All in Local Business
The sun was shining brightly on Swarthmore this past Sunday, November 7, as 75 local and regional artisans and other makers took over the town for the Swarthmore Makers Market. This open-air market, which features a selection of their handmade creations, has typically been held twice a year in front of the Inn at Swarthmore and the SEPTA station. Sunday’s market was the first since November 2019.
As The Swarthmorean reported online on October 22 in a special recap of the October 20 Swarthmore Planning Commission meeting at Borough Hall, 26 community members stepped up to the microphone to voice their opinions about the proposed condominium project that would span 102-104 and 110-112 Park Avenue in Swarthmore. The comments coalesced around several themes.
“We thank all of those residents who took the time to attend the October 20th planning meeting to share their thoughts on the proposed development at 110 Park Avenue. As long-time residents of Swarthmore, we value community feedback, and appreciate how civically engaged many Swarthmoreans are, so it was gratifying to see that engagement in action at last Wednesday’s planning meeting.”
Another milestone has been passed in Swarthmore’s new post-dry era. On September 28, the borough’s Zoning Hearing Board unanimously approved a special-exception application from Ship Bottom Brewing to open its Blendery & Barrel House, which will be located at 5 Park Avenue. The venue will include an indoor tasting room as well as a beer garden.
The Swarthmorean has more information about the planned development of condominiums by Bill Cumby and his building firm W.S. Cumby, in partnership with Don Delson, both longtime residents of Swarthmore. Cumby and Delson will present the initial plans for this project to Swarthmore’s Planning Commission at 7:30 on Wednesday, October 20.
The decision states that Ship Bottom Brewing, Inc. can operate a “blendery” that will ferment and package beer and cider for on/off site consumption, and operate an indoor retail tasting room and outside beer garden.
There is a new kind of small business worry in Swarthmore. It is one that I never thought I would fear—the loss of beloved businesses due to new development. I am sharing my story to keep all of our community informed on the latest from our business district.
In mid-June, the Bryn Mawr Bank Corporation (Bryn Mawr Trust) and the Wilmington-based WSFS Financial Corporation (WSFS Bank) announced that they plan to merge. As a result of the merger, the Swarthmore branch of Bryn Mawr Trust will close.
This Saturday, June 26, resident-consumer advocacy group Priority: DelCo Thrive will focus its efforts on Swarthmore. The group is a collection of hundreds of Delaware County residents who visit a specific neighborhood/town in the county in a show of support for local businesses. If you are visiting Town Center this Saturday, you will surely see more visiting neighbors.
A profile of Swarthmore resident Debbie Morton, who opened Morton Contemporary in 2020 to sell and celebrate art, and to bring people together.
This profile of Sean Bruton and his new Swarthmore shop, Lunch Break Vintage, tells the story of how the idiosyncratic store came to be, and what you can find there.
In collaboration with painter Robert Bohné and Gallery on Park, the Swarthmore Centennial Foundation is offering prints of a downtown Swarthmore scene for purchase.
A March 13 fire at the Village Vine wine bar and bistro at 6 Park Ave. in downtown Swarthmore prompted a conversation at Borough Council’s Public Safety Committee meeting about requiring that fire safety systems be monitored by a central station.
Jason Kilpatrick has purchased three major downtown Swarthmore properties from the Pastuszek Company for $4.41 million. The Wallingford resident and entrepreneur talks about how he got into real estate, why he loves Swarthmore, and his vision of the future.
Several Swarthmore restaurants are preparing Super Bowl specials. Here are a few options for takeout.
Poco Loco, a women’s clothing and jewelry store that has been a Swarthmore mainstay for over 30 years, will be closing soon.
Hally Stief and Heidi Sharkey are Mason and Martindale Creative, a design company in Swarthmore. Fifteen years ago, they were dragging their kids to auctions; recently, they helped Swarthmore wine bar Village Vine prepare for its opening, using the Swarthmore Co-op’s original sign and decorating the bar with paper cutouts made from old copies of the Swarthmorean.
Rereading articles from this past January and February is like peering through the wrong end of a telescope into a lost world. Here’s a review of what we were doing and thinking about in 2020, as it showed up in the pages (and website) of this newspaper — both BC (Before COVID) and AD (After Distancing).
Delaware County is offering financial support, through its “Delco Strong: Rapid Response” program, to businesses that are directly affected by the county’s new COVID-19 mitigation mandate (issued on December 10 and continuing through January 4).
In light of the pandemic, Swarthmore’s annual Home for the Holidays event has been significantly pared down from what the community has come to expect. In place of the traditional horse-drawn carriage rides, visit from Santa Claus, and dreidel games, there will be a handful of holiday activities that people can do on their own. Since the day of seasonal festivities is usually a big shopping day in the borough, the cancellation is worrisome for some retailers.
