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Autism ‘miracle’ in Merion; Bus stop blues & vandalism in T/E; PE pushback in LMSD; Tasty news for Tredici, La Cabra lovers; Plush digs for Bryn Mawr patients and more

January 17, 2019 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

When doctors at CHOP diagnosed Matthew Cramer with “classic” Autism Spectrum Disorder, his mother, Julie, a physician herself, had to excuse herself.

“I was retching,” the Merion Station dermatologist tells SAVVY. “I was absolutely sick to my stomach.”

“It’s not cancer,” her husband, Warren, had reassured her. “It’s not the end of the world.”

“It sort of is,” Julie countered. For a long time, she couldn’t even say the word, autism. “I used the A word instead,” she says.

Ten years later, Julie says the full word without flinching. More than that, she’s eager to share her son’s remarkable journey.

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, EAT, PLAY Tagged With: Academy of Notre Dame Art Show, art shows, autism, Beth Am Israel, Biga, Bodega, Bryn Mawr Center for Psychological and Educational Services, Bryn Mawr Hospital, bus stop, Cerise, Conestoga High School, Dish and Dine, Enoteca Tredici Downingtown, Extended Experience, Gladwyne Acem, Greg Dodge, Harriton High School, Joseph Russino, Kelly Donahue, La Cabra Brewing, LaBlast, Linda Ritter, Louis Van Amstel, Lower Merion School District, Mary Dougherty, Matthew Cramer, Merion Mercy Academy, Michele Robins, Michelle Leonard, Movement Rx Studio, Murph Wysocki, Nicole Miller, Old Eagle School Road, Patient Pavilion, St. Aloysius Academy, Susie Geib, The Bercy, The Refectory, Tredyffrin Board of Supervisors, Tredyffrin-Easttown School District, UpHome, Villanova restaurant, Woodlynde School, Zagafen, Zavino Hospitality Group

DOUBLE ISSUE: Alarming fire news; ‘Life Time effect’; Go float in KOP; Space for all abilities; Easttown trees; new Oath Pizza & Whole Foods. Plus, all-local gift ideas (w/ SAVVY savings!)

December 13, 2018 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

You smell smoke, call 9-1-1, first responders rush on over.

But what if – gulp – there aren’t enough first responders?

That’s the scary scenario laid out in a new report about the state of volunteer firefighting in PA.

Numbers have fallen off a cliff: from 300,000 volunteers in the 1970s to 38,000 today. The report calls the drop-off nothing short of a “public safety crisis.”

While the situation’s not as dire here, our Main Line fire companies – staffed largely by unpaid volunteers – are hurting for help.

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, EAT, PLAY, Uncategorized Tagged With: Adam McKay, Adler, All Abilities Foundation, Art, Avalon, bellaD, Belladonna gifts, Berwyn Fire Company, Charles McGarvey, Chirp Clothes, Donna Martelli, Eamon Brazunis, Easttown trees, flotation tanks, gift guide, gift shops, Gratitude Cards, Grechen's People Soaps, Life Time Athletic, Louella, Lower Merion Fire Marshall, Main Line shopping, Mt. Joy, Oath Pizza, PECO, Performance Bicycle, Radnor Fire Company, Radnor Hunt cookbook, Rebecca, Rex Riccardi pocket squares, Savannah Bella scarves, Shannon Connolly, Sheri Reznik, Spectator Sports, St. Monica's, Stillpoint Yoga and Float, Suburban Square, Terrain, Trish O'Brien, Whole Foods Newtowns Square

Livin’ large at Eddie V’s KOP; ‘Social crafting’ at Rustic Brush; tasting new Nick Filet & Hakata Ramen; Christmas on King; Stoneleigh saved; L. Merion miracle & much more

November 27, 2018 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

The swankest dining destination this side of Center City – Eddie V’s Prime Seafood – just dropped anchor in front of the King of Prussia Mall.

Everything at Eddie’s oozes opulence: the white-coated waiters, the show-stopping chandelier, the caviar tastings, the oyster-and-champagne pairings, the walk-through glass wine cellar.

Not for nothin’ is “Living it up” the chain’s motto.

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, EAT, Featured, PLAY, Uncategorized Tagged With: Argyle Bouquet, Association, Barrymore Awards, Christmas on King, Cricket Cringle, Easttown, Fashion for All, Haverford, HipCityVeg, holiday, lost wedding rings, Malvern, Malvern Business and Professional, Old School House of Valley Forge, Our Closet, People's Light, Rachel Spiegel, Recovery Centers of America, Stoneleigh, Teegarden Park, Tony Peterman, Tracey Specter, Tredyffrin, Upper Main Line Community Theater

Standing up to hate; Great Valley shocker; Paoli contractor busted; New café & empty nester homes to Tredyffrin & LOTS of retail comings & goings

November 1, 2018 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

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?

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, EAT, PLAY, Uncategorized Tagged With: Anita Friday, anne hamilton, Anne Henderson, anti-semitism, Arcadia, Bagel Factory, Barnes, Berthe Morisot, Berwyn, Blue Gene Gala, Chabad, contractor fraud, David Broida, Daylesford Abbey, Element Kitchens, empty nesters, Erin Shine, First Watch, Gateway Shopping Center, Great Valley High School principal, hate crimes, HIAS, Hope Chest, Jason Duckworth, Jeff Kellmer, Kellmer Jewelers, KIngsHaven, Little House Shop, Main & Vine, Main Line Reform Temple, mental health, Michael Flick, michael sheehan, Minding Your Mind, Narberth, Neil Cooper, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Or Zarua, Outback Steakhouse, Penn Medicine Radnor, Pittsburgh shootings, Pottery Corner, Quincy's, rabbi, Savona, Shangrila, synagogue shootings, Teegarden dog park, Teegarden Park, Temple Beth Am Israel, Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El, Todd Stavrakos, Tredyffrin, Tree of Life, Villanova Dines Out, Villanova Restaurant Week, Wayne Glen, Wayne Presbyterian Church, West Chester theater student

Remembering Radnor’s Heidi Diskin: a life of caring, cut short by depression. Plus, Paoli’s billboard battle, Target fever, Kindred Collective Bryn Mawr, Ardmore murder news, Retail roundup, Etcetera & more

October 11, 2018 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

On Sept. 7, three days after her sons started the new school year at Radnor Elementary, Heidi Diskin ended her life.

She was 44.

We share this with you because Heidi would want us to.

“One hundred percent, she would want her story told,” said her husband, J.D., in a phone interview. “My hope is that what happened to Heidi can be a teachable moment. As terrible as this situation is, it’s an even worse tragedy if it doesn’t help others.”

To family and close friends, Heidi’s suicide was a sucker punch – a heart-wrenching coda to 20 years of pain.

To those less close, it seemed, well, inexplicable.

Because Heidi had made mental health advocacy and suicide prevention her life’s work. She’d started a brain health foundation, she’d spoken to countless groups, she’d even hosted a cable TV show about mental health. How could Heidi Diskin – of all people – have succumbed herself?

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Filed Under: BUZZ, EAT, PLAY, SHOP, STYLE, Uncategorized Tagged With: Anthropologie, Ardmore murder, Bill Claypool, bipolar, Blue Gene Gala, Blue Octagon, Blue Octagon Too, Brigid Stasen, Bryn Mawr, Campli PHotography, Carla Zambelli, Catalyst Outdoor Advertising, CCC Sale, Center for Social Impact, Christina Carlin-Kraft, Circe, Clockworks, Community Clothes Charity, Dan Maxwell, depression, Devon Target, Devon Yard, digital billboards, DMAX Foundation, Eaves, Eaves Townhouse, Etcetera, Finneran Pavilion, flower walls, Haverford College polling place, Heidi Diskin, J.D. Diskin, Jordan PIncus, Kindred Collective, King of Prussia mall, Krissa Wichsser, Louella Boutique, Madeline Miller, Malvern Prep, Minding Your Mind, model murder, Nicol Floral Design, Nicol Segel, North Italia, Paoli billboard, Parlour, Parlour Ice Cream Ardmore, Pattye Benson, Radnor Fireworks, Radnor suicide, Revivalist Gin, Robin Halpern, Skinny Pizza Paoli, spotted lanternfly, suicide, surrey services, Target, Tredyffrin billboard, Tredyffrin Township, True Food Kitchen, Ventnor movie theater, Villanova, Wayne Target, William claypool

Generation Vape: Why Juuling’s not cool; Horse Show’s huge move; Grim find at Philly CC; Fusion upends education in Ardmore & Malvern; Plus, new Grove 1.2.1 & Avery Graham Aesthetics; White Horse Design & more

September 20, 2018 / By Caroline / /

Summer’s over and kids are back in school – reading, writing, and, increasingly, juuling.

Some are vaping right under our noses – on school buses, in cafeterias, bathrooms and bedrooms – using slick little Juul devices that look like harmless flash drives but are anything but.

Indeed, juuling is turning unsuspecting Main Line teens into nicotine addicts – one surreptitious, sweet-flavored puff at a time.

Seems even the “smart” kids are doing it.

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, EAT, Uncategorized Tagged With: alternative schools, ARCH, Arrowroot, Avery Graham, Avery Graham Aesthetics, Beth Cardarelli, Blue Gene Gala, boutiques, Bryn Mawr, Catherine Layne, Devon Horse Show, Dishman Springs, DMAX Foundation, Elmwood Park Zoo, Felicia Layne, Fighting Back Scholarship Fund, florists, Fusion, Fusion Academy, Grove 1.2.1, Harold Sweetman, Hedgerow Theatre, home decor, interior design, Jane McNeil, Jenkins Arboretum, Jennifer on the Avenue, Juuling, Juuls, Kilwins, Lax Fest, Main Line interior design, Minding Your Mind, Mrs. Marty's, Norristown, Pennsylvania Distilling Company, Peter Kienzle, Robertson's, Sandy Edelstein, Vaping, White Horse Fabric & Design

Dishing on new Devon Yard, Big break in brutal Main Line murder; Great Flood of ’18; Dining & retail roundup; Saturday Club 2.0 & much more

August 30, 2018 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

The Main Line seems smitten with its new baby, the upscale lifestyle center Devon Yard.

And why not?

She’s six acres of delightful: verdant and lush, our new bundle of joy.

And a surprisingly small bundle she turns out to be.

After that that four-year township tug-of-war, Devon’s new “town center” consists of two stores (albeit grand ones), two restaurants and an event space. Period.

Still, every detail disarms: the breathtaking courtyard, the vintage flourishes, the unexpected touches of whimsy.

Here’s what you need to know before you go:

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, Uncategorized Tagged With: Ardmore murder, At Thge Table Wayne BYOB, Berwyn Fire Company, Christina Carlin-Kraft, Clothier estate, Cornerstone Bistro, DuckDuckGo, Eddie V's, Emergency Management, Flooding, Gateway Shopping Center, healthy breakfasts, Jim Klinges, King of Prussia mall, Lower Merion School District, Main Line Hair Design, model murder, North Italia, Orange Theory, Radnor Fire Company, Saturday Club, Sheri DeMaris, Stoneleigh Garden, Tiramisu, Trader Joe's, Tredyffrin, water rescues, YMCA

Transgender in Tredyffrin – C. McMillan’s story; Semi-Super Wawa to Wayne?; LM school search update; J. Alexander’s KOP & Alomore in Gateway & much more

August 7, 2018 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

Don’t bother searching for Cal Stone McMillan in Conestoga’s 2103 yearbook. The only McMillan listed is brainy trumpeter Caroline, and well, she’s long gone.

Because Caroline, in trans parlance, is Cal’s “dead name.”

In print and in person, Caroline has been largely erased – birth certificate, passport and driver’s license all say “Calvin” now. Calling Cal “Caroline” would be “deadnaming,” disrespectful because it signals non-acceptance.

Along with the masculine name, there’s a manly physique, a strong handshake, a deeper voice, a beard.

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, EAT, Uncategorized Tagged With: Aberdeen Sunoco, Alomore, Alpha Brava Canine, Ardmore, Barbara Bigford, Beach Pockets, beach umbrella anchors, Ben Thomas, Broadway, Cal McMillan, Caroline McMillan, Cerise BYOB, Cerise Craft Steakhouse, clairemont, Dine out for the Dogs, Easttown Library, fashion boutiques, Gateway Shopping Center, gender dysmorphia, Gerry Lenfest, J. Alexander's, Jeremy Nowak, Jersey Boys, Karakelian, Kathy Rumer, Keystone Shops, King of Prussia mall, Lower Merion School District, Medical Marijuana, Mike Badey, Morris Cloethier Mansion, Nahjee Grant, Nathan Twedt, passports, Radnor Poice, Sara Schmidt, Sara Schmidt Studio, Snapchat, Songs for Seeds, St. Katharine of Siena, Stacy Stone, Stoneleigh, Transgender, Tredyffrin, Van Gogh Pop-up, vincent van gogh, Wawa, White Dog Cafe

Julia Rae Schlucter: glamour & grit in the gifted girl next door; Radnor’s fab new library; Sweet spots, summer beauty fixes & sunny workouts; Ivory Tree & more

July 12, 2018 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

It would be easy to write about Julia Rae, née Julia Rae Schlucter, as yet another precocious Main Line talent.

We’d tell you she was performing in regional theater at age 6.

That she was recording original songs professionally by age 15.

That she’s been a featured singer in the 6ABC Thanksgiving Day Parade for eight years.

That she skipped senior year at the Academy of Notre Dame to pursue a music career in LA. That, still a teenager, she walked the Hollywood red carpet with Brooke Shields after one of her original songs was featured in a Shields movie.

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, EAT, PLAY Tagged With: 6ABC, Anchored In Sea Isle, Anchored in the Main Line, Ardmore, Aubusson Home, Belle de Nuit, Blurred Lines, Cereal bar, Chester Valley Trail, CNN Town Hall, Company C, Heather Heyman, Hummingbird Yoga and Massage, Ivory Tree Portraits, Jordan Burnham, Julia Rae, Julia Rae Schlucter, keratherapy, keratin, kettlebells, King of Prussia Town Center yoga, laser hair removal, library, Linwood Park, Main Line Art Center, Main Line hiking, Main Line walking trails, Melissa Lees, Microneedling, Minding Your Mind, Miss Philadelphia, Moo Moo Milk Bar, Nancy Campbell, Newtown Square, Nothing Bundt Cakes, outdoor exercise, photographers, Purenergy Studio, Radnor Library, Radnor Memorial Library, REI King of Prussia, Ringpfeil, Ringpfeil dermatology, Roots2Rise, Shirley & Co., Studio H Color and Design Group, suicide, suicide attempt survivor, Trail Tuesdays, Trek Travel, Valley Forge Park Alliance, Wayne Art Center, Wayne portrait studio, Will Schlucter, WillPower, yoga, Yoga on Manayunk Bridge

Multi-family housing boomlet in Tredyffrin? Big plans for Swedesford & Chesterbrook; New Village Play Space & a destination playground; Wins for Willows & Stoneleigh; Brain Fog; All-new Sporting Club & more

June 28, 2018 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

Holy Lazarus! A long-stagnant stretch of Tredyffrin has a pulse.

The owner of Swedesford Plaza wants to bulldoze the old HH Gregg and build luxury apartments in its place – 250 of them.
After approaching umpteen stores, fitness chains, health systems and grocers for its two empty anchors, Echo Realty is throwing in the retail towel on one of them. In partnership with Bozzuto, Echo plans to build a four-story, 250-unit apartment building at the old HH Gregg site, a permitted use under zoning code.

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, EAT, PLAY, Uncategorized Tagged With: Alex's Lemonade Stand, Berwyn, Bozzuto, Brain Fog, Bryn Mawr, Buck Buchanan, Burger Brawl, Campli PHotography, Chesterbrook, Chesterbrook Civic Association, Chris Mullen, Christine Shirley Sewing & Design, Clubs2Classrooms, David Campli, David Ludin, Day Spa by Zsuzsanna, Dina Previti, East Goshen Park, ECHO Realty, Freddy Martino, Golf Galaxy, Grady Finn, Green Bridge Development, Guilianna The Brave, Handels Ice Cream, Handwork Studio. What Am I Drinking, heroin addiction, Heroin overdose, HH Gregg, historic preservation, Indigo 301, King of Prussia Town Center, Leonard Haas, Main Line spas, Malvern Stroll, MaryBeth Heilmann, Mullen Interiors, Natural Lands, neuroblastoma, Pathmark, pet cemeteries, Picket Post, Picket Post Swim & Tennis Club, playgrounds, Radnor Township, Ripplewood Whiskey and Craft, Sara Martino, SAVVY events, spas, Stardust, Stoneleigh, Swedesford Plaza, swim clubs, Team SAVVY, The Laurels, Tredyffrin, Tredyffrin Library, Village Play Space, Villanova, Warren Claytor, Wayne, West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Willows Mansion, Willows Park, Willows Park Preserve, wine education, wine studio, Zoet Bathletier

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