SAVVY MAINLINE

it's what you want to know

FURY over Element Kitchen’s disappearing act; Felony Lane Gang hits Paoli (Women beware); Art for all; Cancer Support; Martha Stewart & much more

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

Dream kitchens up in flames.

New bathrooms down the drain.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars, given in good faith, gone.

Employees summarily fired, their paychecks bounced. A lease broken, rent skipped.

The flood of fuming allegations against Element Kitchen & Bath in Paoli (and formerly Devon) beggars belief.

Did this really happen? Here?

No bargain basement remodeler, Element – until it up and vanished – operated out of a splashy showroom in the heart of Paoli at the beautifully renovated KingsHaven Design complex.

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Boss Ladies! AR Workshop Malvern & Wayne mom’s Yogi invention; Plus, KOP Mall facelift, Nova News, Politics, Platoon Fitness & more

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

Callin’ all wine-lovin’ ladies and DIYers: the coolest spot this side of The Buttery just opened in Malvern.

AR Workshop is a custom art studio where you make wood signs, photo frames, canvas pillows, tote bags and more.

Sipping all the way.

(Giving “craft cocktails” a whole new meaning, right?)

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GUNS! Students walk out, Parents gather & Stoga teacher speaks out nationally; Devon’s new Lumbrada; Ardmore’s new Living Room; Pro athletes talk mental health; Village Wellness & more

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

They called B.S.

Fed up because they don’t feel safe in school, thousands of Main Line students walked off the job Wednesday.

For 17 minutes or more, classrooms became ghost towns, the halls were mostly quiet.

There would be no repercussions. Lower Merion, Radnor and T/E Schools were of one voice: students would not be penalized for commemorating Florida’s fallen 17 and demanding #NeverAgain.

As a precaution, parents were cordially not invited to attend – forbidden, in fact, from entering schools that became “closed campuses” from 10 to 11 a.m. Local police stood at the ready, their services, thankfully, not needed.

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Two Devon mysteries solved: What’s up with old Shiraz site & empty KMart; Plus, new hotel to Radnor, new map for PA, new charges for Ahr; ‘active shooter’ training & more

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

It’s a Main Line mystery: Twin buildings – perhaps the most opulent ever built in these parts – sitting idle for years in the heart of Devon.

Unleased.

Unsold.

Ripe for the taking but no one’s biting.

What happened to this modern-day Taj Mahal, its hushed, lifeless halls worlds away from the bustling Whole Foods across the street?

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Rock on! Wayne’s new music hall; ANEU to Rosemont; Wayne murder/suicide & jailhouse death; Mt. Joy; Eagles’ ‘Case for Smiles’ and more

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

Great balls of fire! Wayne’s about to get what Ardmore’s had for years: its own live music hall.

118 North will open on N. Wayne Avenue Feb. 15, adding a touch of Austin/Nashville to our fair town.

To which we say: Rock it to us.

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Can Wayne theater be saved? Plus, Berwyn murder update; ‘Choice’ Bryn Mawr BYOB; T/E redistricts; Meehan’s miseries; Eagles Superfans & more

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

For years, downtown Wayne’s movie theater has been slugging it out with the big boys: the Regals, the AMCs, the Movie Taverns, and, to a lesser degree, the Bryn Mawr Film Institute.

Slugging it out and, er, losing.

But the tide may turn yet.

Because dear old Anthony Wayne – built in 1928 and sagging with age – is making his last stand.

The theater’s operator, Reel Cinemas, just launched a “Save the Anthony Wayne” campaign and the stakes couldn’t be higher: Raise $2 million to modernize, compete and fill the seats.

Or raise the white flag and go dark for good.

Don’t think it can’t happen.

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New Year, New Hotspots ahead: Marbles 2.0, Imbibe. Plus, KOP Mall’s radical plan; Singing star nails it in Ardmore; Stoga grad grabs national headlines & more

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

Well, whaddayaknow? Marbles is rolling back to Bryn Mawr.

Fifteen years after the Main Line mainstay near the movie theater went dark, it’s being resurrected – same spot, same owners, same tin ceiling.

The building’s been owned all along by local restaurateurs, George, Michel, Joseph Wakim and their sister, Fadia Wakim Abi-Khattar, who also own Aldar Bistro and Murray’s in Bala and Evviva in Narberth.

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Double issue: Movie (!), dining & shopping scoops, plus our annual all-local ‘nifty gifts’ guide

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

Pop some corn: seems the western Main Line is going to the movies.

One of the nation’s largest movie chains is THISCLOSE to inking a deal with Uptown Worthington, the long-time-coming lifestyle center near the Malvern Wegmans.

The center’s owner, developer Brian O’Neill, tells SAVVY that a dine-in theater with full bar plans to take 43,000 sq. ft. and should open in a year or so. Two prior deals with movie chains cratered a few years back, but we’re told this one should be a wrap by early January.

O’Neill also tells us he’s nearing a deal with Main Line restaurateur Marty Grims. The White Dog Café/Autograph Brasserie/Moshulu owner wants to open a “super hip” spot at Worthington

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Ex-Stoga aide admits student sexual assaults; New Bryn Mawr BYOB; Fresh ‘Canvas’ for downsizing boomers; Teegarden dogs; Our Closet; Mister Sprinkle & more

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

Guilty as charged. A former teacher’s aide has admitted to the repeated sexual assault of a Conestoga sophomore – in his school office, his car and her bedroom – during the 2016-2017 school year.

After pleading not guilty at his April arraignment, Arthur Phillips changed his plea to guilty last Tuesday and was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison.

If Phillips had been younger, Chester County Judge Patrick Carmody said he wouldn’t have accepted the plea deal. “You’re 67, Do you understand that you may never leave jail, that this might be a life sentence?” he asked the defendant.

Phillips said quietly that he understood.

The judge was clearly disgusted by Phillips’ crimes.

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Democrats win big in T/E & beyond; Longtime Main Line ob-gyn arrested; Stoga, Devon Yard, Ardmore Target & Aronimink updates; Dine local; Shop w/ purpose & more

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

Local Democrats are still pinching themselves – perhaps nowhere more so than in Tredyffrin, where the party’s candidates went 12 for 12 last Tuesday.

A sweep.

Three Democrats ran for township supervisor seats: incumbent Murph Wysocki plus Matt Holt and Kevin O’Nell. ­

All three won.

Four Democrats ran for T/E school board: incumbent Scott Dorsey plus Kyle Boyer, Tina Whitlow and Heather Ward.

All four won. (Whitlow and Ward ousted current board president Doug Carlson and Virginia Lastner.)

So, for the first time in township history, three of seven supes and seven of nine school board directors will be Democrats.

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