SAVVY MAINLINE

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Dishing on Eatnic in Paoli, drug rehab in Devon, the area’s 2nd pro theatre group, Polka Dots lives on & SAVVY holiday shopping

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

Ah, how to describe Paoli’s new Eatnic?

Sure, we could tell you it’s a farm-fresh, morning-til-night BYOB and be done with it.

But there’s more to it than that.

Much more.

Because Eatnic comes from the same fertile brain that 30 years ago spawned the world’s first Saladworks, and with it, the now ubiquitous fast-casual dining category.

And what John Scardapane did with Saladworks – more than 100 franchisees, many millions in sales (before selling in 2015) – he just might do with Eatnic.

And it all will have started here.

In little old Paoli.

Which means this modest eatery on a non-descript stretch of Route 30 is a pretty big deal,

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SoHo chic in Bryn Mawr, Paoli’s cool new corner, standout Stoga grad’s stunning OD & lots more

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

It will be fascinating to see how the Main Line responds to Kirna Zabête, just open near La Colombe in the new Bryn Mawr Village.

Because its 3,000 square feet are unlike anything we’ve seen in these parts. (And you know we get around.)

Kirna Zabête (KEER nah Zah BETT) is an exuberant paean to high fashion.

A boutique for serious fashionistas that – with touches of warmth and whimsy – doesn’t take itself too seriously.

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Election aftershocks, T/E drug use/mental health update, Wayne’s new BYOB, Firepoint in N. Square & more

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

No matter how you voted, you have to feel sickened by the reported assault of a black female student by a group of white male students on Villanova’s campus last week.

Here’s what reportedly went down: The young woman was walking through the SEPTA tunnel around 9 pm Thursday when a group of guys en route to an off-campus formal approached and knocked her down, shouting “Trump! Trump! Trump!” The student’s face and head hit concrete. According to her friend, she was badly shaken, suffered nausea, vomiting and dizziness and was reluctant to report the attack at first.

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La Cabra Brewing & other hot new spots, L. Merion’s PR problems, a fond farewell & more

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

In a word: wow.

We’re blown away by what a bunch of brewpub newbies just pulled off in downtown Berwyn.

They took a drab old furniture store across from the train station (RIP Pearl of the East), gutted it, and turned it into rustic-chic La Cabra Brewing, suddenly the hippest spot in town.

OK. Not so suddenly.

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T/E teacher/coach LeRoi Leviston (Stoga ’06) finds his voice as Roi Lush. Plus, hot news around town

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

If anyone’s story can blot out all the bad press that came out of T/E schools last year, surely LeRoi Leviston’s can.

His journey from starting Stoga quarterback to Mr. Lev, Valley Forge Middle School teacher, to Roi Lush, full-time rapper, is as improbable as it is inspiring.

The odds against LeRoi, 28, were stacked from the start.

He was born on Long Island to parents who “were very into hardcore drugs,” LeRoi tells SAVVY.

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Another BIG redo for Devon, new details on Devon Yard, Fritz & Van Cleve, the skinny on Fat Ham & more

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

From Devon Manor to The Royal Devon?

Could be.

Developer Brian O’Neill confirms that he’s now the proud owner of the large and long-in-the-tooth nursing home/rehab complex on Lancaster Ave.

Residents and patients are being relocated, 124 staffers are looking for new jobs, and Devon Manor goes dark next month.

This is prime real estate, folks – 8.6 acres with lots of frontage on Route 30 and a deep lot. And just a skip and a jump from the Devon train station.

So what will O’Neill do with it?

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Neighbors win downsized plan for Devon Yards, scoops on Berwyn’s new downtown, Savona’s makeover & more

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

Just when you thought Urban Outfitters’ deal for the old Waterloo site might be kaput comes wondrous news: Devon Yards is alive and kicking.

Urban and developer Eli Kahn have agreed on a new plan – their fourth, by our count – that nixes both bugaboos: the four-story apartment building and the parking garage.

The revised proposal is strictly retail and restaurants – nothing residential.

Just what the neighbors ordered.

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Whole Foods’ tasty new tavern, a Gateway good-bye, Naf Naf gets grilling, twin leukemia tragedies & more

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

Hey, Whole Foods: Can you build us a new Devon store, too?

We just had a sneak peek tour and tasting at the about-to-open Wynnewood market and, frankly, we were blown away.

The place is blockbuster.

We knew it would be three times bigger than the cramped Whole Foods it’s replacing around the corner.

But we had no idea how much better it would be.

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Radnor’s new resort spa, a BYOB for Wayne, Savor-ing KOP, T/E ups & downs & more

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

We’ve got a new name for The Radnor Hotel: Beauty Central.

Essent Spa, an ambitious, luxury day spa, has moved in next to Jay Michael Salon in the old Bernie Robbins space.

Although separately owned, Essent and Jay Michael are a match made in beauty heaven. With a shared reception desk and booking website, you can get your hair styled and your face Botoxed in a single trip.

One stop, multiple ways to get gorgeous.

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Stoga hazing update: Father of accused player speaks out; Berwyn’s big facelift & assorted SAVVY shorts

/ By Caroline O'Halloran / /

The father of one of the three Conestoga football players charged in the broomstick sodomy scandal has broken his silence. He’s publicly calling on Chester County DA Tom Hogan to take action: either set a court date or drop the charges.

“Enough is enough,“ Dorian Ross tells SAVVY. “It’s been five months. We want closure.” His son heads off to college in a few weeks and deserves to have this “dark cloud” resolved, he says.

Claiming he needed more time, Hogan postponed a pretrial conference set for May 12 until further notice. But since then, Ross says neither he nor his attorney has heard boo from the DA.

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