
The new Tin Man, that sits outside Miracles in the Making at 5601 Chew Avenue. (GIH | Rasheed Z. Ajamu)
Pre-pandemic, anyone not from the neighborhood may have passed the Chew & Locust intersection and thought to themselves, “We’re not in Philly anymore,” when they gazed at the bulky metal ‘Tin Man’ structure in front of the old Copper & Fitton Hardware store at 5601 Chew Avenue.
But that wasn’t Oz; it was just the “joyful” touch of Germantown that Rashidah Robinson — the new building owner at 5601 — remembers about growing up at the intersection.
While the old Tin Man stood at the corner for decades, watching the generations pass as it watched him back, Robinson says the Tin Man “mysteriously disappeared” not too long before she purchased the building in 2019.
Five years later, the Tin Man reintroduced himself to the neighborhood with a shinier coat and a thinner frame after being reimagined and reconstructed by Iron Man Made It. However, he remains the center of attention — and it’s thanks to Robinson.


“It’s a thing, right,” said Robinson when asked why she felt called to bring the iconic statue back. She says it’s not necessarily about the structure itself but what it represents, deeming it a relic of Germantown that reminds folks of what community used to look like, in her opinion.
Teacher Evin Jarrett, a Germantown native, agrees. He calls the statue both “history” and a “landmark.”
Robinson remembers her childhood within a “thriving community” at the intersection featuring kids playing, heavy foot traffic, a corner store with video games, elders knowing your name, a VHS shop, and an ice cream parlor. They’re some of her fondest memories.
Over the decades, Robinson has noticed a disappearance of these things, whether it’s the people, places, or vibes. “We don’t have that anymore,” Robinson declares.

So, for her, it’s not just about nostalgia — it’s about igniting hope and change in the neighborhood.
She names her desires, saying she hopes folks — business owners, residents, and building owners alike — will “think differently about their business and what the face of their business should look like.” And then, hopefully, help “revitalize [it] to what it once was.”
Robinson’s The Tin Man project wasn’t the only one she has undertaken to help sweeten the street. Last year, she also had a new vibrant mural, completed by Serena Saunders, painted on the side of her building.
Both the statue and mural work side-by-side to entice the stakeholders to rethink how they show up to better the community.
The restoration is just one part of her larger hopes to see the corridor back to what she recalls as its heyday. The entrepreneur currently occupies various properties that house existing and future businesses.
That includes the 5601 building and the soon-to-be Miracles in the Making daycare facility. This facility will focus on learning through technology and communication for children aged 6 months to 5 years.


With her own plans in motion to refresh the block, the Germantown Info Hub wanted to know what steps or actions Robinson might envision stakeholders taking to further this revitalization.
“Change through funding,” she responded.
As a business owner, she understands how difficult it can be to sustain a business, especially in a dwindling economy. She hopes community leaders will focus on how to get money for businesses and property owners to help fund necessary changes.
She also gives blunt advice to vacant property owners, prompting them to either reface their business, rent the space out, or sell the building to someone who wants to invest in improving the area.
Simply put, she says, “Either get with the program or get out the way.”
The Germantown Info Hub asked Robinson if she found irony in the return of the neighborhood staple coinciding with the release of the new film adaptation of the musical “Wicked” set in Oz, where most American citizens traditionally first met the “Tin Man.”
She laughs and says that it never crossed her mind. However, Robinson does wonder how children will perceive the figure, as the timeless classic Wizard of Oz may be foreign to the younger generation.
Evin Jarrett raised similar sentiments, stating that young people may need 10-15 years to see this as the landmark seasoned generations like he and Robinson remember. But, for those who do remember, he knows they’ll appreciate it.
One thing Robinson recalls for sure about the Tin Man from the classic film is that “he was always looking for a heart.” And Germantown’s Tin Man undoubtedly sees Robinson’s every day through her commitment to the neighborhood.
“It starts with us and it starts in the community,” Robinson ends, looking to the future, reminding neighbors that, collectively, they must all spark change.