffic, and they’ll actually shop. The program is expanding in 2026, which means more Sundays where we can all stroll down the middle of Walnut Street with our coffee, families, dogs, and friends. Pure fun.

The Wish List

Every time the Center City District surveys shoppers, the same question comes up: what would make you stop driving to the suburbs? The answers are pretty consistent.

Top 5 Most Requested Brands:

Zara (this one comes up… a lot)
Nordstrom (the department store conversation continues)
Bloomingdale’s (see above)
Mango (Zara’s cousin, basically)
Crate & Barrel (because apartment furniture shouldn’t require a road trip)

The “Please Come Here” List:

Shoppers also mentioned brands they’d love to see, including:

Alice + Olivia
Arc’teryx
Club Monaco
Everlane
Patagonia
Ralph Lauren
Vineyard Vines
Untuckit

The interesting thing? Several of these brands used to have Rittenhouse locations. So it’s less “please discover us” and more “we miss you, come back.”

The Michelin Moment

In May 2025, the Michelin Guide finally expanded to Philadelphia. And when the stars were awarded in November, Rittenhouse showed up with receipts.

Michelin One-Star Restaurants:

Friday Saturday Sunday 📍261 S. 21st St
Her Place Supper Club 📍1740 Sansom St

Michelin Selected Restaurants:

Vernick Food & Drink 📍2031 Walnut St
My Loup 📍2005 Walnut St
Little Water 📍261 S. 20th St

Bib Gourmand Winners (“Good Food at Great Value”):

Sally 📍2229 Spruce St
Dizengoff 📍1625 Sansom St

This isn’t just about prestige (though, let’s be honest, it doesn’t hurt). It’s validation that the neighborhood’s dining scene has reached a level where international critics are paying attention. When you can walk to a Michelin-starred restaurant from your apartment, you’re doing something right.

What Does All This Actually Mean?

Retail reports can be dense and full of jargon, but strip away the business-speak and the story is pretty straightforward: Rittenhouse is growing in ways that make it more livable, more walkable, and more interesting.

The combination of new residents moving in, major brands opening up, dining options earning serious recognition, and streets designed for people (not just cars) creates the kind of neighborhood where you actually want to spend time.

Is it perfect? No. People still want more grocery options, more furniture stores, and Zara (obviously). But the trajectory is clear: this is a neighborhood that’s figuring out how to grow while keeping what makes it special.

Looking Ahead

The 2026 pipeline already includes 35 officially announced new businesses, with several still under wraps. Open Streets is expanding. The Michelin Guide will return for another round of reviews. And somewhere, hopefully, another luxury fitness concept is scouting locations.

For residents, this all translates to more options, more convenience, and fewer reasons to fire up Google Maps for a suburban run. For the neighborhood, it’s continued momentum in knowing that others also see what we see when we walk around: That Rittenhouse is a pretty darn good place to be.

Now if we could just get that Zara…

👉 You can see the full Center City District report here.