PHILADELPHIA, PA: Sunday Girl, known as “The Happiest Place on Third” to some, and to others one of Old City’s newest coffee shops with a lot of personality, is speaking up once again – and this time through public art.
Owner and operator, Becca Grites, partnered with local artist and muralist, Lili Razi, to make Sunday Girl’s iconic pink step a permanent piece of art history for the city. The original vision for the step was for marketing, Grites admits, but also to celebrate the café’s welcoming nature in the community, showcasing unique attributes like the signature sun, and the dogs who are part of its story (like ChiChi and Benny). After Razi’s final draft for the mural, they both realized the piece meant even more than all that.
“Now that Sunday Girl has been open for nearly 18 months, this corner has become a lot more than just a place to get coffee. We have created a strong community; we are known as an inclusive, safe place where folx can come for a warm welcome, friendly conversation, and of course to pet a dog or two – in a phrase: get happy,” says Grites.
It was with this thinking that the lightbulb went off in regard to the mural: a bright pink step with cartoons of local pups, dancing coffee cups, smiley faces, and the shop’s signature Sunshine Chai. These things are not just what one encounters inside Sunday Girl that creates joy – it’s the art in all of them. Razi brought this joy to life, and without any Sunday Girl branding at all, this joy now lives at Third and Vine.
“I am so proud of this piece, and thrilled to have it in my portfolio,” says Razi. “I always felt Becca had something special going on at Sunday Girl, and I still feel it every time I come inside. The energy, the people, the warmth; you can’t fake it – it came out so naturally in the work. As I was working on it, so many people passed by complimenting it and excited to see the pink step coming alive again. You can’t look at this mural and be sad – it’s impossible!”
Grites and Razi knew they wanted to dedicate the piece somehow to the neighborhood or make it mean more than simply “marketing.” As Sunday Girl is also a place known for social impact and giving back, building similar meaning into the step made sense.
On Sunday, September 7 at 12 pm, Grites and Razi will be officially dedicating Sunday Girl’s Pink Step and Razi’s mural in the name of arts education in Philadelphia. At a time when education in general, but certainly arts education, is threatened with limited-to-no funding, they want to emphasize the importance and impact the arts has on the betterment of people’s development, lives, and overall happiness. It is simply a part of life that cannot be forgotten, pushed aside, or deemed unimportant.
Several non-profit organizations local to the Philadelphia area (listed below) will be permanently displayed inside Sunday Girl with ways in which patrons can donate directly to them. Grites hopes this will serve as a daily reminder that when you step over that mural, walk through the doors and experience the joy of Sunday Girl – you’ll remember that art brought you there.
“Anything I can do to make this city more colorful, you know I’m damn well gonna do it,” she says.
All are welcome to join the dedication celebration at Sunday Girl on Sunday, September 7, at 12pm. Sunday Girl is located at 263 N 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA. A specialty drink will be offered for the day in honor of the dedication, and 10% of all sales that day will go toward art organizations in need like ones listed below.
Art-Reach
Art Sphere
ArtWell
Association for Public Art
CosaCosa
Fresh Artists
Monument Lab
Mural Arts Philadelphia
PhilaCulture
Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership
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