No Vacancy!!! Downtown Wayne is filling fast; Our all-local visual tour of Campaign ’24: ground games, stars & our ‘closing message’; Plus, hot headlines & This and That

Our clocks “fall backward” this weekend but it sure feels like spring in Wayne: the town about to burst forth with new life. Here’s a rundown of what’s going to plug those big ole holes we’re tired of seeing on Lancaster Ave. 

A taker for the old Chili’s … at long last.

Burton’s Grill & Bar – “a new spin [literally] on the classic American Bar & Grill” – is moving into the long-empty Chili’s building at 312 W. Lancaster Ave. With design approvals secured, the area’s first Burton’s should debut in the first part of 2025. The chain started on Boston’s South Shore and is headquartered in Andover, Mass. To date, each of its 20 locations is owner-operated.

Finally falling into The Gap: Ballard Designs

Multiple well-placed sources tell us the home décor and furniture store is taking a 10-year lease at the old Gap building on Lancaster Ave. and will move in shorty after the Community Clothes Charity popup moves out Monday, November 4.

An omni-channel retailer owned by QVC’s parent company, Qurate Retail Group, Ballard Design sells European-influenced home furnishings from its showrooms, online store and catalog. Fun fact: It was founded 40 years ago in Atlanta by Helen Ballard after she won a Metropolitan Home decorating contest.

An assistant manager at Ballard Designs in King of Prussia tells us the store’s lease at the mall is up next year. She would neither confirm nor deny that the store will close when the lease expires in 2025.

Despite the FOR SALE signs you’ve spotted in the Gap’s windows, the building’s owner Martin Marshall is apparently holding onto it. He did not return our phone calls.

From jewelry to joggers: Wayne’s busiest corner to become Free People Movement, aka FP Movement

The old Wayne Jeweler’s building at the corner of Lancaster and North Wayne avenues has a taker. The activewear arm of URBAN’s Free People brand just signed a long-rumored lease. FP Movement sells yoga and workout wear, outdoor apparel for hiking, skiing, running, swimming and racquet sports, sneakers and accessories, and personal wellness goodies.

This will be the largest FP Movement store in our area. A small FP Movement standalone has operated near the KOP Nordstrom for the last few years.The Free People stores in Suburban Square and the KOP Mall both have small sections dedicated to the activewear brand.

After a long buildout, Bliss Nails is now open in the distinctive blue-green building still owned by rug merchants, the Tehrani brothers.

The uncommonly spacious nail and waxing salon has eight pedicure chairs, an array of nail stations, and lots of soft seating for folks waiting in front.

After the Tehranis moved their rug store to Bryn Mawr, the building was briefly – and notoriously – home to JWH boutique. In one of our most read stories ever, SAVVY chronicled the swift rise and steep fall of fly-by-night shopkeeper Hillary White Jean in early 2023.  Nearly two years later, it’s unclear when and if White Jean’s stiffed creditors will be made fully whole. After a bankruptcy filing and multiple court dates and delays, her lawyer negotiated a guilty plea deal that requires regular restitution payments.

A wine bar in Wayne.

An application to transfer a liquor license to the old Cowan’s Flower Shop (below) will be taken up by Radnor Township in the next month or so, reports Community Development Director Kevin Kochanski.

The building’s leasing agent tells us a wine bar is taking a chunk of the space. We’ve been in touch with the future wine bar’s owner, who lives in Villanova. She promises to provide us with details on her unique business as they become available.

Yes, it’s happening. That vacant string of stores at Louella and Lancaster Ave. will soon come tumbling down.

Wayne Business Association President Ken Kearns tells us the former homes of Gingy’s Boutique, Aux Petits Delices bakery, the old Bliss Nails, etc. and the residential building behind them could be demo’d in the next 30 days or so. Radnor officials are still working with the developer to “address a few cleanup items on their application,” reports Kochanski, the community development director. Here’s a rendering of the mixed-use apartment building that Berger Development is poised to build:

Honey, we’re not in sleepy suburban Wayne any more… or are we? Those super-swanky condos coming to the parking lot across near Boyd’s have been redesigned and approved by the township. Name is TBD. They’ll be priced at $2 million and up, the developer tells us, and will have a doorman. Take THAT, Manhattan!

Under the revised plan, the mini-park along Lancaster Ave. stays put and the building will look substantially different from the first designs floated by the developers, More details and renderings in a later SAVVY.

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Campaign for the White House on the Main Line … in pictures

They say all politics is local. Well, in this election cycle, you can say that again … and again … and again.

The presidential campaign has come home to roost like never before. The Main Line has hosted bona fide stars and saw two homegrown folks hit the national stage (and SAVVY’s upcoming podcast). We saw top surrogates and the candidates themselves on our home turf, or, in former President Trump’s case, near it.

Who else is feeling … IMPORTANT? But at the same time, weary and eager for this election to be a done-and-peacefully-decided deal?

Here’s a visual tour of what our cameras – and a few others’ lenses – caught during the home stretch:

Jenny on our block

“It was a conversation about women juggling work, family, caretaking parents and this negative political universe,” Shusterman tells SAVVY about actress Jennifer Garner’s visit to the Main Line..

A mixture of Democrats, Republicans, Independents and undecideds were invited, according to Schusterman. The actress also spoke at the Harris Campaign’s field office in Wynnewood.

Unlikely local stars are born

Malvern farmers and lifelong Republicans Bob and Kristina Lange, owners of Sugartown Strawberries, have become fixtures at Harris rallies. Lange, aka ‘Farmer Bob’ is also a 27-year elected supervisor in Willistown Township so he’s pretty darn comfortable speaking his mind.

One of the event’s goals: flip some of Chester County’s 9,300 Nikki Haley voters to Harris.

After a string of speakers including former U.S.Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R), now a Harris surrogate, the Langes introduced the candidate at a “Country Over Party” rally in Washington Crossing in Bucks County on October 16.

And on Tuesday night, their biggest stage yet. They addressed an estimated 75,000 gathered on the Ellipse in Washington, DC before VP Harris delivered her “closing argument.”

Why is this Malvern couple suddenly … everywhere?

Because they were vilified and harassed after they filmed TV commercials for the Harris campaign. Our story detailed the ugly backlash they received at their business, Sugartown Strawberries. It was the first to debunk the false claim that they were Democratic actors paid by the Harris campaign. As our story explains, the lie was based on faulty “evidence” drummed up by a troll on X and spread around the world.

We’re pleased to share that SAVVY’s reporting was mentioned and linked to in the Washington Post, USA Today, the Philadelphia Inquirer and other media outlets and was instrumental in Sky News Australia’s decision to quietly retract and scrub from its website a “news” segment in which the host maligned the Langes as imposters.

The Langes tell us business at their farm market took a huge hit and they’re grateful to the recent outpouring of support. People are showing up from a few states away to buy pumpkins and other fall goodies at Sugartown Strawberries. Others are calling from across the country, asking for farm goods to be shipped to them.

Busy Drop Boxes and early ballot challenges

Traffic has been brisk at Chester County’s drop box outside Easttown Library since it was installed Oct. 21. People seem eager to vote, according to Gwen Griffiths of Malvern, a Chester County Ballot Drop Box staffer. “A lot of people told us they already mailed in their ballots; they didn’t want to have to wait two weeks,” Griffiths tells SAVVY.

As of October 30, 85,122 mail-in ballots in Chester County were returned out of 119,854 sent. That’s a 71% return and a notch above Delco (69%) and Montco (67%), according to Josh Maxwell, chair of the Chester County Board of Commissioners and the daily mail ballot report for all of PA.

Meanwhile, ballot challenges have already begun in Chester, Delaware and Bucks counties.

Chester County Commissioners scheduled a hearing for Friday, Nov. 1 with the 73-year-old woman from Downingtown who challenged 212 mail-in ballots, the vast majority of them targeting registered Democrats (who historically have voted early in Chesco). The Inquirer has identified the challenger as Diane Houser, part of right-wing activist group that has sent letters to voters across the Commonwealth, questioning their eligibility based on change-of-address filings. The paper reports Houser was also the lead plaintiff in a suit filed by “United Sovereign Americans” that challenged the state’s voter rolls last summer. State officials have called the lawsuit “frivolous” and full of conspiracy theories, according to the Inquirer.

Chesco Commissioners want to hear Houser’s evidence that the ballots should be disqualified “if there is any,” Commissioners Chair Josh Maxwell tells SAVVY.

“Many or all [of the challenged ballots] submitted a change of address through the USPS,” Maxwell explains. “Folks are allowed to change their address and still vote in PA as long as this is where they live or intend to return. We reached out to the voters and reviewed the mail-in ballot requests. Some were canceled by the voters when they moved. Among others who applied but had changed their addresses are a military spouse who moves regularly but lives in Chester County, someone out of state for medical reasons, and a college student.”

EDITOR’S UPDATE: Chester County officials voted to dismiss all of Houser’s ballot challenges at the conclusion of the Nov. 1 hearing,

Tredyffrin is Ground Zero for the Harris campaign’s regional ground game

The Harris campaign’s largest field office in PA and a major literature distribution hub for the state sits in a corner of a corporate park in the Tredyffrin section of Wayne. The place is mammoth – although no one seemed to know the square footage.

Thousands of volunteers have learned the ropes in one of the two training rooms, according to our tour guide, Alexandra Monsure, who left her husband in New York City in August to volunteer full-time for the campaign.

On the day we toured an overwhelming majority of volunteers were women.

“The Mama Bears on the Main Line have been activated for sure,” says Monsure.

We also learned that Wayne-born actress Abbi Jacobson (“Broad City” “A League of Their Own”) and her wife, actress Jodi Balfour (“Ted Lasso”) dropped by last Saturday to thank volunteers.

‘A campaign adjacent’ appearance: Trump’s former National Security Advisor, H. R. McMaster, visits Wayne

Not a campaign stop by any stretch, but H. R. McMaster, who served as National Security Advisor for former President Trump for 13 months, spoke at his alma mater, Valley Forge Military Academy & College, Monday night.

What did McMaster have to say? Plenty.

The White House job came “out of the blue” after Trump offered it to him on the spot during their first interview at Mar-A-Lago.

Although he called Trump “disruptive,” he urged the audience of cadets, VFMAC alums and neighbors to make up their own minds about the candidates.

He spoke against hyper-partisanship in American politics.

He said he approached his role from the perspective of a trained historian and with the candor of a soldier who led troops in battle. “My job was to tell the President what he didn’t want to hear … I’m not a political person at all,” he told the audience. He bemoaned “the lunatics on social media” and said he always “blocked out the noise.”

His book has “no ax to grind or political agenda,” he said. But it does argue for leaders who possess the character and intellect to guide the U.S. in an increasingly dangerous world.

Perhaps most disturbing, he told the VFMAC cadets soon to graduate from the junior college as commissioned officers that he believed they would soon see combat.

A personal highlight of the evening: I had the distinct and unexpected honor of sitting next to one of the few living Tuskegee Airmen, Dr. Eugene Richardson, 99, of Philadelphia. That ribbon around his neck is the Congressional Gold Medal.

A media swarm in Malvern

A Who’s Who of national media names descended on Malvern for the Harris-Cheney mini town hall at People’s Light on October 21.

 

If you missed it, be sure to check out our behind-the-scenes snaps of the People’s Light event in a fun reel on our Instagram and Facebook feeds. (On SAVVY Main Line’s Instagram, the video is pinned near the top.)

Dueling campaigns in Wayne

For the last several weeks, Trump and Harris supporters have set up on opposite sides of Lancaster Ave. where it intersects with North Wayne Ave.

Nothing new there – it happens every election cycle. Several passing cars honked in support of Trump during our visit last Saturday. In general though, it was a quieter morning than usual for both camps. The Wayne Business Association had asked both groups to disband for its trick-or-treat event that afternoon.

A notable side bar: Kathryn Buckley (at right in the photo of Trump supporters above) is running for State Rep. against incumbent Lisa Borowski, the former Radnor ward commissioner who was the first Democrat and first woman to win Delco’s 168^th.  Buckley suggested that this reporter ask the holder of a pride flag across the street what the pale pink and blue stripes on it signified. “They mean pedophilia,” Buckley stated. Our chat with the flag holder, confirmed by our own fact-checking, revealed that the newish “Intersex Inclusive Pride Progress Flag” includes baby blue and baby pink stripes to represent boys and girls, a white stripe to represent non-binary or transitioning people, black and brown stripes to represent people of color, the yellow triangle with a purple circle inside to represent the intersex community.

A few blocks away, a pop-up stand outside Sign Studios near Minella’s Diner was the closest we could find to a visible Trump ground game in Wayne. 

A mysterious letter is mailed to Main Line homes (Please pardon the profanity near the letter’s end.)

Two local women, both Trump supporters who asked for anonymity, emailed us photos of this disturbing letter, exact copies of which were sent to homes in Lower Merion, Radnor and Easttown, according to police.

Strangely, the letter is on what appears to be Trump stationery but it trashes the former president and threatens those who support him.

One of the women who forwarded us the letter told us she was targeted because of the Trump sign in her yard in Devon. She later told us she was reassured because the FBI was investigating and “taking the incident seriously.”

We asked local police chiefs about the letters. Easttown Police Chief David Obzud tells us he received two reports of letters from the same block in Devon and referred the matter to the U.S. Postal Service. Obzud told us he has “serious doubts” that the FBI would spend much time on this. “We didn’t see it as a threat or qualify [it] as a crime as far as the letter of the law.”

In Radnor, where one letter was reported to police, Superintendent Chris Flanagan had this to say about alleged FBI involvement: “There’s no crime against the government, no return address to follow up on. We told the homeowner if they received another, we’d follow up … If the sender had stolen U.S. stamps to mail the letters, that would be a federal crime,” he said. “This is harassment, not a federal event.”

At press time, our calls to the FBI’s Newtown Square field office had gone unanswered.

Wearing their hearts on their heads

Press coverage … denied.

The screen grab from YouTube (below) was the closest this reporter came to the Trump roundtable in Drexel Hill Tuesday. Figuring it was the nearest the candidate was going to get to SAVVY’s coverage area before November 5, we applied for press credentials as soon as the event was announced. We heard nothing back.

A glimmer of bright news amid the ugly polarization: Lawn sign thefts have not risen in this election cycle.

We spoke to police chiefs in Radnor, Tredyffrin and Easttown this week. Radnor’s Chief Flanagan reports “some complaints about the use of public versus private property to post lawn signs,” but tells us people are getting smarter about deterring thefts. More folks are putting campaign signs closer to their homes and not near curbs where Flanagan says “an overly zealous’ person might kick it over on the sidewalk.”

More people are also attaching traceable Apple AirTags to their sign, the police chiefs report. Still other homeowners have installed Ring Doorbell security cameras.

“We haven’t had much theft reported,” concurs Tredyffrin Police Chief Mike Beaty. In Easttown, Chief Obzud tells us both Trump and Harris signs have been stolen or knocked down. “We see it every election but no more than usual this time. Most of these incidents go unreported.”

SAVVY’s Closing Argument:

Feeling fed up and fired up? Don’t squander that feeling.

Do your homework. Whatever your politics, you owe it to yourselves to seek unbiased news sources that you’ve actually heard of. See who funds the unfamiliar ones with amorphous, generic names. (We suggest seeking stories by the AP and the BBC.)

Please don’t fall for inflammatory headlines and the rampant disinformation on X, other social channels and shady corners of the Internet. Smart rule of thumb: If a headline, a photo, a story or a video clip looks and sounds outrageous or hard to believe, it’s probably false. There are bad actors – many of whom are sitting in computers outside the U.S. – using AI as we write this story to fabricate images and video. You simply can’t trust what you see anymore.

But that’s no excuse for sitting this one out, folks. By casting a protest vote or no vote at all, standing on principle or your own ideological purity could very well put the candidate you REALLY don’t want in the Oval. This race is that tight.

So buckle up, buck up and VOTE next Tuesday. As citizens of the biggest battleground state in the country, it’s our right, our privilege and OUR DUTY.

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Our recent headlines, most of them updated with fresh info. (Click the headline to see our story and photos.)

Who needs Black Friday? A bargain hunter’s nirvana, the CCC (Community Clothes Charity) Sale comes to Wayne this weekend. Here’s why you should shop it.

UPDATED: A separation of Church and State in Wayne? Radnor Township makes moves to seize Wayne Presbyterian Church property, then postpones final vote

Tails are wagging over Woof Gang, Wayne’s new luxury dog bakery, grooming spa and wellness shop

UPDATED: Legally blind, brain-injured dancer helps lead free ‘Caregivers Connect Walk’ to honor their often unheralded work

UPDATED: Surrey’s 2nd Holiday House Tour & Shops sells out again. (But attend with a friend as a sponsor!)

‘Farmer Bob’ Lange, Willistown Republican Supervisor and Sugartown Strawberries owner, agreed to appear in pro-Harris commercials. He’s been paying for it ever since. 

Federal Donuts & Chicken – the combo you never knew you needed – opens in Radnor

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Savvy Picks***

There’s chocolate and then there’s Teuscher Chocolates. Flown in fresh weekly from Zürich to its sweet Wayne store at 240 E. Lancaster Ave, Teuscher brings an authentic taste of Swiss luxury to the Main Line. Each piece is crafted with tradition and care from the finest ingredients. For the holidays, Teuscher offers exquisite, handmade gift boxes themed specifically for Thanksgiving and Christmas – a perfectly elegant hostess gift. What a sumptuous way to show your appreciation and make a memorable impression! Treat someone special (or yourself) to the world-renowned luxury of Teuscher this holiday season. Stop by their old-world chocolate shop (ask for a taste!), order online or email [email protected].

Hard to beat the Main Line’s one-stop shop for holiday meals and gifts and Thanksgiving and Christmas catering: The Lancaster County Farmer’s Market in Wayne. Vendors will help you: pick up holiday meals for a crowd, feed those hungry college kids, find gourmet ingredients for special holiday meals, and choose the perfect hostess gift. Fresh from Lancaster and local mom-and-pops, you’re guaranteed to get the freshest and best at this iconic Strafford marketplace. Visit lancastercountyfarmersmarket.com to place orders directly with Market merchants.

Thinking about adding to your jewelry box? Now’s a GREAT time to buy at Brian Smaul Jewelers in Eagle Village Shops and here’s why: Gold prices are soaring – over 50 percent! – but NOT if you shop at Brian Smaul. The veteran jeweler is still pricing his timeless pieces based on his original cost, giving customers an exclusive opportunity to score significant savings. Meanwhile, diamond prices have softened over the last year. Imagine owning a piece from Brian Smaul’s stunning in-house gold collection or designing your own wedding band, pendant, solitaire earrings or engagement ring. These price trends won’t last. Now’s the time to bring home the luxury and elegance you deserve. Schedule your appointment today. Call 484-716-1301 or email [email protected].

When your pet is in need of specialty care, you need an experienced and caring veterinary surgeon with strong communication skills. In short, you need Dr. Steve Mehler and the surgical team at Main Line Veterinary Specialists (MLVS) at Devon Veterinary Hospital. A Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, Dr. Mehler specializes in soft tissue and orthopedic procedures; his team has more than 15 years’ experience in university and private specialty centers. MLVS’s uniquely streamlined surgical service provides better medicine and a more intimate experience than typical specialty hospitals. Care is tailored to you and your pet’s specific needs. Call 610-947-1999 or visit mainlinevs.com.

***SAVVY Picks are shoutouts & promos on behalf of our sponsors. To learn more about becoming a SAVVY Pick, email [email protected]. 

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This and That

An ambitious upscale Japanese restaurant and bar, Hiramasa, just opened in the Newtown Square Shopping Center. Same owners as Osushi in Wayne and Ardmore. We hope to visit soon and will report back.

Bagels & Co. just brought Brooklyn-style bagels to the Main Line. The mini-chain opened on Cricket Ave. near the Ardmore train station. At 2,500 sq. ft., Ardmore is its roomiest outpost to date. You’ll find all the usual suspects – poppyseed, sesame, everything, etc. – and bunch of say-whaaat? varieties like Cookie Monster, Dorito, Oreo, and Fruity Pebbles. Ditto on the schmears. Adventurous souls can take their pick of cream cheeses like birthday cake, maple bacon, siracha scallion and more.

Speaking of bagels, our hearts are breaking. Remember our story about the abrupt ouster of Delancey Street Bagels from Wynnewood Shopping Center and the assorted woes of its legally blind owner, Jan Dorfman. A friend just tipped us off to the sheriff’s sale of his nearby home on Argyle Circle. According to the auction listing, Dorfman owes nearly $300,000 on it. We’re only including this news in case there’s a generous angel out there who can help.

Conestoga High School had the most National Merit Semifinalists in PA AGAIN this year. No small feat: less than one percent of graduating seniors across the country earn that distinction.

Meanwhile, small-but-mighty Baldwin School cleaned up, too. Forty-one percent of Baldwin seniors were recognized by the National Merit program this fall. Twelve were named Semifinalists; 13 were Commended Students; two were given the National African-America Recognition Awards; and one was honored with a National First Generation Recognition Award.

When the going gets tough, the tough get … creative. When popular Autana closed its Ardmore restaurant in late August, reportedly over a disagreement with its landlord, regulars were bereft. Where were they going to get their Venezuelan empanadas, arepas and tequenos?

Within weeks, the father-daughter owners put not one, not two, but THREE big ideas in motion. First, they launched a ghost kitchen in Philly (North Center Food Nest) where they prepare food for home delivery. Second, they opened weekend “residencies” at Ardmore’s Manatawny Still Works, now extended into November. And third, they asked customers to put their money where their mouths were by investing in Autana via the Honeycomb Credit platform. Where there’s a will…

The lights are back on at that sweet little fairy tale cottage in Devon, former home to the plant shop, Stump. Upscale all-occasion florist Kelly Christine Designs opened her doors last week. Here’s hoping this tenant lives happily ever after.

The former home of Magnolia Cottage at 288 Lancaster Ave. in Malvern will soon become PA’s second Singas Famous Pizza.

Exceptional Finds – purveyor of fine and “travel jewelry” and other fashion treasures – has left Bryn Mawr. Beth Shak’s new emporium is above La Parisienne Salon and Spa at 101 E. Lancaster Ave. in Wayne and is by appointment only.

A quick update on the nanny charged in the tragic Labor Day drowning death of a three-year-old in Wilson Farm Park in Chesterbrook: Imani Lewis “did not make bail and is still in custody at Chester County prison, according to my knowledge,” Tredyffrin Police Chief Mike Beaty tells SAVVY.

***We interrupt this This and That for an important reminder: With so much happening on the Main Line, we are publishing SAVVY stories to our website (savvymainline.com) as quickly as our little fingers can type them. How will you know there’s a new story? Instagram and Facebook (and sometimes LinkedIn). Every new story alert is posted on social media with a link to the full story on our site. Our email blasts to subscribers only hit your inbox every month or so. If you’re not following @savvymainline on Instagram and Facebook, you won’t know the latest. Don’t have social media accounts? Ask a pal, your local librarian to help you open one. They’re free and you don’t need to post a single thing to follow us on Facebook or Instagram. having your own account lets you access our social feeds with links to our new stories and breaking news.***

Iconic Malvern craftsman/artist Wharton Esherick is the subject of a new exhibition at the Brandywine River Museum. “The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick” features rarely seen and notable works by the father of the Studio Craft Movement, a PAFA alum. The exhibit runs through January 25. The artist’s museum and studio is on Diamond Rock Rd. are still open for tours by reservation but will be closed in January and February. 

How did we miss this one? The Union League Legacy Foundation has joined forces with the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge to form “Founding Forward,”  a  501 c(3) civic education nonprofit dedicated to teaching kids and teachers about their rights and responsibilities as American citizens. The Foundation has called this “one of its most important advancements” since its creation in 1947. The Freedoms Foundation was founded just two years later.

Pardon the parade of clichés but …  Todd Carmichael, aka Gladwyne’s most famous adventurer and the co-founder of La Colombe coffee, is getting back in the saddle … getting a monkey off his back …hopes the third time is a charm. (You pick.) The intrepid trekker who holds the Guinness record for his unassisted little, ahem, stroll across Antarctica to the South Pole – just announced he’s returning to the Mohave Desert to attempt a solo trek of Death Valley. He’s tried twice before. If at first… Nah, enough with the clichés.

With local gardens shriveling with thirst, and the threat of brushfires soaring during this record-breaking drought, you can’t be too careful. That’s why Chester County Commissioners have enacted a 30-day open burn ban. Overtaxed first responders have extinguished too many brush fires already this D-R-Y fall. The ban outlaws outdoor burning of combustible material like leaves, twigs, and yard waste – whether you do it in a burn barrel, fire ring, fire pit or on the ground. The ban ends November 24.

Conshohocken Italian Bakery closed last Sunday after a smashing 51-year run. The place sold thousands of rolls a day, not to mention cannoli and tomato pies – some newer versions famously featured Eagles’ Brotherly Shove designs in the cheese. Owner Dominic Gambone, his sister, Ana, and extended family decided to take it a little easier after decades of long days and six-day work weeks.

And finally, while we’re all thinking about America and our role in choosing its future…

The Rendell Center, which is dedicated to the next generation of citizens, honored two Main Liners, a guy you may have heard of named Jim Gardner and his equally accomplished wife Amy Goldman with its Engaged Citizens of the Year Award. Congratulations to you both. We daresay our corner of the world is a better place because you two are in it.

One more thing and then we’ll consider this horse duly beaten. If you have not yet done so, VOTE. VOTE. VOTE. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8. If you’re unsure of your polling place, find it at iwillvote.com/PA.