Photo courtesy of UCD

The Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll is returning this Thursday, June 6, from 5 – 8 p.m.. The first Dollar Stroll of 2024 will bring deals, music, arts, and more to Baltimore Avenue between 40th and 51st Streets. Just a reminder, that local businesses and vendors now offer $1, $3, and $5 deals during this event.

The Dollar Stroll is a great opportunity to enjoy some of your favorite items from well-known businesses, like VIX Emporium, Renata’s Kitchen, Desi Village, Loco Pez, Vientiane Cafe, Booker’s Restaurant & Bar and more. The event is also a chance to check out new businesses like Manzanita (42nd and Baltimore), Milkcrate Cafe (45th and Baltimore), Third Wheel Cheese Co (50th and Baltimore), and more.

The list of performers and entertainers includes Gretchen Elise at 40th and Baltimore (5-7 p.m.), Orchestra 2001 at Clark Park and HMS School Block Party, and Hip Hop Fundamentals at 50th and Baltimore.

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The University City Grocery Outlet grand opening took place on Thursday, May 30. (Photos by Hanbit Kwon)

A new grocery store, University City Grocery Outlet, has opened at 4301 Chestnut Street, on the ground floor of the new apartment complex that replaced a strip mall (the construction began in Spring 2022). The store is a medium-size supermarket that carries everything from fresh produce to meats to frozen foods and personal care items. It is locally owned and operated by sisters Jaelyn and Jaida Deas (check out their Instagram post).

University City Grocery Outlet is a franchise of the Grocery Outlet chain founded in 1946 in San Francisco. The store offers bargain prices on many items. Grocery Outlet’s business model is built on offering brand-name items that have been discounted because of “packaging changes, surplus inventory or product overruns,” according to the company’s website.

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The new Schmear It bagel shop at 265 S. 44th Street will be selling Lil Pop Shop’s handcrafted ice pops and Weckerly’s ice cream.

Here’s some exciting news for locally made popsicle and bagel lovers. Two popular local businesses, Lil Pop Shop and Schmear It, have announced that they both will be offering their goods at 265 S. 44th St., Lil Pop Shop’s former location. What’s even better, Lil Pop Shop, whose owner Jeanne Chang announced permanent closing of the shop in Fall 2023, has already restarted its operation at the store (the re-opening date was Thursday, May 23).

The shop is now owned by Schmear It founder Dave Fine and his partner Brett Weinheimer, both Penn alumni. Schmear It will begin serving bagels, schmears, Rival Bros. coffee and espresso, and drinks in the coming months, according to Weinheimer. He says that him and his family used to live in Spruce Hill and have been long-term customers of the Lil Pop Shop.

“The Schmear It team is especially excited to share that the store will feature Lil Pop Shop’s all natural ice pops as it has for over a decade. Lil Pop Shop’s team, led by founder Jeanne Chang, will continue to craft and deliver their amazing creations for the Schmear It team to sell at Lil Pop Shop’s former 265 S. 44th St. storefront,” Weinheimer wrote in an email.

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After many years of operation, two popular Baltimore Avenue businesses – Ice Cave and Aksum – have closed their doors.

                          Ice Cave in 2023

Ice Cave, the dessert shop specializing in Taiwanese shaved ice treats, reopened under new ownership just last spring. The original shop, managed by a Taiwanese American couple, opened in 2016 at 4507 Baltimore Ave. and then moved across the street to 4520 Baltimore in 2020. The original owners closed the shop in early 2023 due to family matters, however, a new family took over the space just a few weeks later, in March 2023, continuing the old tradition. Although the “Ice Cave” signage is gone from the storefront, a sign on the door says that the space is only “closed temporarily”, which means a new business may be coming there soon.

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Philly Homebrew Outlet has closed their shop at 47th and Woodland after eight years of operation. The West Philly location was Philly Homebrew’s final store.

“We are sad to say today, March 11th, is the day we have finally decided to close the doors permanently and shut down Philly Homebrew as a business,” reads an email newsletter message by Philly Homebrew co-owners, Jimmy McMillan and Nick Less, sent out on Monday. “Our final store in West Philly is locked up [and] will be no more.”

Philly Homebrew Outlet was launched in 2011 when McMillan and Less purchased Barry’s Homebrew and moved it from South Philadelphia to Kensington. The business opened its second, West Philly location in 2016 and later expanded to three stores.

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The Ethiopian restaurant Abyssinia, located at 45th and Locust, has sustained heavy damage to its front entrance after a car crash. The accident happened on Tuesday around 5 p.m., according to reports, when a 2012 Dodge truck, going at a high speed, ran past a stop sign and eventually crashed into the front entrance of Abyssinia at the corner of 45th and Locust. Before crashing into the restaurant, the truck hit a 2022 Tesla, which then hit another car that went on to hit two parked cars, according to police. A passenger who was inside the Tesla sustained minor injuries in the accident. No other injuries were reported.

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