SAVVY MAINLINE

it's what you want to know

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

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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:

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

Big ‘downtown’ Devon news; Splashy new swim school; More ethnic eats in Ardmore; Crime news; Solutions 4 Health, Devon hats, Woodlynde wonders and more

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Devon Horse Show 2018 is history – but whoa, Nelly.

There’s a move afoot that could change the look of “downtown” Devon almost as much as URBN’s fast-rising Devon Yard.

The horse show’s chairman and CEO wants to put a three-level parking garage between Devon Yard (the new Terrain/Anthropologie complex) and the show grounds.

Because, let’s face it, parking can be a pain at Devon.

Top Ten Reasons We’re Going to Devon … And You Should, Too!

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#10   IT’S WORLD CLASS.  And getting classier every year.

Some of the BEST riders in the world are here, including three out of four on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Show Jumping Team: McClain Ward (9-time Devon Grand Prix champ), Beezie Madden and Kent Farrington, now ranked #1 in the world.  Or catch a rising star like Devin Ryan. (A happy naming coincidence? We think not.)

T/E probes policy after alleged gun threat & hate speech rattle middle school parents; Gotta go to Main & Vine & Devon Horse Show; #SaveStoneleigh, shore dunes and much more

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With recent school shootings very much on their minds, some Tredyffrin-Easttown Middle School parents are taking aim at T/E’s response to an alleged threat of gun violence and bullying.

They sent e-mails, made phone calls, met with school officials.

Then, scores of them showed up at a school board meeting Monday night.

The district was ready. Message received, loud and clear.

The Superintendent announced the creation of parent focus groups to evaluate T/E’s threat-response policy and suggest changes as needed. He said the district will also explore “best practices” of other districts across the country and review relevant research.

And the day after the meeting, the principal of T/E Middle School sent an extraordinarily detailed e-mail to parents explaining how, as a parent himself, he takes students’ safety personally.

The hubbub started in early February. It simmered, then boiled over last week after a TEMS family, the Nissenbaums, told their story to the AP.

And it ran in newspapers across the country.

Lucky us! Swell new Stoneleigh public garden in Villanova, The Bercy Ardmore, Imbibe in Conshy, Argyle & MovementRx Studio; Plus, KingsHaven, Devon hats & more

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The Main Line has a new treasure. Dusted off, spruced up, and ready for our viewing pleasure. 42 glorious green acres.

“Stoneleigh: A Natural Garden” makes its public debut on Mother’s Day.

Join the lawn games or pick a quieter day to meander its paths and soak in its charms.

There’s no rush; the garden’s not going anywhere.

It’s ours. Forever.

And it’s free.

Peek inside posh new Life Time in Sub. Square; Tasting Ripplewood in Ardmore; The Switch; An opioid confession; Jane Winchester; Nifty Mom’s Day gifts & more

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Polished to perfection, Life Time opens its “diamond” level club in Suburban Square this week.

All that’s missing?

Beds.

Not kidding. The “healthy way of life company” – now ensconced in the old Macy’s – wants to be your fitness center, your hair-and-nail salon, your restaurant, your spa, your babysitter – and now, your office.

Not just a “laptops-welcome-free-wifi” of office.

But a real one, totally tricked out.

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

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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.