A timely lawn sign in Wynnewood.
Hearts were heavy but heads were held high across the Main Line this week.
Hate would have no home here.
From Beth Chaim in Malvern to Beth David in Gladwyne, from the Chabad Center in Devon to Chabad Main Line in Merion, from Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy to the Perelman Jewish Day School, thousands gathered – somber and shattered, yes, but resolute in their response to the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history.
There would be no cowering in corners.
With growing unease, Jewish friends had watched the rising tide of hate on their home turf: the toppled tombstones, the scribbled swastikas, the bomb threats. But a massacre? In their own state? In a neighborhood not so different from Narberth? If hate could kill in Squirrel Hill, it could kill anywhere, right?
As always, comfort was found in community – at packed prayer vigils, at school assemblies, at Sunday services. Folks of all faiths reached out in fellowship. Heart-shaped balloons, flowers and cheerful jack-o-lanterns surprised synagogue doorsteps.
Rabbi Yossi Kaplan says this simple, anonymous gesture left by the door of his Devon temple, brought him great comfort.
Pain permeated but was particularly personal for Merion Station psychologist Bev Cutler, who grew up in Squirrel Hill and knew three of the 11 victims. Dan Stein, Mel Wax and Rich Gottfried had all been dear friends of her late father.
“They were just wonderful to my father, my sister and me after my mother’s death,” Cutler recalls. If he hadn’t passed five years ago, she is certain her father would have been at Tree of Life last Saturday morning. He never missed Shabbat services at New Light, one of three congregations housed at the synagogue, “his home” after his wife was hit by a car as she crossed a street in front of nearby synagogue in 2003.
Shell-shocked by Saturday’s carnage, Cutler made her way to Sunday night’s interfaith vigil at her Penn Valley temple. When she took her seat at Beth Am Israel, she anxiously scanned the crowd, seeking a friend who’d attended her high school. “I really wanted to be with someone else tied to Squirrel Hill, who knew the synagogue, who knew the neighborhood. It was such a personal loss.”
Sunday’s vigil at Beth Am Israel in Penn Valley. Similar prayer services were held at synagogues throughout the Main Line.
Cutler never did find that friend in the crowd of 300 but she did witness something extraordinary. At a pastor’s urging, some 30 Christians came forward and knelt before the Jewish congregation, as Jesus did when he washed his Apostles’ feet at the Last Supper. Here’s Gladwyne Presbyterian Pastor Todd Stavrakos urging Christians at the temple to join him on their knees:
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the room,” says Beth Am Israel Rabbi David Ackerman. He – and his congregation – were “blown away” by this wholly unexpected but profound gesture of fellowship.
That same night, at another jammed vigil, this one at Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El in Wynnewood, Rabbi Neil Cooper – joined by Baptist and Episcopal clergy – urged his flock “to stand together with one voice and shout down” hate. “I don’t blame President Trump,” he told the crowd. “It’s not his fault, but it is his responsibility to shout down hatred and bigotry.”
Two miles away, 200 mourners turned out for a vigil at Main Line Reform Temple, among them, Radnor resident Jane Tumson.
A former Sabbath school teacher, Tumson grew up in Pittsburgh; her mother and stepfather went to temple in Squirrel Hill. Texts from transplanted Pittsburghers have flooded her inbox since Saturday.
“Once a Burgher, always a Burgher,” Tumson says. “It’s not so much a city as a small town; everyone looks out for each other. The pain we feel is personal.”
The vigil at her temple was cathartic, she says. “Anti-Semitism has always been there. To deny it … is more dangerous than to accept that it’s a way of life… Anyone who fans the flames of intolerance is peripherally responsible. It’s our social responsibility when we hear something hurtful and hateful to say something.”
Benches were also full at Old Haverford Friends Meetinghouse where Or Zarua Rabbi Shelly Barnathan joined hands with Quaker friends and H-CAN activists on Sunday. In a Facebook post, Barnathan implored her community to turn grief into action.
“We cannot afford to retreat to the convenience of being overwhelmed,” the rabbi wrote. “Mourn, pray, hug, write, march, call. Speak up. Speak out. Donate. Unite. VOTE.”
Two nights later and nine miles west, the Islamic Society of Greater Valley Forge and the Baptist Church in the Great Valley joined their Devon neighbor, Chabad Chester County, for “A Night of Unity and Comfort.” Rabbi Yossi Kaplan called the massacre “an attack on all Jewish people and humanity as a whole … Let’s send a message to the world that we will not tolerate any bigotry or hatred, and together we are committed to make the world a better, kinder place.”
Among the many locals sending that message is David Broida, a 73-year-old Bryn Mawr retiree with Pittsburgh relatives and whose in-laws fled the Nazis. Broida volunteers for HIAS, the resettlement agency vilified by the synagogue shooter. Each week he visits immigrants’ homes in Northeast Philly, bringing bikes, boots, soccer balls and cell phones – anything to ease their adjustment. Broida never thought he’d see a world where HIAS was targeted for its basic mission: helping strangers. He told the Inquirer he makes the rounds each week to show HIAS clients that America can be better than this.
Another local bridge builder is Anita Friday of Berwyn, a racial justice advocate with strong ties to local synagogues. (You may recall Friday from our story about her twin sons, “Bicycling While Black.”) Friday says a crucial fact was lost amid last week’s pipe bombs and synagogue shootings: the man who shot two black people at that Kentucky Kroger’s had first tried to enter a black church. If the door hadn’t been locked, two houses of worship would have been attacked last week.
Despite her heartache, Friday chooses hope. “A band-aide has been ripped off an underlying wound in our nation by the actions of this administration,” Friday says. “Sometimes when a band-aide is removed, air and light can get to … My prayer is that we as a nation and as a community look at that wound and come together to work for healing.”
Great Valley Principal admits stealing students’ pills
Great Valley High School Principal Michael Flick, 44, resigned Tuesday after admitting he stole prescription drugs from the nurse’s office. In a note of apology, shared by the school superintendent with parents, Flick said he was “seeking treatment and rehabilitation.”
East Whiteland Police and the Chesco DA launched an investigation last week after the school nurse reported 93 pills missing from containers belonging to five students. Flick was arrested Tuesday and arraigned on 16 theft and drug possession charges. A source told the Inquirer that at least some of the stolen pills were ADHD meds. Flick told police he became addicted to pills after a serious car accident several years back, the source said.
Generally well-liked and the school’s principal since 2012, Flick is a Great Valley graduate himself – Class of 1992. He has three children. His wife, Shelli, teaches third grade in the Owen J. Roberts School District.
Element Kitchen contractor arrested on felony theft and fraud charges
Sheehan in happier days and in a photo released by Tredyffrin Police.
Remember our story about that fly-by-night Paoli contractor who appears to have scammed a bunch of area homeowners?
He’s finally facing the music.
After a painstakingly detailed, six-month investigation, Tredyffrin police have arrested Michael Sheehan, 40, on some 84 felony counts. He defrauded at least 14 households out of a total of $400,000, police say.
Seems he cashed their checks, did little or no work on their projects, then went AWOL, clearing out his fancy Paoli showroom in the process.
Sheehan’s been in hot water for months. Back in July, he was arrested by Easttown Police on four felony counts on behalf of one irate homeowner.
He’s also being sued for defaulting on a $110,000 loan. He’d agreed to seriously stiff terms, vowing to pay “Select Funding” $695 a day for 220 straight days ($153K total), according to court documents obtained by SAVVY.
Naturally, defrauded homeowners are popping corks over Sheehan’s arrest. Whether they’ll ever see their money again remains an open question. Unfortunately, our legal experts aren’t overly optimistic.
Amid the wreckage, there are glimmers of good news.
You may recall the young Berwyn mom who didn’t have a bathtub for her newborn after Sheehan demolished her hall bath, then disappeared. Well, a contractor read about Kaitlin Zitzer’s plight in SAVVY and offered to help. His quote was reasonable and, better yet, he refused to take a dime from the new parents until the job was finished.
“Six months later we have largely put that fiasco behind us,” Zitzer says. “Our bathroom is beautiful. We have a perfect little baby girl. Now we’re just hoping to for answers and that we get some justice.”
And remember the Newtown Square woman who told us that she and her father lost $15K to Sheehan’s shenanigans? Although she had to scale back her dreams a bit, she too found a reputable contractor and got her Pinterest-perfect kitchen. (A silver lining: she and Zitzer have become fast friends.)
Sheehan turned himself in the day charges were filed. Bail was set at $250,000 unsecured, which means he’s been home in West Chester awaiting his next day in court, Nov. 2.
Area’s fourth First Watch sets sail for Gateway
First Watch is coming to the old Outback space in Gateway Shopping Center. The Florida-based breakfast-and-lunch chain has leased the 3,500 sq. ft “end cap” and will open in the spring, confirms corporate spokeswoman Eleni Pierce. The steakhouse moved to the mall in 2016 and the space has been collecting dust ever since.
Like Nudy’s, First Watch cafés are popping up everywhere. In the last two years, outposts have opened in Wynnewood, Villanova and Newtown Square.
Bye Bye Bagel Factory
The Bagel Factory – a local institution since 1989 – is no more. Run by the Bruegger’s chain for the last ten years, the Old Lancaster Ave. mainstay closed last Thursday.
The culprit: its ancient bagel oven.
After an oven explosion at a Bruegger’s in New York last year, company decided to check the ovens in all 263 stores.
Smart move. Berwyn’s flunked the test. Its oven was the exact same make and model (circa 1953) as the one that blew up, according to district manager Rich Johnson. The cost to replace it? $75K – $100K. With sales “flat” or “trending downward” in Berwyn, the numbers just didn’t add up, he says.
Bruegger’s closed 30 stores last year due to sagging sales. The Bagel Factory in Bryn Mawr, by the way, isn’t going anywhere, Johnson says.
Nothing Bundt Yummy in Wayne
Kennedy Niness, Sam Centofante, manager Julia Santoro, and owners Erin and Mike Shine at the new Nothing Bundt Cakes in Gateway Shopping Center.
Gateway’s got a bundt in the oven – actually multiple bundts.
Longtime Stoga hoops mom Erin Shine just opened the Main Line’s second Nothing Bundt Cakes (NBC) bakery next to the Gateway Starbucks.
We dropped by last week and found Shine, well, shining – with enthusiasm, not sweat. Clearly, this new venture is way more fun than the software-analyst career she left in 2001 to raise her brood.
“I don’t like bakery cakes; they’re usually dry and the frosting is too sweet,” says Shine. “Our bundt cakes are so moist and good – they sell themselves.” (Note to home bakers: we asked what makes the company’s cakes so moist. Alas, Shine can’t spill franchise secrets. Darn.)
Cakes are made fresh every day except Saturday. Custom orders take just 20 minutes. They even deliver to offices and homes in their territory: Villanova to Paoli. (The Nothing Bundt Cakes in Wynnewood handles points east.)
Cakes come in ten tasty flavors – including gluten-free chocolate chip – and four sizes: 8- and 10-in. bundts ($24-$34), personal-size Bundlets ($4.50), and bite-size bundtinis ($21/dozen).
Buy them topped only with NBC’s signature cream cheese frosting or, for $10 more, order them dressed up with cute signs, paper flowers and such.
To spread the word, the Shines have been giving away free cakes left and right – to community groups, charities, even unsuspecting offices. Bundtinis for everyone! The guerilla marketing has paid off. Shine says the bakery’s been busy since Day One (Oct. 12). Gateway is the Texas-based franchisor’s fifth PA store; another NBC is slated to open soon in Exton.
Nothing Bundt Cakes, Gateway Shopping Center (between Starbucks and Carter’s), 240 E Swedesford Rd., Wayne, is open Mon. – Fri. 9 to 6, Sat. 10 to 6. Order online or call 610-340-3440.
Ground broken on 91 new homes in Tredyffrin
The dirt is finally flying at Wayne Glen, the mixed-use development that was batted around Tredyffrin for ages. (OK, six years.)
Arcadia LLC has partnered with NV Homes to build 26 luxury carriage houses and 65 townhomes at the northwest corner of Swedesford and Old Eagle School roads. (Local point of reference: NV also built the homes at Malvern’s sprawling Atwater development.)
The current Wayne Glen site plan shows 91 units, down from the 108 proposed five years ago. PA has kicked in $1 million for the site’s regional flood control project.
Ground was broken in September, construction begins in early 2019, and three fully-furnished models will debut sometime in the spring. Arcadia’s Jason Duckworth estimates carriage homes will start in the low $800,000s, townhomes around $500K to $600K.
Two floorplans have first-floor master suites; all will have two-car garages and “low maintenance living,” says NV Homes Sales Director Jordan Tyler.
She wouldn’t share floorplans but did let it slip that the biggest units will be 4,700 sq. ft. – more than enough room for the grandkids. (Tyler suggests folks email [email protected] to join the “rapidly growing VIP list” for Wayne Glen updates.)
In a unique public-private partnership, the developer has agreed to install a state-of-the-art stormwater management system with a “regional” detention basin, dry dam, native grasses, trees and more. Good thing, too. Neighbors in the Trout Creek watershed have been fighting nasty floods for 40 years. “Folks living downstream will see material improvement,” Duckworth promises.
Looks like the developer’s patience will pay off. When Arcadia first proposed Wayne Glen, nearby Life Time Athletic and the King of Prussia Town Center didn’t exist. Now they’re selling points. “Our site is walkable to all that,” Duckworth says. “It’s the best of both worlds: a bucolic setting but minutes from amenities.”
Another Wayne Glen neighbor is still on the drawing board. If township approvals come through, Equus Capital Partners will build a rather unique five-story office building on Swedesford Road next year. Constructed from mass timber, it would be built entirely on spec (no signed tenants).
New owners re-energize a Main Line classic: The Little House Shop
New owners Anne Hamilton and Anne Henderson have big plans for the Little House Shop in Strafford’s Eagle Village.
With the 2017 passing of Dodo Hamilton, some worried that her luxury gift emporium, The Little House Shop, might soon pass with her.
Worry no more.
Dodo’s daughter-in-law Anne Hamilton has bought the place and is showering it with love and attention.
“We’re really excited to keep it going for the community,” says Hamilton, whose minority partner is Anne Henderson, a store employee for 20 years, the last seven as manager.
Neither Anne is content to rest on the shop’s long-running laurels. A Main Line mainstay since 1934, The Little House Shop has survived – and thrived – through four moves east: from Wynnewood to Suburban Square in 1935, to Haverford in 1981, and finally, to Wayne, in 1988.
Still, a swath of its well-heeled clientele isn’t getting any younger.
To broaden the shop’s appeal beyond Main Line matriarchs and their betrothed kids (bridal registries are huge here), the two Annes are tweaking inventory and streamlining merchandising.
Note to regulars: tried-and-true lines aren’t going anywhere. You can still pop in for Crane invitations, an engraved Simon Pearce serving bowl, monogrammed Matouk towels, Herend fine china, MacKenzie-Childs tableware and Caspari napkins.
But you’ll also find brands with a more modern bent like Richard Ginori china and Juliska glasses and stoneware. Not to mention a room full of supercute baby gifts.
In a nod to current tastes, the new owners say the store will be streamlined “We’re clearing out the tchotchkes; we want a cleaner concept,” says Hamilton.
Of course, Little House hallmarks like easy parking, personal service, and lovely gift wrapping aren’t going anywhere. There’s also complimentary delivery to local zip codes. And sales people – many of whom, like Sam Ehlinger, have been around for years – truly know their stuff.
Despite the name, there’s nothing little about this 5,000-sq. ft. enterprise, not in its soup-to-nuts selection, not in its new owners’ vision.
“I’m just so grateful to Anne for continuing Mrs. Hamilton’s legacy,” says Anne Henderson. “We have a great team here. We love what we do and we’re excited for the future.”
The Little House Shop, 503 W Lancaster Ave., Wayne, 610-688-3222, sells home accents and gifts for newborns through 90-somethings. Upcoming shopping/charity events include: Simon Pearce Engraving Nov. 3; Notable Kitchen Tour for CHOP and Phila. Orchestra Nov. 8; Owladays for Agnes Irwin School Nov. 14; PA SPCA and Main Line Animal Rescue Nov. 15.
New off-leash rules proposed at Teegarden
A morning romp at Teegarden Park.
Dogs will have their day – actually, their night – in Tredyffrin next week. The township is holding a public hearing on Nov. 7 on a proposed leash ordinance and supervisors expect an earful.
Some background: Dogs have been running off-leash at Teegarden Park for years. Lasting friendships – both canine and human – have been forged. But after a few folks griped about unruly dogs and poop-strewn playing fields, the Parks and Rec board asked township supes to consider a leash law. Dog owners pushed back, amassing nearly 900 signatures on a petition that asks supes to allow “off-leash, under-control” dogs at Teegarden.
The township has countered with a compromise ordinance that tightens the leash a bit, allowing dogs to run free during certain hours – basically, when sports leagues aren’t using Teegarden’s fields.
Until their board is back at full strength, it’s doubtful supes will vote yay or nay on such a contentious issue. An at-large seat has been empty since Supervisor Sean Moir abruptly left town a few months ago. Tuesday’s special election will decide which of two former supervisors – Mark Freed (D) or Judy DiFillipo (R) – will finish out Moir’s term.
Savona shaking things up in Gulph Mills
So many ways to get savvy – about food and booze – at Savona this fall.
Master mixologist Papi Hurtado is leading Saturday afternoon cocktail classes: four seasonal libations with light apps for $40. (After a detour to nearby Enoteca Tredici, Hurtado, aka everybody’s favorite barkeep, is back.)
Executive Chef Andrew Masciangelo is running regular Saturday morning cooking classes – three courses, two glasses of wine for $75.
And down in the swanky Savona cellar, the restaurant’s sommelier takes folks on deep dives into regional wines Fridays at 5:30 – six wines with paired hors d’oeuvres for $45. Stick around on select Fridays for Konopi’s multi-course, themed wine dinners ($100-$200).
Baking lessons may be next. New pastry chef Angela Goods comes from Osteria and Parc. Sign us up for when she teaches us how to bake Parc’s wondrous loaves.
There’s also a new Jazz Brunch on Sundays. You might not learn anything but you’ll be well fed. Benedicts, burgers and buttermilk pancakes and such, $10 to $17; fresh seafood in the $20s.
Never heard of Berthe Morisot?
Marsha and Jeffrey Perelman at the gala opening of the new Berthe Morisot exhibit at the Barnes.
Well, boogie on down to the Barnes and get acquainted. Why? Because Morisot was a major French impressionist, overlooked and underappreciated for one simple reason – she was a woman. (#SheToo.)
Barnes’ “Berthe Morisot: Woman Impressionist,” sets the record straight. The first solo show of her work in the U.S. in 30 years, its 68 luminous paintings prove that Morisot, who worked alongside Manet, Monet, Degas and Renoir, deserves the same R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Some might say more – because she was a trailblazer who risked society’s wrath to join the Parisian avant-garde.
Catch the exhibition now through Jan. 14 at the Barnes on the Parkway. Or hop across the pond to see it next summer at the Musée D’Orsay in Paris. Where she’ll hang with all the master impressionists – right where she belongs.
Team SAVVY’s Nicole Schaeffer and husband Jim at “Passport to Paris,” the swanky gala celebrating the new Morisot show at the Barnes.
Sayonara to Shangrila and Quincy’s
The “For Lease” sign is out at Shangrila on Swedesford Road.
Limping along for years, Shangrila in Devon has called it quits. The Asian fusion restaurant was a hit when it opened on Swedesford Rd. back in 2001. No doubt Shangrila’s owners will focus on Lotus Inn, their busier restaurant right up the road.
Yet another vacancy is coming to Swedesford Plaza. Quincy’s Original Lobster Rolls will close at year’s end. A source tells SAVVY the Berwyn eatery was basically breaking even and owners have chosen to focus on Quincy’s locations in Cape May and Sea Isle City.
Creepy news on Halloween week
Now banned from campus, suspect Joshua Yannuzzi was due to appear in a West Chester production of “My Fair Lady” next week.
A West Chester U. musical theater student was just arrested and banned from campus for secretly videotaping young women in restrooms – including Footlighters Theater in Berwyn.
According to Chesco DA Tom Hogan, Joshua Yannuzzi, 24, hid his iPhone in homes and area theaters at least 50 times in the last two years. He also uploaded at least one clip to a website where it received 1000 views. At least 20 women were recorded and there may be more. Hogan says anyone who’s performed in a play or spent time with Yannuzzi is a potential victim and should call Chester County Detective Robert Balchunis at 610-344-6866.
This and That
Tasty tidings for Nova Nation: The university has teamed up with the Wayne and Bryn Mawr biz associations to present the first Villanova Dines Out! Restaurant Week Nov. 5 to 9. More than 40 eateries will offer a smorgasbord of steals. Among them: three courses for $30 at Enoteca Tredici, Main & Vine and Teresa’s and 20 percent off at Cerise Craft Steakhouse BYOB, Margaret Kuo’s and Yangming. To qualify, you have to wear your Nova heart on your sleeve (or your head). Yup, don anything with a Nova logo and you’re good to go. Students and staff can show Villanova IDs and Wildcards. Click here for the full rundown of restaurants. Rather stay home? Get free Caviar delivery on orders over $20 with code NOVAWEEK.
Main & Vine in Villanova just launched lunch. And if it’s anything like their dinners, it’ll be dee-lish. Wine country-inspired Main & Vine debuted in the old Avenue Kitchen space last spring. On the lunch menu: Creative salads $11 – $13, Napa-style sourdough pizzas $15 -$17; fresh takes on classic sandwiches $12 – $18, and entrées from $13.
Lunch at Villanova’s Main & Vine.
The Junior League Thrift Shop in downtown Ardmore is sporting a stylish new look. “We blend in with the boutiques on the Main Line and we couldn’t be happier about it,” store manager Jen Travaglini tells SAVVY. Expect the same deals on jewelry, sterling silver, designer handbags and art – a Picasso came through the store last year! – but in much nicer digs.
Here’s a timely but tough topic: Raising resilient kids in a social-media mad, high-expectation world. Gamely tackling it on Nov. 15 at Wayne Presbyterian Church will be Brad Reedy, PhD, author of The Journey of the Heroic Parent. “His message is critically important in this community and will help those with typical and struggling children and teens,” says local mom Nancy Dever, who runs a mental-health parent support group at the church and was so taken with Reedy’s book, that she invited him to town. Reedy’s talk, “Raising Resilient Children Amidst Today’s Societal Challenges,” is free and open to the public but do RSVP here.
Big news out of little Narberth. The town just became the first municipality in PA to crack down on single-use plastics. A new ordinance requires stores to charge 10 cents for plastic bags and forbids restaurants to give out straws unless diners ask for them. The borough – which some call a modern Mayberry RFD – has been green for eons. It will celebrate its 30th NarbEarth Day next spring.
While we’re visiting Narberth, Pottery Corner – the eastern Main Line’s HQ for gorgeous Polish pottery – will ring in its first anniversary at this week’s First Friday. A little bird told us owner Marta Bolt is planning a three-day sale.
Valley Forge Park has a new trail. The VF Park Alliance this week cut the ribbon on a new 2.5 mile unpaved trail (sorry, cyclists). It runs through the Grand Parade surrounding the Von Steuben statue off Route 23. Hard to believe this supremely peaceful place – the park’s largest meadow – is where that crackerjack general drilled the troops back in 1778.
Main Line merchants: don’t keep your valuable merchandise visible. Those words to the wise from Jeff Kellmer whose Haverford jewelry store was robbed early Sunday morning. Luckily, Kellmer keeps his fine jewelry tucked away in a safe so his losses were minimal – although replacing that shattered door won’t be cheap.
Lower Merion Police respond to an early morning smash-and-grab at Kellmer Jewelers.
Fewer Penn Med patients will have to schlep into the city in a few years. The health system just officially broke ground on a new $200 million, state-of-the-art outpatient facility in Radnor. When it opens in 2020, the “Advanced Patient Care” center at 145 King of Prussia Rd. will be double the size of the 20-year-old Penn Med Radnor building it’s replacing. The new facility will include full radiation and chemo treatment rooms, six ORs, four endoscopy suites and loads of space for primary care, vascular, orthopedic and neuroscience care. Partners on the project, Brandywine Realty Trust, will also build a 100-room hotel, garage and office building at the complex.
Curious about energy healing and acupuncture but not ready to pay for it? Try them – and a bunch of other goodies – for free at Village Wellness in Berwyn this Saturday, Nov. 3. VW’s “Holistic Happiness Open House” includes free mini-sessions in acupuncture, shiatsu, astrology, energy reading and facial massage. Animal spirit tarot readings, too. Hmmm. Plus, pizza from Jules and Raw Can Roll snacks. RSVP here.
A SAVVY shoutout to Rev. Mike Lee who just retired as pastor at St. Norbert in Paoli. May the road rise to meet you, Father. Want to show the Norbertines you care? Team SAVVY’s Barbara Bigford is chairing the 50th anniversary of the Daylesford Abbey Dinner Dance at Aronimink on Friday, Nov. 16. The dance/dinner/auction shindig supports the Abbey’s ministries to the spiritually hungry, poor and homeless. For tickets, contact [email protected] or call 610-647-2530 ext. 118.
Up, up and away in their beautiful balloon. How’s this for a novel fundraiser? Ardmore Library is raffling off two hot-air balloon rides. Float away yourself or make it a holiday gift. Tickets are just $25 and only 100 will be sold from Nov. 1 to Dec. 20.
Not sure why but business seems off – or maybe it was never on – at Saks Off Fifth near the KOP Mall. Remember how nuts Nordstrom Rack was when it was in same spot? On two successive Saturdays afternoons (when it should be hopping), SAVVY spies tell us the off-price store had just one register open and no lines. Hmmm.
Ask any designer: lighting can make or break a project. Get illuminated at a special workshop at KingsHaven’s Paoli showroom Nov. 13, 4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. CEO/lead designer Lauren Wylonis will shed light on, among other mysteries: choosing fixtures and bulbs, solving lighting challenges and what inspires her designs. Open to designers and design enthusiasts, the reception/workshop is $10 for IFDA members; $20 for the public. Wine and cheese included. Register here.
Let’s hear it for the girls. Get ’em sized up – OK, fitted for a bra – while the rest of your bod gets pampered at Hope Chest in Haverford Square on Saturday, Nov. 3. In partnership with Massage Envy, the lingerie boutique is hosting “Shop for a Cause”: facials, mini-massages, raffles and treats for all. Raffle proceeds and a good chunk of sales will go to BreastCancer.org. The cause is personal for Massage Envy participants: owner Christine Winkelvoss, massage therapist Regina Smith and esthetician Mai Friedman have all been touched by breast cancer. The fun runs from 11 to 2.
Our fave Gift Shop With A Social Conscience, aka The Gift Shop at St. David’s Church in Wayne, will host its annual holiday shindig, Friday, Nov. 16, 5 to 8 p.m. Free food and drink; ten-percent off storewide. As usual, all profits – 100 percent – benefit children and families in Uganda, Cuba and Guatemala.
Kudos to SAVVY Events Director Nicole Schaeffer for putting on yet another fabulous affair. She and co-chair Linda Dooney raised more than $80K for the Cancer Support Community of Greater Philadelphia at their super-splashy “In Fashion” benefit at Neiman Marcus last month.
And finally, a heartfelt thank you to Minding Your Mind and to everyone out there who’s trusted us to tell their deeply personal stories. On Sunday, Team SAVVY was honored to accept the 2018 Media Advocate Award at Minding Your Mind’s “Blue Gene Gala” for our reporting on addiction, suicide, depression, anxiety, gender issues and bullying. We share this award with everyone who’s bravely shared their struggles with us. Your willingness to go public has helped others feel less alone. Hopefully, our stories can help #endthestigma. (P.S. Haven’t yet heard of Minding Your Mind? Just ask your kids about the awesome young adults who speak at their schools each year.)
Team SAVVY at Minding Your Mind’s Blue Gene Gala: Aly McBride, Nicole Schaeffer, Barbara Bigford, Caroline O’Halloran, Kara O’Halloran, Courtney Mullen and Kathy Stevens. (Not pictured: Lisa Kazanjian) PHOTO BY MICHELE CORBMAN
great info as always!
Love your blog. I think you are in a perfect position to sell the Love not hate signs and continue the campaign across the Main Line for kindness. No better spokes person than all the fabulous ML women who want to latch onto a movement. Do here, be the change. Dont just report happenings. You can do this. Sell the signs, let people put them on their front lawns and businesses from one end of the ML to the other end. Donate the money to any cause that you feel empowered to support.
A lovely idea – but I think someone else will have to carry the torch on this one. No time! Btw, we do have a story coming up about the woman who had that inspirational sign made – and many others. Perhaps she might be interested…
So exciting that the old Outback location will be getting filled, but also sad about The Bagel Factory & Quincy’s.
I am also so sad about the bagel factory! What a local treasure. So interesting about the ovens though…
To the Editor and Staff…
Each edition of Savvy Main Line is better the the one before!
Thanks for all the hard work that goes into this!
Keep up the wonderful job as it’s a treat to read.
Hi It ( your issues just get better ad better) ref: Teegarden Park no lease vs lease It doesn’t solve the problem what the problem is is the careless dog owners IE: granddaughter soccer game I would like to give this doggie owners my sneakers to clean up … Maybe install a POOPER SCAPPER so we can scape our shoes I was one of 8 or 9 folks you took the steps !! Especially when the grass is higher …. .. So folks if you see a doogie doing look for the owner and give them a baggie !!!
We raised German Shepherds for the PHL CANINE CORP and I know it is not FUN to clean up but we did … and DID IT so no one would step !
Great edition as always! Always love reading about everything I never know otherwise 🙂 one thing to point out though, Lotus Inn opened in 1996, Shangri La opened in 2001. The Lotus remodel did make a huge difference in traffic though, that may be what you were thinking. Cheers!
We stand corrected – thanks for letting us know!
Hi Caroline,
Thanks for another great edition!
Next time, could you touch on the upcoming holiday events around the main line?
Nicole
Yes, we will fill you in on the festivities, Nicole!
Great issue…Thanks!
Especially like “This and That”.