The Garden District of Philadelphia, Chestnut Hill
Written by: Georgia Forjohn
A look at some of the avenue’s shops and community members
A short 25-minute train ride on Chestnut Hill East or West Line from 30th Street station lies Chestnut Hill. Deemed the garden district of Philadelphia, Chestnut Hill incorporates a perfect mix of city and suburbs. Cobblestone streets run up Germantown Avenue, the main street lined with shops and restaurants. Historic buildings and houses lie on the picturesque side streets, ideal for an afternoon stroll. With its beautiful verdant scenery, Chestnut Hill is the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of downtown Philly. The tight-knit, hardworking community members and business owners create a warm and inviting atmosphere through beautiful window displays and lively greenery.
Susanna Forjohn | owner of Quelque Chose
On winter nights, people stop and gaze with awe at the elegant spectacle that fills the windows at Quelque Chose, a fashionable and colorful women’s boutique. Standing before Germantown Avenue, a devastatingly stylish Cruella Deville-inspired mannequin wears a handsewn crimson silk gown, spotted fur coat, and a black and white wig.
Next to the striking figure stand two metal reindeer, white with black spots, their red leashes leading back up to Cruella’s matching silk gloves. The window oozes drama and extravagance, and the owner has once again outdone herself.
Susanna Forjohn opened her boutique in 1994, at the age of 25, with a vision to bring her bright colors and fun style to Chestnut Hill. Being in the retail business for over 28 years has been challenging, especially with the increased popularity of online shopping. Still, Forjohn finds a way to stay afloat. “It’s hard,” she says, “trying to stay relevant as a small business in a tech-savvy world is not what I signed up for when I opened. But I love what I do, so I push forward and find ways to make it work.”
In the Spring of 2020, the store closed its doors for three months due to the pandemic. It was this closure, Forjohn explains, that motivated her to innovate her business purely out of necessity to survive. With the brick-and-mortar location temporarily closed, Forjohn invested in launching an official eCommerce website. Over the months of lockdown, she singlehandedly created a website, an inventory system, and an e-commerce system for her products that she could share via social media. This step, Forjohn noted, launched the store into the 21st Century, altogether evolving how she does business. Over the last two years, the transformation of her business enabled her to receive more recognition nationally, with orders from Florida to California.
Even though Forjohn has had to grow and adapt her business, she expressed that aspects of her business will never change, primarily during the holiday season. A busy time for the industry as customers begin looking for the perfect holiday gifts for their loved ones, Forjohn makes the most out of it. Recruiting her family to work alongside her when they can, they run a smooth operation and enjoy the thrill of a faster-paced work environment. With her children, husband, and friends by her side, they all work hard to help make their customers’ holiday shopping as effortless as possible. Additionally, every year the Quelque Chose team creates a unique window display that elicits excitement from the community.
“This is my favorite thing about my job,” Forjohn admits. “There is always something so magical about seeing the local children look up in wonder at those windows. To them, it is like a window to a different world, and they get lost in the glamor of it all.”
“Everyone deserves to feel a sense of wonder, especially around the holidays, and that is what I try to do,” explained ForJohn as she hopes to encourage more visitors during the holidays. These extravagant windows take months of planning, and brainstorming is usually done as early in the year as July to ensure that all decor is ready in time. Forjohn usually makes the costumes by hand and finds props that help her elevate the storytelling experience. Past years have included dresses made of Christmas tree branches, a circus trapeze artist on a swing, and a ballgown with a light-up skirt.
Her favorite window was in 2019 when she made a floor-length, strapless evening gown out of lime green fur to celebrate the well-known Christmas cartoon, The Grinch. Her mannequin was a small Cindy-Lou Who, the Grinch’s trusty pup Max, and a bag full of stolen presents. Forjohn always uses props to elevate the storytelling. “You would not believe how many people came in and asked if they could purchase that green dress,” she remarks with a smirk.
With an emphasis on creating an exciting experience for all who visit, Quelque Chose remains one of the most popular shops on the avenue. Forjohn works hard to create an environment that makes people happy, no matter what time of the year.
What will this holiday season bring to the window at Quelque Chose? Well, we have to wait and see. So see for yourself as you enjoy all Chestnut Hill offers during the Holiday season.
Voltaire Blain | owner of Style by Blain and president of the CH Business Association
Voltaire Blain, known as the president of the avenue, is the style icon of Chestnut Hill. His typical work outfit includes a jacket and a button-down, complemented by tailored slacks. His eye-catching style is admirable by everyone on the avenue. Every day, Blain walks to work, drawing smiles from passersby who are blessed by the presence of his impeccable swagger.
Blain is the owner and proprietor of the shop Style by Blain, known for its beautiful Italian shoes. From Alden to Girling, Style by Blain has a wide variety of shoes that can make anyone feel like a million bucks. He wants his customers to feel confident in what they wear, just as he does. Knowing all he does about footwear, he even started designing his line manufactured in Italy. He explained his concept when designing shoes is to create footwear that somebody can wear with many different outfits, be it a suit, jeans, or chinos. His business mainly caters to gentlemen, but he does have a few unisex styles on his shelves.
For Blain, this business is about more than sales; it is about passion. Born in Haiti, Blain moved to New York when he was 15. He spent most of his early years working in Manhattan, where he became the manager and buyer for a shoe shop in the city. While he agrees he learned a lot about style from his time in New York, he explains that his inspiration for dressing comes from his upbringing. Blain’s first exposure to fashion was watching his dad, uncles, and older cousins dress up. However, it was always essential for him to add his spin, “If I try to do exactly what someone else is doing, I don’t think I am being myself.” Throughout his life, he has learned that fashion is vital to how he expresses himself.
“Fashion is a form of art. We are a blank canvas, and whenever we put something on, it’s just showing the artist’s side of us.” Going beyond that, Blain explains that for him, style is self-care. “When you take time and put something nice on, it is also self-care, “he explains. “Look good, smell good, feel good. Dress for success.”
Blain’s business allows him to mix his two passions: dressing and helping people. He sets out to make every customer feel confident in what they wear, specifically through shoes. In his opinion, shoes can change an entire outfit. For example, he explains that when he wears his shoes with jeans, no one notices he is dressing casually because the shoes elevate the ensemble.
The shop has comfortable armchairs, carpets, art, and a pool table. What differentiates him from other shoe stores is his unique business model. Style by Blain has a lounge where customers can sit and enjoy a drink after a purchase. Blain explains that he likes to close out a sale by “enjoying life,” so he always offers something from his liquor cabinet. His shop is reminiscent of a French salon, where people gather to drink and talk for hours. Blain loves talking to people and understands that there are valuable lessons he can learn from his exchanges with customers. During our interview, he remarked that there is “always going to be someone we can learn something from. We just have to be open to it.” Not only does this model help give customers a unique experience, but it also helps build trust with his clients. His focus on listening and being genuine is apparent.
“Whether they realize it or not, all salesmen are kind of therapists because people are always telling you their problems. Sometimes they just want someone to listen, and sometimes we figure out how to solve them together.” Additionally, it is essential to him that customers know that they don’t have to purchase to enjoy the Style by Blain experience.
In terms of his selection of shoes, his product is on the pricier end, but the quality is unmatched. The caliber of his shoes is exceptional. He caters to those looking for investment pieces to last them a lifetime. His shoes are durable and not disposable. One of his clients had a pair of Aldens for 30 years. When someone can hold onto a pair of shoes that long, it shows how important investing in the right pieces can be. While this may not be a popular opinion amongst the younger generations, Blain has younger customers who care deeply about quality. Young people who love quality, he explains, are “what keeps me going!”
Beyond running his shop, Blain is a valuable member of the community. He is the first black president of the Chestnut Hill Business Association. When asked about this, Blain said, “I just happen to be that guy. It could’ve been others who didn’t have the chance or maybe the confidence.” His goal is to share the joy he has found in Chestnut Hill with others. He wants the avenue to be a recognized “part of Philly where people can come and have a good time, walk around and shop with us and positively impact that person’s life. A place like this, like Chestnut Hill, is therapeutic.” In addition, he’d like to see more high-quality shops in the area that allow for a level of destination shopping.
Overall, Blain is a priceless addition to the Chestnut Hill community and brings a lot to the table regarding his philosophy. His authenticity, combined with his care for others, has allowed him to become a community pillar. So next time you’re in the area, keep an eye out for the most stylish man on the avenue, or better yet, pop into Style by Blain to enjoy all he has to offer.
