Meet Your Neighbors: Bloom in Northern Liberties
Welcome to Bloom in Northern Liberties. This boutique is one of my favorites for women's apparel, jewelry, accessories, and gifts. I love shopping here. The girls who work here are beautiful and know their stuff. Their selections are unique and you won't be wearing the same clothing that all the other girls are wearing, plus, they have one of a kind jewelry that really lets you make that personal fashion statement. Trust me girls, you'll love this place! So, if you are ever in the neighborhood shopping, you must make it a point to visit Bloom at 1001 N 2nd Street in The Piazza at Suite 20, just across the walk from the renowned PYT, home of Tommy Up. Only in Northern Liberties. See you there!
Meet Your Neighbors: Nancy Blum
We are always genuinely eager and excited to celebrate our clients endeavors, successes, milestones, and passions.
Meet Nancy Blum, an amazing artist who lives in Philadelphia and whose artwork is all over the United States. Blum just launched her new website which showcases her stunning work including public art and sculptures. Her work has been commissioned at transit stations throughout the country, with a recent sculpture for SEPTA Art in Transit for Cheltenham and the Ogontz Bus Loop Project in Cheltenham Township, PA.
[images via www.nancyblum.com]
Meet Your Neighbors: Rachel Zimmerman of Inliquid
We caught up with Rachel Zimmerman, artist, curator, and founder of of Inliquid at the Crane Arts Building in Old Kensington. Find out what one of the region's "Top 101 Emerging Connectors" is up to.
To learn more about Zimmerman, her mission, and to see some of her photography, check out her profile page here. You can check out event listings for Inliquid here.
600 lbs of Food in 6 Weeks? Do It: Holiday Food Drive in Northern Liberties
The best cure for depression is to give a little of yourself to someone else. Whether it be a compliment or a helping hand, the smallest gesture of love towards another human or creature will heal you. Get in good spirits for the season ahead by participating in your local holiday food drive.
Here in Northern Liberties, the Northern Liberties Business Owner’s Association (NLBOA) will join Philabundance to gather food donations for Philadelphia residents and families during the holiday season. The NLBOA hopes to gather 600 lbs of food during the six week drive. From November 1 - December 17, non-perishable food items can be dropped off at the following locations:
The NLNA Community Center - 700 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
North Bowl - 909 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
Superfresh - 180 W. Girard Avenue, Philadelphia PA
Yards Brewing Company - 901 N. Delaware Ave, Philadelphia, PA
High-demand items for Philadelphia communities include: canned/shelf-stable tuna, macaroni and cheese, canned pasta, canned beef stew, canned chili, creamy peanut butter, jelly, canned green beans, canned corn, canned fruit, breakfast cereal and hot cereal.
For more information, please contact Dan Streckewald at info@libertiesparcel.com.
Meet Your Neighbor: Piper Brett
I met Piper Brett (local artist, sculptor, and all around cool, creative person) through a referral from one of my clients. When I first met Piper she was covered with dust from her workboots on up. I think she was building a deck or a skyscraper or something like that at the time. In fact, Piper always seemed to be building something big.
Piper and I saw a lot of homes together in Port Richmond, Richmond, and Kensington. Looking back, I have to laugh . We must have been a sight to see. Me in my heels and her in her overalls looking at all kinds of crazy places. We didn't give up until we finally found Piper a property in North Philly, which she turned into her personal workshop and home. I haven't seen Piper in over a year or two, and was thrilled to receive an email from her announcing...
Congratulations, Piper, for being featured in the Summer 2011 Issue of ARTnews Magazine. Pick up a copy to read the article, Piper Brett: Pop Goes Minimalism. ARTnews is the most widely published art magazine in the world. The WORLD!
You can currently check out Brett's work at Vox Populi Gallery.
[image via Vox Populi]
Meet your Neighbors on the 800 Block of Hancock Street
One day a few of us folks who live on the 800 block of N Hancock Street decided we wanted to improve our block. Our block is like the ugly duckling of blocks mixed with warehouse conversions, new construction, and a mixed bag of unrelated facades. We decided that the ugly duckling look was not working for us so we formed the 800 Block of N Hancock Street Beautification Committee. To commence our work, we met at Standard Tap over a few beers (to get our creative juices flowing, of course) and started to brainstorm and delegate and plan our beautification strategy.
Our first job was to tackle the trash, weeds, unmanaged facades, the construction debris, dog droppings, and overall mess on our street. This month was the clean-up. We got together to sweep, pick up trash, and pull weeds and add a few plants and planters we bought at a neighborhood garage sale nearby.
Next, we will work on getting rid of the graffiti and freshening up with some painting. We have a few unattractive facades on our block. We are hoping to persuade the new gym Sweat to agree to a mural to beautify the rear of their establishment. Right now it is peeling paint and graffiti. We also are in the midst of getting permission from the owner of the empty garage on the corner of Poplar and Hancock to let us paint murals in the cinder block windows. It would absolutely transform that corner.
Then we will be adding a few more trees with the help of the NLNA's Clean & Green Committee and getting local artist Leo Razzi to create a permanent sculpture for the block. The sculpture is a bit extravagant but we love metal street art!
Meet the neighbors of the 800 Block of Hancock Street. Get motivated by their energy, enthusiasm, and sense of community. We hope to see the same type of movement take place throughout the neighborhood. Hint, hint, North 2nd Street!
Let's get inspired by these folks! Have you met your neighbors lately?
Meet Your Neighbor: Colors by Padmini
The corner of 2nd & Poplar has always been one of our favorite intersections - a portrait-perfect scene of activity by day or night. Now, there's an extra swipe of color with the presence of Colors By Padmini, a home decor and lifestyle shop that is becoming known for its "Window Concerts" and unique items from all around the world.
We stepped in not knowing what to expect, and found a delightful selection of fashions that were handmade in Thailand, a section devoted to some of the most beautiful bedding in every color you can imagine, and gifts and accessories that you can't find elsewhere in the city.
On Friday and Saturday nights, stop by to catch one of the performances - when you've got a giant window and the ever-eclectic Northern Liberties intersection audience strolling by, things are bound to get interesting. Welcome to the neighborhood, Colors by Padmini.
Colors by Padmini
906 N 2nd Street
215-733-0330
www.padminidesigns.com
Mon: 12:00 - 8:00 pm
Wed: 12:00 - 8:30 pm
Thurs: 12:00 - 10:00 pm
Fri: 12:00 - 11:00 pm
Sat: 12:00 - 11:00 pm
Sun: 12:00- 8:00 pm
Meet Your Neighbor: Joe Cleary
As Spring approaches, we're all paying more attention to curb appeal. A good cleaning can really make a deck or facade sparkle and shine. Over the winter and particularly in the city, brick and stucco are stained by mildew and the elements. In Philly, graffiti art is certainly interesting in the right context, but sometimes there is some stylistic "coloring outside the lines", so to speak. That is why power washing is the ultimate way to spruce up for Spring.
Joe Cleary of Eclipse General Contracting is a Power House of Power Washing! Cleary does everything from graffiti removal to pressure washing to deck restoration and construction. Need post-construction cleanup or patio installation? Cleary is your answer to curb appeal.
"As for the graffiti, I make sure not to do paint overs. I think it's a horrible way to get rid of the graffiti, and it ruins nice brick and stucco finishes. I use biodegradable chemicals that pull the paint off of the metal or masonry and then power wash which leaves it as good as new," says Cleary.
And "good as new" is what we all love.
Eclipse General Contracting
215-730-1368
Related:
Tip Jar: Curb Appeal in the Concrete Jungle
[image via Eclipse General Contracting]
Young, Broke, and Beautiful… Meet Convenient, Cheap, and Fabulous!
We'll admit, we were a little confused when a discount goods store opened in Northern Liberties, which is known for its art galleries and boutiques. It's hard to find anything under five bucks these days, especially in our neighborhood. Can Young, Broke, and Beautiful Appreciate Convenient, Cheap, and Fabulous?
Five to One...and Then Some has proved useful a million times over for us since then, and we're glad to have it right there on 2nd St., for all of those last-minute needs. Whenever we're having a party or wrapping a gift, we stop in for cards, ribbon, bags, paper plates and napkins, and other items, and of course, we always save money doing so!
It helps that the owners of the store, Cheryl Leuzzi and Jean Squitiere are probably the nicest women alive. Walking into the store feels inviting and walking out feels like you just bought something from your best friend.
"We were both paralegals and loved this area. We actually found the spot on a Craigslist ad," says Squitiere.
Why a discount goods store?
"In a recession we felt that people wanted to feel like they were getting good prices. And we both love to shop!" she adds. Squitiere lives in the Northeast and Leuzzi resides in South Philly.
Here is just a small list of some handy items that Five to One carries:
socks
stockings
holiday accessories
birthday stuff
wrapping paper
bows
bags
tape
kitchen utensils
picnic goods
cards
tablecloths
toothbrushes
hair brushes
hair adornments
pens
crayons
note paper
toiletries
and so much more!
Five to One and Then Some
707 N. 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
267-861-0772
Tues - Fri:10:00 am - 7:00 pm
Sat:10:00 am - 6:00 pm
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Wellness is a Journey. Just ask Karen Rossignol and Nancy Blum, your Neighbors.
It was a cool Saturday morning in early Spring, and I was driving to 4th and Thompson to show 2 women, driving up from VA, a church we had listed for sale. I had never met them before. As a matter of fact, I was not going to meet them at all due to my packed schedule that day. But, when I heard that Karen was looking to start a Holistic Health Practice in Philly, and her partner was an artist looking for a unique space to live in...I had a feeling in my bones that they could be really fun clients.
My bones were right! As I pulled over at the corner of N 4th Street and Thompson in Old Kensington, Karen, a then fiery redhead, with an infectious smile, and a certain positive attitude twinkling from her eyes, won me over before she could say hello. She and Nancy looked amazingly well-rested after their 6 1/2 hour drive from Richmond, VA. I've done that trek with Chris when we visit his folks. And believe me, I am not as charming at the end of that drive! Well, long story short, that day, the church property was definitely not for them but our first meeting pretty much sealed the deal for an amazing journey Karen and Nancy were about to take.
Karen was living in Richmond and Nancy in Manhattan when they began to investigate Real Estate in a 120-mile radius around Manhattan when they thankfully decided to narrow it down to good old Philly, specifically the cool area of Northern Liberties, Fishtown and Old Kensington. That is how they found me. They examined Graduate Hospital, Brewerytown, South Philadelphia and numerous other areas around Center City but found their groove in the Northeast corridor, which is where a lot of creative folks are putting down roots.
Karen and Nancy finally found their home in East Kensington (otherwise known as an arm of Fishtown) but it was not completely built yet! So, Chris and I offered our demure 2 bedroom rental property in nearby Old Kensington to them while they waited for their much larger home to be completed.
So, up from VA they moved all of their possessions and precious cargo including their 3 dogs: Ziggler, Coda, and Ellie, their 16 yr old cat Spice, and Karen's 16 year old daughter Chelsea. More recently when I was speaking to Karen she openly laughed out loud remembering her first winter in that 2 bedroom house...we had 3 feet of snow and they forgot to pack their winter clothes! Ha ha ha, good times, right?
Karen, Nancy, Chelsea, Ziggler, Coda, Ellie, and yes even Spice are now settled in their new home on Emerald Street. Chelsea goes to high school in Philadelphia and loves it. Nancy recently returned form Berlin where one of the pieces she has in a show there is rumored to be purchased by the American Embassy! And Karen is finally seeing her goals come together as she is now breaking into the Wellness Scene with a new office at 440 E. Girard in Fishtown.
I want to introduce you to Karen and Nancy, your neighbors, and share their Journey with you. Urban Roots Wellness Center opened over the weekend and offers massage, reiki, homeopathy, hypnosis, tinctures, and more.
"We plan on growing herbs in the backyard and offering tinctures to customers. We have infant massage sessions, where we can teach parents how to massage their infants. We really want to be able to give back to the community that we live in."
Right now the center is decorated with Nancy's amazing art work. Please stop by and meet Karen when you are in the area!
The Urbanrootswellness.com website will be live soon.
Urban Roots Wellness Center
440 E Girard Ave
267-886-8468
Mon - Fri: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sat: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Related:
Nightmare on Hancock Street. A true story...
The Road to Wellness on Girard Avenue
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