A large Wine and Spirits Store is coming to the corner of 43rd and Chestnut, replacing an adult video store and check cashing spot.

The Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) voted 3-1 to approve the proposed store, which had drawn support from many neighborhood residents and opposition from others, mostly Muslims who live near the location or worship at a nearby mosque.

A timeline for the 5,000-square-foot store’s opening is not yet available. Renovations could begin as early as August when the check cashing establishment’s lease runs out. The video store, Risque Video, is on month-to-month lease. An initial 10-year lease for the Wine and Spirits Store has been proposed. The store will be open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and closed on Sundays, according to the proposal.

The ZBA’s decision reverses a denial of the proposal in April and follows a special hearing last week that included more public input.

The Wine and Spirits Store at 4301 Chestnut St. will be a a “premium collection” store similar to the ones near 12th and Chestnut and 19th and Chestnut, which feature a broader selection of products than other stores and do not sell small package items such as pints and half pints. This will be the first premium store in West Philadelphia.

Stipulations in the proposal include increased security around the store.

The 4400 block of Chestnut Street is developing a nice inexpensive African/Middle Eastern restaurant scene. The northwestern bookend of the block is the Pakistani kabob spot Wah-Gi-Wah (“spectacular” in Punjabi). The block’s culinary fulcrum is the Ethiopian cafe and restaurant Kaffa Crossing and now on the eastern end of the block is Al-Khartoum Echo Restaurant, a recently opened Sudanese joint.

Al Khartoum maintains the block’s reputation as a solid place to go for inexpensive curry (lamb or chicken, $5.99), shish tawook ($6.99) and kufta ($6.99), but the more adventurous might dip into the Sudanese fare. Examples include molokhia, a stew like dish made from molokhia leaves and a generous amount of herbs and spices usually served over a bed or rice ($5.99).

It appears that there are several options for vegetarians, including staples such as falafel and okra, but you’re advised to ask about most dishes, because many use a meat stock.

Another restaurant, which looks like it will specialize in gyros, appears close to opening next door to Al Khartoum, so the food choices on this little stretch of Chestnut will likely grow even more this summer. Maybe some day it will get its own “stroll.”