THE TERMINAL, A FIVE-BLOCK-LONG SHOPPING AND RESTAURANT COMPLEX IN THE STRIP DISTRICT | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

Activities in the Strip District just keep growing and growing.

According to the newest “State of the Strip District 2025” report, released July 31 by Strip District Neighbors, this historic neighborhood logged more than an additional 1 million visits to its shops, restaurants, businesses and streets in 2024 — for a total of 8.6 million visits compared with 7.49 million in 2023.

At the same time, the number of residents living in the Strip — 3,242 — remained steady from 2023, although that figure represents a 319% increase from the number in 2015. But a big spurt is coming: there are another 524 units under construction and 1,985 units planned in coming years.

This is the fifth year that the Strip District Neighbors has put out this report, which serves as a way of tracking growth to use as planning and advocacy tools, said Pamela Austin, president and board chair of the organization, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting economic development and high quality life while preserving the historic nature of the area.

Was Austin surprised about the large increase in visits? “No,” she says. “I live in the neighborhood and just walking past The Terminal all the time on weekends [and seeing more people.], and we’ve had festivals and we’ve been opening more retail.

“So I’m not totally shocked about it,” she says. “I’m happy because that feeds the hotels, that feeds the restaurants, it’s a good thing, right?”

During the previous reporting time in 2023, there was an increase of 500,000 visits.

SIDEWALK ACTIVITIES OFTEN KEEP THE TERMINAL AREA VIBRANT ON THE WEEKENDS | PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

Retail business growth also has been steady: There were 13 new businesses added between July 2024 and June 2025, compared with 11 during the same period in the 2024 report. Several of the latest ones joined The Terminal — the five-block-long retail/restaurant strip on Smallman Street: Shake Shack, Clean Your Dirty Face, Heiber’s Pharmacy. PetVet 365, Steel City and Sephora.

Among other new businesses are the Smile Warehouse, a dental office on 28th Street; the Dog Penn, an off-leash dog park bar on Penn Avenue near 26th Street; and Aruba Island Bowls, which expanded from its food truck to a building at the corner of 16th Street and Penn Avenue. MindFuel Method, a wellness center, opened on Smallman, across the street from The Terminal.

There are several new stores on the way, including Design Within Reach, a global furniture retailer showcasing modern design from premium brands; Orr’s Jewelers to Smallman Street across from The Terminal;  and Isaly’s to Penn Avenue.

At the same time, seven businesses closed. Among these were Soluna (which quickly got replaced by Aruba Island Bowls at the 16th Street Bridge), and Cioppino and Osteria 2350, sister restaurants that closed at the end of 2024 on Railroad Street across from the Cork Factory; another location of Atria’s as well as Juniper Grill are slated to replace them.

The report notes that Klavon’s, the old-fashioned ice-cream parlor that originally opened in 1923 at 2801 Penn Ave., was purchased in 2024 and recently used as a production site. It is currently “inactive,” with its future as an ice-cream parlor “uncertain.”

NEW BUSINESSES ARE JOINING A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH PLENTY OF HISTORIC BUSINESSES, LIKE ROBERT WHOLEY CO., WHICH OPENED IN 1912 | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

For housing, average rents inched up or even dropped slightly for one-bedroom units in 2024 from 2023. In 2024, average rents for a studio was $1,636 (compared with $1,632 in 2023); one-bedroom: $1,906 (compared with $1,989 in 2023); and two-bedroom:$2,667 (compared with $2.401 in 2023).

Austin said much of the recent growth and building are occurring on the Lawrenceville end of the Strip District where there is more available property. And beyond Robotics Row and other high-tech businesses, the Strip is seeing an influx of financial services like banking and insurance companies moving in from other parts of the city.

“I think that’s part of that whole flight to quality…Where are your employees going to be happy?” she says. “They want to be in a neighborhood where they can on their lunch hour, go and grab some groceries and afterward visit a local restaurant or bar or ride a bike and feel comfortable walking around and have amenities that are both in the building and in the neighborhood.”

Certainly with growth comes challenges, with changes in traffic patterns and available parking drawing concerns. One of the large public surface parking lots at 21st and Smallman streets, for example — which is often filled particularly on Saturday mornings — is slated to be developed into Brickworks apartment complex.

“It’s exactly a topic that we’re looking at,” Austin says, “Right now we’re trying to do more education to make sure people know where the spots are, that they know the bus stops. There are a lot of garages that are underutilized.”

Among these are The Hub at 3 Crossings on 27th Street near Cinderlands Warehouse and The Hive on 28th Street, although both are a little bit of a walk from the Strip’s main shopping areas.

Her organization also has been reviewing a Strip mobility plan that the city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure put together several years ago that explores options like shared parking solutions. This would involve garages in private residential or office complexes opening up their garages to the public at times when there are a lot of open spots. But for security reasons, many are not willing to do that.

Strip District Neighbors offers resources on its website to help visitors find parking, including offering live data through Parkopedia on the number of open spaces at any given time at certain garages and lots.

Despite these issues, people keep coming.

Says Austin: “A lot of people are choosing the Strip District because it is a really nice, comfortable place.”