Say goodbye to Toviah Thrift Store (Photo by Annamarya Scaccia / West Philly Local)

After four decades of service, Toviah Thrift Store at 4211 Chestnut Street has shuttered its doors for good this month, and will soon be the new home of its neighbor, Dana Mandi International Foods and Spices.

When we stopped by Tuesday evening, workers from Dana Mandi at 4205 Chestnut Street were in the process of cleaning out Toviah Thrift. Its front room was mostly emptied of its low-priced products and furniture, with remnants scattered unevenly across the space. The next morning, when we returned in hopes of speaking with Dana Mandi’s owner, Toviah Thrift was cleaned out even further— a shell of its former glory.

(Photo by Annamarya Scaccia / West Philly Local)

According to local blogger Mark Krull, the owners of Dana Mandi recently bought the property from Reverend Larry Falcon, founder of Toviah Thrift, and will soon move into the shop. A worker named Suny confirmed this information to West Philly Local over the phone, but noted he didn’t have a confirmed date for the move. He did say, though, that it wouldn’t happen prior to May.

City of Philadelphia records show that Dana Mandi, under the name Asian Spice Food Inc, owns both 4205 and 4211 Chestnut Streets, which totals to over 3,000 square feet.

Toviah Thrift is a significant part of West Philly history. Around since the late 1970s, the Christian nonprofit acted as a self-declared “safe haven” for community children while funding Rev. Falcon’s Covenant Community Church through its second-hand store. The small, welcoming ministry was housed in one half of the building, while out of the back operated The Jubilee School—Toviah’s inexpensive private elementary school serving kids in West and Southwest Philly.

Opened between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., for the last three decades, locals could stop in and purchase a mishmash of donated items that were priced inexpensively. It wasn’t a perfectly coifed space—often a disorderly grouping of products—but Rev. Falcon’s agenda of “love never fails” was apparent in its messy bones.

Much like the shop—and Rev. Falcon himself—reviews for Toviah Thrift are nothing if not interesting. One Yelper gave it one star in 2011, writing, “It looks dirty as a butt 3 days into a hippy music festival.” In 2013, another Yelper, who gave it two stars, compared the space to “an episode of Hoarders,” but noted Rev. Falcon was “nice and knowledgeable.”

Most of the other reviews echoed the same response, with one Yelper writing, “What makes this place outstanding is Larry, also known simply as Papa … Come in to meet this historian if nothing else; he’ll be happy to chat with you as you browse.”

–Annamarya Scaccia

The revised plan for 4224 Baltimore Avenue unveiled last night includes two sections – one five and one eight stories – a large restaurant facing Clark Park and a retail fitness center.

Property developers looking to build a residential complex with commercial space that would include a large restaurant and retail fitness club at 43rd and Baltimore (across from Clark Park) unveiled a revised proposal to about 75 residents last night and received mostly positive feedback.

The meeting was the first airing of the plan before the Spruce Hill Community Association’s zoning committee, whose job is to gather public input and make recommendations on everything from the type of retailers that are pursued to landscaping, lighting and building materials. Since the plan needs zoning variances to include retail and more stories than currently is permitted, it must go through the neighborhood and city zoning process.

Similar plans were the subject of several public meetings over the summer.

The glass, brick and stone panel building would include 132 mostly one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and condos aimed at young professionals from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), many of whom now live in Center City.

“It should be something that is friendly and broken up,” said architect Cecil Baker of the building which would use Nichiha exterior panels.

The plan drew some complaints that the building was out of character with the nearby Victorian homes.

“Our opinion is that you build with the technology of today, not to build something today that tries to look like it’s from 200 years in the past,” said developer and Spruce Hill resident Omar Blaik (whose U3 Ventures is working on the plan for the property owner).

Others complained that the neighborhood does not need more apartments.

“We do not need more high density housing in this neighborhood,” said one resident.

Concerns were also voiced about the large trees on the property. A plan on which trees would be saved will be available soon, the developers said.

Informal talks have begun with retailers to find tenants for the 17,000 feet of commercial space, which will likely include a large fitness center and a full-service restaurant with outdoor seating facing Clark Park along 43rd Street. Other retail options include a a dry cleaner. Blaik said Penn’s Vet School has expressed interest in opening a space that would be for a “neighborhood use.”

The plan includes 65 underground parking spaces and 50 indoor bike parking spaces.

Like the plan proposed this summer, the newest plan includes two connected sections. One, along 43rd Street, would be mostly owner-occupied condos. The section further east on Baltimore, which would be taller and include the first-floor 10,000-square-foot fitness center, would be apartments.

When pressed for likely rental and purchase prices, Blaik said condos would likely be in around $450 per square foot and apartment rentals would be between $1,700 and $2,000 per month.

“The question is, does that market exist in West Philadelphia?,” Blaik said. “We don’t know yet.”

The project grew out of a concern that the property owners, the Clarkmore Group, might build a “by right” residential complex that did not include retail or parking, which is permitted under current zoning. Some residents believe the threat of a possibly ugly project there is being used to scare residents into accepting the current project. “By right” projects are those that do not seek zoning variances if things like retail or parking are not permitted.

But Blaik and SHCA zoning chair Barry Grossbach assured residents that many similar projects in the neighborhood that were built “by right” used very little creativity or community input.

“More and more we have developers coming into this neighborhood saying to us, ‘we are going to do what we can as a matter of right because we don’t want to go through your zoning process,” Grossbach said.

The next step will be an SHCA zoning report based on the conceptual drawings released during Wednesday’s meeting. If the plan passes through the formal zoning process, which will require more detailed drawings and blueprints, construction would take 18-24 months, Blaik said.

More details on the proposals will be available here. – Mike Lyons

Gary’s Nails Salon (Photo by Annamarya Scaccia / West Philly Local)

Well, readers, it looks like Gary’s Nails Salon which was severely damaged after Elena’s Soul Christmas Eve fire in 2012, is coming back better than ever.

As we reported in October, Gary’s Nails was undergoing some roof renovations after almost a year of silence since the demolition of Elena’s Soul Lounge destroyed the nail spot at 4910 Baltimore Avenue. Turns out, as we saw when we passed by yesterday afternoon, there’s a bit more work happening on the building.

When we peaked inside Gary’s Nails through the empty window frame, it looked as though the interior is shaping up for a revival. Multiple beams were erected throughout the salon, forming what seem to be the foundation for new bays. We also noticed two permits on the wall—according to Philadelphia Licenses and Inspections, Gary’s Nails was issued an electrical permit on January 16, which is active, to install a service breaker; and a plumbing permit on January 14 (updated on February 19), also active, to install toilets and bathrooms, sinks, ten pedicure chairs, and a laundry tub.

No one was on site to give us more details, so we’ll post an update as soon as we have more information.

–Annamarya Scaccia

4224 Baltimore Avenue site. (Archived photo/ West Philly Local)

There’s a new date for the first community zoning meeting for the apartment complex proposed at 4224 Baltimore Avenue. The meeting, which was postponed due to snow, will take place at 6:30-8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26 at University of the Sciences, Rosenberger Hall (43rd Street between Regent Sq and Woodland Ave), Room 101. Community members are invited to provide their feedback on the project.

And here’s what to expect at the meeting, according to Spruce Hill Zoning Chair Barry Grossbach:

“The developers will present their plans on massing and design for the site reflecting ideas emanating from the three community meetings held during 2013, as well as the current assessment on  the economics of the project. We will also receive details on the nature of the variances that the project will require should it reach the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment. We urge all interested parties to attend and take the opportunity to ask questions and offer comments.”

“Gray Area” cards a meant to start a frank discussion about historic preservation.

The Mantua neighborhood is going to see a lot of change in the coming years. Community groups in the neighborhood – which is bounded by the 31st Street to the east, 40th Street to the west, the Powelton Village (and Drexel University) neighborhood to the south – are moving fast to make sure they have a voice in the change.

So is Drexel University. Students are increasingly moving into the Mantua neighborhood because of the cheaper rents. The neighborhood is also part of the federal “Promise Zone.”  Mayor Michael Nutter recently promised to “bring back Mantua.”  Drexel officials recently announced that the university will build a “Penn Alexander style” K-8 education complex on the site of the shuttered University City High School. That will push up nearby real estate prices, much as the Penn Alexander School did in the Spruce Hill neighborhood.

The talk around Mantua and nearby neighborhoods is: What will the neighborhoods look and feel like in 5 or 10 years and how can current residents have a say? Here are a couple of upcoming events that will help focus that discussion:

• Creative Neighborhood Redevelopment, tonight (Thursday, March 13), 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Mantua Haverford Community Center (631 N. 39th Street).
A discussion about how artists can spearhead creative neighborhood redevelopment within their local communities. Guest speakers include Rick Lowe (Project Row Houses, Houston), Kyong Park (Los Angeles/Detroit), and Transformazium (Braddock, Penna). Temple Contemporary organized this event. Register here.

• Gray Area “Cards,” Wednesday, March 19, 6 p.m.at Monica’s/St. Andrew’s Church (3600 Baring Street).
The card game is a way to promote discussion and “provocative thinking” about old neighborhood buildings. This game is focused on the Gray Area focal point, Hawthorne Hall at 3849 Lancaster Avenue. More info is available here.

Two years ago people participating in State Farm’s Neighborhood Assist campaign helped two West Philly non-profits, Neighborhood Bike Works and West Philly Tool Library, win $25,000 grants each for community improvement projects. This year, the youth-led philanthropic program has returned and anyone with a Facebook account can nominate and vote for their favorite local cause. The program’s goal is to improve neighborhoods in three important ways: education, community development and safety.

Here’s how it works:

• Identify and submit a cause using the Facebook app from March 3 through March 23, 2014.
• The first 4,000 Neighborhood Assist submissions will be reviewed by the State Farm Youth Advisory Board (YAB).
• Two hundred finalists will be chosen.
• The finalists will be announced on Facebook.
• Public voting to select the winners takes place April 28-May 16.
• Winners will be announced on May 27 on Facebook.

Forty causes with the highest numbers of votes will be selected to receive the grants. In 2013, over 3.4 million votes were cast and the difference between the 40th and 41st cause was only 62 votes! For more information about the program, click here.