Owner Ellen Yin said the landlord raised the rent by more than 50%. In October 2019, she negotiated a one-year deal, then three three-year deals to follow.
Related
“After one year, if we could handle the increase then we could continue one forward. And then the pandemic hit,” she said.
"My business partner, Eli Kulp, helped in 2014 — (High Street on Market) was the No. 2 best new restaurant in Bon Appétit magazine, and we've gotten tons of accolades. And our members — Alex Bois, Samantha Kincaid, Jon Nodler — have gone on to be very, very successful.”
They’re moving to a storefront a short walk away from Third and Market streets, though Yin is tight-lipped about the new location.
“We are reimagining ourselves to be Willy Wonka,” she said.
A post shared by High Street on Market (@highstphilly) on Sep 8, 2020 at 5:35am PDT
In true Wonka fashion, the new location will be wrapped inside Eclat chocolate bars, which will be sold at the cafe this weekend.
“One-hundred chocolate bars are going to have a golden ticket,” she explained, “and the golden tickets are going to announce our new location.”
They're also giving away prizes inside the chocolate bars.
“We'll be giving away a year subscription to our amazing bread,” said Yin.