Northeast: Franklin Mills Mall Losing Sales, Stores
Norma Lodase has been working at the Kenneth Cole store in Franklin Mills Mall for about a year and has noticed quite a difference in the number of customers who have been coming in and out of the store. Although this mall in Philadelphia is still considered a tourist spot as one of the largest […]
Olney: Soccer and Culture at Cafe Liz
Bellies up to the bar and cold beers in front of them, brothers Victor and Louis Martins cannot agree. Outside, Philadelphia’s first heat wave of the summer is as good a reason as any to hide out at the local watering hole, but the pair is not here to escape the sun. On the other […]
Olney: Little Portugal
Some residents call the Olney section of Philadelphia “one big melting pot.” The Portuguese may make up a smaller part of the culture in Olney—only 2 percent of the European population in Philadelphia—but this little population left a huge impact. Center City Philadelphia isn’t the only place you can look to find a nice, cultured […]
Fishtown: Taking a Gamble
[vimeo 18642359] The frantic lights of the slots machine reflecting off the mirrored walls, the metronome-like rhythm of the roulette wheel carrying both a small steel ball and the hopes of many, the roar from a craps table after the roll of a seven and the curious absence of windows and clocks are all hallmarks […]
South Philly: Budget Cuts Could Leave Playground “No Man’s Land”
It’s a “no man’s land.” A dense slab of chocolate colored mulch piled waste high is the site of fictional uphill battles, a mock Mount Everest and the cushy “stone” half of a make-believe Sword and the Stone reenactment. To children of Queen Village and young visitors of Weccacoe Playground, the giant pile of mulch […]
Olney and Logan: Housing Problems
It’s cleaning day in the Wilson-Heard home on Wagner Avenue. The father is using the vacuum upstairs, as 7-year-old Bryant runs down the stairs of the well-kept row home. “Mommy, can I pour my own cereal for breakfast?” They are the sounds that can be heard within any typical home on a Sunday morning, but […]
Queen Village: Residents Try to Save Their Tennis Courts
The debris of winter past blows circles around the hard clay court at Weccacoe Playground. Donna Pancari and Kevin Parker take turns sweeping at the piles of dried leaves and scattered trash screaming mutual directions over the rumblings of a leaf blower. A man in a straw hat, printed shirt and cargo shorts prepares the […]
Kensington: Real Estate in a Tough Economy
Mendez Homes and Investments has been renting and selling affordable homes to Philadelphia residents for the past four years—and doesn’t see things stopping anytime soon. “We’re affected by the economy, but it’s still a great place to live,” says Maria Mendez of Kensington. Mendez has been operating as a broker for Mendez Homes and Investments […]
Kensington: For Better or For Worse?
Starting on May 1, the northern Philadelphia neighborhood of Kensington will begin its first ever restaurant week. An event usually reserved for more affluent neighborhoods, such an event being held in Kensington and its surrounding neighborhoods must mean that this section of north Philadelphia is experiencing a period of revival and renewal. Since 2007, nine new […]
Germantown: Childcare Center Fights Child Abuse
Layoffs, budget cuts, home foreclosure, bankruptcies, bailouts—adults from every corner of the country are feeling the sting of the current economic turmoil. And now the country’s economic woes present a new problem. Law enforcement officials nationwide are concerned that the economic recession may lead to increased incidents of child abuse, according to a recent survey […]