Power: Sherman’s Last Stand

Suffice it to say that Sherman and certain members of the zoning board will not be riding horses at the Mills together anytime soon. Nor will his rental rates drop. “The reason Sprigs went out of business was that people weren’t going there, and the prices were a bit high for a small café,” says Sherman, adding that he’s given many of his tenants six to 12 months of rent-free time to get their businesses running. He says he’s still committed to the neighborhood — the Pour House was scheduled to open this month, and his latest project, Verge, is being hailed as the first destination eatery in East Falls — but all the squabbles have taken a toll. Sherman no longer attends community meetings, sending his director instead. His relationship with the district’s councilman, Michael Nutter, is virtually nonexistent, and the strain of dealing with local leaders and the Rube Goldberg Machine of Patronage that is City Hall has Sherman threatening to pack up once the Mills is up and running. “Philadelphia doesn’t seem to appreciate entrepreneurs,” he says. “I’ve had so much opposition in Philadelphia from every step of the process, I have no interest in doing business here.”

Dan Neducsin faced similar community opposition when he stormed Manayunk in the late ’80s, but Neducsin owned more than 50 properties there, and single-handedly defined its future, whether the neighbors liked it or not. Sherman owns little more than half that, and with other developers combing through East Falls in search of potential gold mines, he’s in no position to take over the town. Maybe his talk of heading to Delaware County or Reading for his next adventure in city CPR is just that — talk. There are plenty of folks like Sally Ferry, though, who would happily drive him to either location — say, first thing tomorrow morning — if he promises to leave these streets where he grew up for good. They may get their wish once the Mills are finished, when even a parade along the riverfront in his honor, led by Rendell and Sherman’s tenants, wouldn’t be enough to keep him from heading off to some other strange place he probably doesn’t belong. After all, that’s where Mark Sherman always finds success.

Back at the Mills, muddy soles and all, Sherman sits in the Bakery he built and co-owns, explaining that he doesn’t want to be the next Neducsin. He doesn’t want to be a hero. He just wants to fill the Mills with galleries and innovators and then let it go. A painter told Sherman he’d heard of a village like this in Berlin, Germany. So, of course, Sherman flew to Germany. Sure enough, it was the closest he’s come to seeing his vision brought to life. It’s another one of those unusual places where Sherman feels at home — unlike the rest of East Falls these days. As Sherman takes a sip of herbal tea, you get the feeling he’d like to just stay here, among the brush-strokers and sculptors and horses. “It’s very frustrating to do business in the city,” he says. “It’s not conducive to a healthy place for me.”