Edgewood Avenue No Longer on the Edge of Development

Theatre Block

The area anchored by Murray Hill Theatre has seen an influx in new business openings within the past five years. Here is a look at some of these new institutions.

Originally opened as a cinema house to great fanfare in 1949 due to its air conditioning, crying room and slide back seats, the Murray Hill Theatre is the community’s only locally designated historic landmark. The building last operated as a movie theatre in 1993.

In 1995 Tony Nasrallah purchased and renovated the building, formed a 501© non-profit under the name Murray Hill Ministries, and now operates the venue as the nation’s premier, all-ages, Christian rock performance space.

Nasrallah owns nearly the entire block of storefronts immediately surrounding the Murray Hill Theatre, and is seen as the modern-day visionary behind Edgewood Avenue’s resurgence.

Opened in 2014 in the former Murray Hill Grill location, Bella Vita Pizzeria is a family-style restaurant serving pizza, pasta, subs and wings.

Opened since 1948, Dreamette is an old-time ice cream shop and neighborhood institution near the intersection of Post Street and Edgewood Avenue. Like their soon-to-be neighbor French Pantry, Dreamette garners a nationwide following that flocks to Murray Hill to enjoy their old-fashioned soft-serve ice cream, milkshakes, floats and sundaes.

Image Credit: Vagabond Coffee

Beginning as a mobile vendor in 2014, Will and Samantha Morgan cut their teeth with Vagabond Coffee Company by popping up at various events around town like Jaxsons Night Market as well as operating a coffee kiosk in Hemming Park (that is still in operation today).

In 2015, the couple opened a brick and mortar location serving coffee, tea, pastries and charcuterie adjacent to Murray Hill Theatre. Since opening, the operation has expanded to include a roastery that has enabled Vagabond to sell its own products on a wholesale and retail level.

Image Credit: Mockshop Music Exchange

After working across the street at Vagabond Coffee, Jack Mock had a bird’s eye view of the changes coming along Edgewood Avenue. One empty storefront framed perfectly within the window of the coffee shop caught his eye, Eventually, he took possession of that space and plugged into the entrepreneurial world by opening Mockshop Music Exchange- selling boutique effects, guitars, and amplifiers.

Meredith Walthour opened Kayla Mill Boutique $ Salon in 2013. Billed as a ‘one-stop glam shop’, the business is a women’s apparel and accessories boutique and hair salon adjacent to the soon-to-be-open La Cena restaurant.

Across The Street is a bar and live music venue opened in 2014. Small’s Pharmacy once operated in this space. Long-time Murray Hill residents say that Small’s served as a model for a shop on Main Street at Walt Disney World.