Grindcore X Crust coffee shop & bakery is now open at 42nd and Chester. (Photo by West Philly Local)

A Manyaunk-based vegan bakery, Crust, has opened their first storefront in West Philly! The coffee shop and bakery recently opened at 42nd and Chester, on the ground floor of the new three-story apartment building, across from Millcreek Tavern (we wrote about the plans to open a coffee shop in that location in a March 2019 post).

The new shop is called Grindcore X Crust and is a collaboration between Crust Vegan Bakery and Grindcore House, a South Philly based vegan-friendly coffee shop. They supply coffee, tea, bagels and sandwiches for the new shop, while Crust sells pastries, cakes by the slice, pop tarts, and more (see photo below). Continue Reading

If you want to dispose of your Christmas tree responsibly, here’s a great opportunity. The annual Tree-Cycling event organized by University City District and UC Green will be held on Saturday, Jan. 11 at two neighborhood parks: Clark Park (43rd and Chester) and Malcolm X. Park (51st and Pine).

Tree-Cycling at Clark Park will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and at Malcolm X. Park from 12:30 to 3 p.m. A $5-$20 suggested donation is requested at both events.

After you drop off your tree you can watch it being mulched by staff and volunteers from UC Green and Bartlett Tree Experts. The mulch from the trees will be used at local parks and your donation will support UC Green community greening services and programming.  Continue Reading

Mayor Jim Kenney says scheduled street cleaning will be back in every neighborhood in the city by the time his second term, which began yesterday, ends in 2023. If he follows through, Philadelphia will no longer be the only major U.S. city not to have regular street sweeping.

Budget cuts that began in the 1970s spelled the end of street sweeping across the city by the late 90s. Since then, vocal concerns over neighborhood residents having to move their cars on possible cleaning days have, in part, prevented a sweeping program from coming back.  Continue Reading

Millcreek Tavern, located at 42nd and Chester, was sprayed with graffiti overnight on January 1, according to reports. A few windows were also broken. Owner Jack Gillespie told the Washington Examiner that the damage was estimated at approximately $20,000.  Continue Reading

Little Baby’s Ice Cream’s Cedar Park location closed after more than six years of operation. Here’s a sign on their door at 4903 Catharine St.

Two adjacent Cedar Park businesses, Little Baby’s Ice Cream and The Bar(n), have closed in the past month or so. Little Baby’s, the artisan scoop shop known for its unusual flavors, closed its doors at 4903 Catharine St. for good at the end of November after more than six years of operation. The Philadelphia-based company went out of business, according to reports. The owners posted the following message on their Instagram page in November:  Continue Reading

A rendering of Village Square at 36th and Haverford.

Redevelopment of a long-vacant site in the Mantua neighborhood, near 36th and Haverford, has received a green light from the city.

On Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 1 p.m., community members are invited to a celebration kicking off the redevelopment of the site. Mayor Jim Kenney, along with representatives from Lomax Real Estate, Mantua Civic Association, and Mt. Vernon Manor CDC, are also expected to recognize Councilwoman Blackwell’s service at the event, which will take place at West Philadelphia Community Center, 3535 Haverford Ave.

City Council passed legislation at its year-end meeting last week clearing the way for the project that put the finishing touches on the sale of the city land for a reported $1 million to a consortium of developers headed by Philadelphian Charles Lomax. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2020. Continue Reading