Center City Philadelphia

Banner Bags

What happens to the banners that line the streets promoting Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza performance once the show is over? Or banners touting Ben Franklin’s Tercentenary once the celebration ends? The CCD has found a way to recycle them as beautiful tote bags, perfect as beach-bags, for carrying groceries, or returning books to the library.

• A striking carry-all tote with two interior pockets

• Generously proportioned, bag dimensions are 17"w x 14.5"h x 4.5"d

• Bags are made hand-made from durable, polypoplin fabrics

• No two bags are alike!

Note: To get the maximum number of bags from one banner, patterns and colors will vary. One banner yields four bags.

All manufacturing is done right here in Philadelphia by two nonprofit work rehabilitation programs. Because banners that have been hanging out in the elements for many weeks are often quite dirty, they are first laundered by Philacor, a vocational training program of the Philadelphia Prison System. Philacor then delivers the cleaned banners to the manufacturer, Baker Industries, a non-profit, work rehabilitation program employing people with disabilities, those in recovery, parolees, and the homeless. Baker can manufacture up to four bags from a single banner, before checking them for quality and shipping to local retailers.

All bags are a limited edition and when they’re gone — that’s it. Currently, Banner Bags are available at:

• The Visitor Center desk inside the café at Sister Cities Park, 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

• Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (128 North Broad Street). You can even purchase them right now at the PAFA online store.

• Blendo (1002 Pine Street)

• AIA Bookstore and Design Center (1218 Arch Street & 7th and Sansom Streets)

• Open House (107 South 13th Street)

• PA General Store (in Reading Terminal Market)

• Café Cret (16th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway)

To get more information about the Banner Bags, or to inquire about selling them in your store, contact KellyAnn Farrelly, CCD Manager of Banners/Art in Transit Programs, at 215.440.5527.