Archived photo (Selah Lynch/West Philly Local)

We have some news from the 5000 block of Baltimore Avenue. After a year of operation, Gush Gallery has closed its doors. Local artists Stephanie Slate and Sarah Thielke opened the interactive art gallery in August 2014 after months of fundraising through Indiegogo, but in the end it turned out to be very difficult to keep the business sustainable at that location.

Their former space at 5015 Baltimore Ave will not stay empty for long though: Snapdragon Flowers (Facebook page), a flower shop run by Cedar Park-based florists, is slated for October 2015 opening. Once open the shop will offer fresh and preserved floral arrangements, as well as gifts and cards with a botanical theme. There will be a couple of chances to learn more about Snapdragon Flowers and meet the owners at the upcoming Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll and Go West! Craft Fest at The Woodlands. 

As for Gush owners Slate and Thielke, here’s some good news despite their gallery closing. “We will be collaborating with Jinxed Store from now on,” the duo wrote in an email. They are hosting their first exhibition at Jinxed‘s Fishtown location with a small group show in October (see more here). By the way, word on the street is that Jinxed, the popular store selling vintage furniture and housewares and supporting local art and small businesses, is planning to open their sixth Philadelphia location on Baltimore Avenue this Fall. Once their West Philly location is up and running Slate and Thielke said they will be having openings and exhibitions there. Their second show is planned for November, hopefully at the West Philly store. We’ll keep you posted when we have more information.

And rounding up our Baltimore Avenue business news post, we cannot not mention the new t-shirts VIX Emporium has recently got in their stock. With all the hype and stress for many residents stemming from Pope Francis’s visit to Philadelphia on Sept. 26-27, “Frankie Say Relax” tees, which are printed locally on organic cotton, may be something you need. The t-shirts are available online or at VIX’s store at 5009 Baltimore Ave.

Photo courtesy VIX Emporium.