Jim Roebuck speaking at a local event in 2012 (Photo West Philly Local)

UPDATE (5/31/24): Services for former State Representative Jim Roebuck, who passed away earlier this month, will be held Friday, June 7 at Calvary Center for Culture and Community, 801 S. 48th Street. Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Alpha Phi Alpha will perform an Omega Service at 10:30 a.m., and the funeral service will follow at 11 a.m. Jim Roebuck will be interred next to his beloved wife Cheryl at Laurel Hill West Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, PA (Westlawn Lot).

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Garden Court Community Association’s Cheryl Roebuck Memorial Music Scholarship (P.O. Box 16654, Philadelphia, PA 19139, membership@gardencourtca.org) or to the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus’s James R. Roebuck Scholarship Fund (327 K. Leroy Irvis Office Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120).

5/16/24: We are sad to report that James R. “Jim” Roebuck, the former state representative from West Philadelphia, has passed away. He was 79.

Continue Reading

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.

Continue Reading

View from Ludlow Street (rendering image). Credit: KCA Design Associates

A new residential complex that includes two six-story buildings has been proposed for a parking lot at 5235 Chestnut Street. The buildings would include 204 units, 41 of which are designated as affordable housing, with rental prices starting at $700 per unit. Both buildings would also include some commercial spaces on the ground floor.

One, smaller building, will include 33 residential units and will be on Chestnut Street, and the other –  with 131 units – will be located along Ludlow Street, according to the proposal (see rendering below). The complex will also include bike parking spaces and various amenities, including a gym.

Continue Reading

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.

Continue Reading

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.

Continue Reading

A portion of Spruce Street will be closed on Tuesday, May 14 and Wednesday, May 15 as part of the annual Penn student move out. On these days, Spruce Street will be closed to vehicular traffic between 34th-40th Streets from 7 a.m.-6 p.m.

Bicyclists will also have to get off their bikes and walk through the closure area.

SEPTA buses that use Spruce Street will be on detour during the move-out. Check septa.org for more info.

In addition, here’s some useful info on how students who live off-campus can donate unwanted items, including furniture, this month:

• Resurrection Church (42nd and Pine) is accepting donations of clothing, kitchen, small furniture, non-perishable food and other items on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. through May 25. Donations should go to the Pine St. side of the building through the patio door. The full list of acceptable donations is available here.

• A Curbside Donation Drive, organized by Penn for Refugee Empowerment and the Philadelphia Furniture Bank, will take place on Saturday, May 18 between 40th and 43rd, Baltimore and Chestnut. Participants should fill out this form to request furniture pick-up. For more details, visit the Penn Sustainability website.