The University of Pennsylvania has confirmed that the Fresh Grocer that has been operating at the corner of 40th and Walnut for 15 years will soon be replaced by another operator.

In an e-mail to West Philly Local, Jennifer Rizzi, Director of Communications at Penn, confirmed that the university, which owns the building where the Fresh Grocer is currently located, “began lease discussions with a new operator and will soon announce plans with this operator for an exciting, upgraded state of the art urban supermarket at the 40th and Walnut location.” The decision to seek proposals from a variety of grocery stores for this location was made after the Fresh Grocer “failed to renew the lease for almost 4 months after the deadline [November 2015],” according to the email.  Continue Reading

The two sisters behind LuLu Bang, who recently appeared on ABC’s reality TV show “Shark Tank,” have just opened a new pop-up restaurant in West Philly. Jorrae and Kelly Beard, the owners of LuLu Bang Sauces and Marinades, opened Lulu Bang Burgers & Wangs on Jan. 2 at The Common Table at 310 S. 48th St.. The restaurant is part of the Dorrance H. Hamilton Center for Culinary Enterprises (CCE) incubator program.

The pop-up restaurant will operate at this location until March 31; LuLu Bang is an active member of the CCE and will have the organization’s support during their launch phase. While temporarily using space at The Common Table, the program will continue to seek a permanent location for LuLu Bang’s future restaurant and will launch a kick starter campaign for 60 days.  Continue Reading

New Hamilton Court streetscape rendering.

In August 2016, the Post Brothers, the real estate company that has acquired a number of residential properties in University City in the past year, revealed their plans and renderings for the renovation of the historic Hamilton Court apartment complex at 39th and Chestnut Streets. Currently, the company is in the process of making upgrades to Hamilton Court, which was one of Philadelphia’s first apartment buildings when it was built in 1901. The renovations include the conversion of vacant ground-floor space into modern commercial retail spaces, which will be occupied by five dining establishments.

On Wednesday, the developers revealed the restaurants that signed leases for those spaces. Here they are:

• Steve’s Prince of Steaks, one of Philadelphia’s most famous cheesesteak restaurant chains, has signed a lease for 2,277 square feet.  Continue Reading

Come April 2017, Acme may replace Fresh Grocer at 40th and Walnut. Fresh Grocer, which is affiliated with ShopRite, “did not renew their lease in a timely fashion,” according to a statement released on Monday by the University of Pennsylvania. The statement also said that Penn identified a new operator for this location, which is reportedly Acme.

Fresh Grocer employees and customers have been distributing flyers asking passersby to support Fresh Grocer.

Employees of ShopRite’s Fresh Grocer at 40th & Walnut Streets are petitioning customers to lobby Penn to not change the store’s ownership: pic.twitter.com/XS1R7CTjFl

— Jonathan Tannenwald (@jtannenwald) December 24, 2016

Signed by The Burns Family (Patrick J. Burns is Fresh Grocer’s president and CEO), the flyer urges customers to contact Penn’s executive vice president Craig Carnaroli by phone and email, join the movement to save the store on Facebook, and use a #SavePennFroGro hashtag on social media.

The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s staff writer Jason Nark spoke to Fresh Grocer customers and asked their opinion about the store’s possible closing. Read his report here.

Here is information on holiday hours and closings for assorted local cafes and stores. We’ll update the post as more information becomes available (let us know about your business at: editor@westphillylocal.com or via Twitter @westphillylocal).

Stores:

Mariposa Food Co-op (49th and Baltimore)

Dec. 24: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Dec. 25: Closed
Jan. 1: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.  Continue Reading

Santa Claus and Hanukkah Harry Are Coming to Town!

Mark your calendars. On Saturday, Dec. 17 from 2-4 p.m., the one and only Santa Claus is loading up his sleigh with his best friend Hanukkah Harry to serve up family photos, Santa selfies, and the world’s best Latkes to you and your family. Everyone is invited, so don’t hesitate to just stop in and take some quick selfies with the legend… no, not Elvis!

Snacks and refreshments will be provided by Philly Homebrew Outlet, but feel free to bring some of your own treats and liquid concoctions to share.

Huge Selection of Bottles and DIY Kits including Bagels & Cream Cheese, Soap, Mozzeralla, Vegetable Fermentation, Kombucha, Beer, Wine, and More!

Looking to bottle up that special Limoncello, Bitters, Cordial, Hot Sauce or whatever other delicious liquid concoction that you made for gifts? Look no further. Philly Homebrew Outlet is a one stop place for bottles, caps, corks, shrink wrap, wax, and more.

The shop also has new vegetable fermentation kits, kombucha kits, soap making kits, and more!

Philly Homebrew Outlet West is located at 1314 S. 47th Street and open Mon-Fri: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sat-Sun: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more info, call us at 215.596.5408 or visit our website.

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