A geographic, commerce-related, post-pandemic trend, brand relocations to Montgomery County, caught the attention of journalist Sandy Smith, who provided details on it in Philadelphia Magazine.

In response to ongoing suburban shopper reluctance to travel to Center City for goods or services, well-established Philly brands are coming to them.

These moves, comprising both relocations and additional sites, aren’t particularly new.

In 1930, for example, the venerable Strawbridge & Clothier store at 8th and Market Streets ventured into the wilderness of Ardmore, taking root in a new retail concept, Suburban Square.

Over the ensuing decades, other Center City department stores — Boyd’s, John Wanamaker, Lit Brothers, Snellenburg’s — followed suit.

Version 2.0 of brand relocations, however, is decidedly food oriented.

The past months have brought the following Philadelphia entities to Montgomery County:

• Di Bruno Bros., the Italian Market meats-and-cheese mainstay, which came to Ardmore in 2011 and expanded further to Wayne
• Fast-casual chain HipCityVeg, whose Elkins Park CEO Nicole Marquis brought it to Ardmore
• Fiore Rosso steakhouse, from Chef Marc Vetri, which now has a Bryn Mawr location
• Casual Mexican restaurant Buena Onda, led by Iron Chef-star owner Jose Garces, has opened a Montco-ish Radnor site

Marquis cites firmly that her HipCityVeg suburban eatery remains rooted deeply to its Philadelphia forebear.

“We’re not replacing our urban focus,” she said. “We’re simply adding to it.”

More on recent brand relocations is at Philadelphia Magazine.

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Ardmore’s Surban Square from above.