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Welcome to Phillips Emporium... your refuge from the rat race of daily life.
HOW PHILLIPS EMPORIUM & COFFEEHOUSE CAME TO BE
In May 1886, Helena Griffith's great grandmother, Mary Gross Phillips, purchased The Phillips Building at 10-12-14 East Main Street for $5,000. She opened Phillips Cafe and Phillips Boarding House. In about 1920, Ms. Phillips rented the commercial floor to
F.W. Woolworth, a fixture on Main Street until 1990. Helena fondly remembers shopping for the perfect diamond or emerald ring for all of 25 cents! The original wood floors remain beneath the linoleum and carpeting and remnants of the pressed-tin ceiling are reminders of an era when building codes were less particular.In 1990, Phillips Emporium opened to the public and later became the Phillips Emporium & Coffeehouse and the sole commercial occupant. The word "emporium" is from the Victorian era referring to a "marketplace." It is the perfect way to describe the varied selection of high-quality items sold at reasonable prices. The rooms upstairs originally rented to boarders, are now apartments for students of Bloomsburg University. The Phillips Emporium & Coffeehouse continues the vision and spirit of Phillips Cafe even as a meeting ground for cultural and political groups. Today the back half of the space has two stages where dancers, artists, and musicians, especially rock bands, enjoy performing before an attentive audience in a smoke-free environment. Welcome to Phillips Emporium & Coffeehouse! |
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| Phillips Emporium 10 East Main Street Bloomsburg, PA 17815 Proprietor: Helena Griffith |
Hours: | Summer 10am - 4pm Open later for special events |
Contact Us: | Tel: (570)387-8027 Fax: (570)387-8027 E-Mail: philsemp@aol.com |