Two lifelong friends, one from Chester, one from Germantown, have opened a unique furniture store in North Philadelphia, writes Eric Moody for 6abc.com.

The store, The Modern Republic, specializes in midcentury modern furniture. It is the culmination of  four decades of appreciating art and fashion. 

Steven Brown of Chester and Kenya Abdul-Hadl of Germantown had developed clothing brands back in the 80s; Tribe Vibe, Funky Roots and Meezan.

“We transitioned from clothing and started doing retail design,” said Abdul-Hadi. “From retail design, we started doing installations.” The creation of the store followed.

“We are a small minority antique business that collects cool fine art. However, we have an advantage because a lot of people don’t look like us, and a lot of people don’t have our same perspective,” said Abdul-Hadi.

Some of that perspective came from growing up in the 80s when fashion was part of urban culture, though they don’t limit themselves to that, Brown said.

“We don’t get stuck in one era as far as when we shop. We just put it together in a collage the way we view it,” Brown said. “We try to make it fun.”

Read more at 6abc.com about The Modern Republic furniture store.