The numbers are in for “parklets,” those little curbside, pop-up platforms with tables and chairs found outside a few local businesses, and it turns out that people, and businesses, seem to like them.

The University City District studied parklet use in 2013 – observing and counting who used them and how – and released a report this week detailing what they found. The study included six parklets outside the Green Line Cafe on Baltimore Avenue, Honest Tom’s/Lil’ Pop Shop, Fu-Wah Market, Manakeesh Cafe, Little Baby’s Ice Cream in Cedar Park and Ramen Bar at 4040 Locust.

To get the data, the UCD parked an intern at each spot during the operating hours of the host businesses on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the spring and summer of 2013.

It shows that most of the people who use the parklets are patrons of the “host” businesses (you don’t have to be, but most were). In terms of daily unique users, the Honest Tom’s/Lil’ Pop Shop parklet (which both offer very portable products) saw the most traffic (just over 140 per day) with the Green Line spot second at about 60 visitors. The parklet outside of Manakeesh, which sits curbside along a busy section of Walnut Street got only a few visitors per day.

Use at the Honest Tom’s/Lil’ Pop Shop location spiked at about 2 p.m. and then again at about 6:30 p.m. Green Line’s parklet was busiest at about 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. and Little Baby’s parklet saw most of its daily use between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The others spiked during lunch and dinner times.  Continue Reading

Here is an awesome opportunity for local food entrepreneurs to get financial and technical support for their growing businesses. The Enterprise Center is awarding selected businesses up to $50,000, including 15 hours (valued at $450) of kitchen time at the Dorrance H. Hamilton Center for Culinary Enterprises (48th and Spruce). Applications are currently being accepted for the Cooking Up Success! culinary competition in the following categories: Innovative Food Creation, Emerging Food Business, and Innovative Collaboration. Applicants’ businesses must be located in Philadelphia and Emerging Food Businesses must be within 0-6 months of operation in order to be considered for the award.

The Innovative Food Creation category is for entrepreneurs who have an innovative food product to be sold wholesale or in the form of a catering business. Applicants can select one of six sub-categories when they submit their business summary entry.

The Emerging Food Business category is for new or established brick-and-mortar businesses, including coffee shops, cafes, restaurants, and food trucks.

Finally, two or more entrepreneurs working together on a collaborative food product or business are welcome to submit their application in the Innovative Collaboration category.

All applicants must submit their business plan online by March 11, 2015.

Local culinary experts and professionals will select top finalists in each category, based on entrepreneurs’ business sustainability and product quality. Friends, family and associates then will vote on these finalists as they show off their dishes or products at the Cooking up Success! Philly Made event at the Culinary Center on May 19, 2015.

For more information and to submit your application, go here.

The Baltimore Avenue Business Association (BABA) is inviting neighbors to Dock Street Brewery (50th and Baltimore) tonight, from 6 to 8 p.m. for a meet and greet with local business owners. The event will include food (pizza and snacks), beer, fun, networking, and door prizes (see flier below).

BABA is a member organization that promotes and supports businesses along the Baltimore Avenue corridor. Check its website (babawestphilly.org) for more information.

Photo courtesy of 8 Limbs Academy.

UPDATE (3/11/2015): 8 Limbs Academy opened on March 3, 2015. Here’s a short update from Coach Kate:

“We are scheduling FREE intros but are booked all through March, and we are starting to fill April. We are offering early morning ALL female kickboxing at 6 a.m. and evening classes starting at 6 p.m. The children’s classes start at 4:15 p.m., and there is an after school program for them starting at 3:00 p.m. Here is a link to our schedule: www.8limbsacademy.com/8-limbs-current-schedule.”

Here’s some exciting news for local martial arts and fitness fans. Partners and coaches Charlie Cottone and Kate Allen are opening a Muay Thai Kickboxing school, 8 Limbs Academy, on Baltimore Avenue in March. For those who are not very familiar with kickboxing, Muay Thai or Thai boxing is a national sport of Thailand. It is a physical and mental discipline also known as “the art of eight limbs,” because eight points of contact are used in the combat: fists, elbows, knees, and shins.

Eight Limbs Academy is expected to open in the first week of March, and coaches Charlie and Kate have already started preregistering folks, kids and adults alike, for their programs, which include All Female Kickboxing, Adult Muay Thai, and Kids Muay Thai programs. They will also offer an after-school program for kids who can come and spend time in the gym after school, including doing their homework, before their Muay Thai lesson. In addition to that, the owners hope to work closely and be involved with the West Philadelphia community. Continue Reading

Below is some information and holiday schedules for SEPTA and city services and hours for some local shops, cafes and restaurants. If you want to add your business hours, please do so in the comments below.

Happy New Year everyone!

SEPTA

Dec. 24, 26, 29, 30, 31: City buses and trolleys will operate on a special modified weekday schedule.

Dec. 24: Regional Rail will operate on a special Christmas Eve Midday schedule.

Dec. 25: All SEPTA vehicles will operate on a Sunday/Holiday schedule. All-night Train service will be available beginning Thursday at 12:01 a.m. Regular Owl Bus Service will resume Friday at 12:01 a.m. Regional Rail will operate on a special schedule.

Jan. 1: All vehicles will operate on a Sunday/Holiday schedule.

Post Offices/Mail Delivery

Post Offices will be open on Dec. 24 and Dec. 31, but will close early (most of them at noon). Mail will be delivered on these days. Post Offices will be closed and there will be no mail delivery on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

Trash/Recycling Collection

There will be no trash and recycling pick-up on Thursday, Dec. 25 and Thursday, Jan. 1, and collections for the rest of the week will be delayed a day. Philadelphia Streets Department is reminding residents to recycle their holiday gift materials and party supplies.

Stores, restaurants, coffee shops

Cafe Renata (43rd and Locust)

Dec. 23: Open until 4 p.m.
Dec. 24 & 25: Closed
Dec. 31, Jan. 1: Open regular hours

Coffee Market (45th and Pine)

Dec. 24: 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Dec. 25: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Dec. 31: Open until 2 p.m.
Jan. 1: Open until 3 p.m.

CVS Pharmacy (43rd and Locust)

Dec. 25: Store: Open 24 hours; Pharmacy: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Honest Tom’s Taco Shop (261 S. 44th St)

Dec. 24, 25, 26: Closed
Dec. 31, Jan. 1, Jan. 2: Closed

Mariposa Food Co-op (4824 Baltimore Ave)

Dec. 24: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Dec. 25: Closed
Dec. 26, 30, Jan. 1: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Milk and Honey Market (45th and Baltimore)

Dec. 24: 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Dec. 25: Closed
Dec. 26: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Dec. 31: 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Jan. 1 : Closed

PA Wine and Spirits Shops

Dec. 24: Open until 6 p.m.
Dec. 25: Closed
Dec. 31: Open until 8 p.m.
Jan. 1: Closed

Supreme Food Market (43rd and Walnut)

Dec. 24: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Dec. 25: 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Dec. 31: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Jan. 1: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

The Fresh Grocer

Open 24 hours

VIX Emporium (50th and Baltimore)

Dec. 24: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Dec. 25, 26: Closed
Jan. 1: Closed

Less than a week to go until Christmas and Hanukkah has already started. So where to go for those local holiday gifts? Don’t worry, we got you covered. Here are some options from our Buy Local for the Holidays Guide:

• Local arts and crafts

The University City Arts League‘s Annual Holiday Crafts Show and Sale supports the work of area artists and crafts people. The show runs through Sunday, Dec. 21 and features hand-made, one-of-a-kind creations by 30 local artists. Open Friday 3 – 8 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday 12 – 6 p.m., 4226 Spruce St. Speaking of local artists, a great spot to find local gifts is VIX Emporium, where you can get everything from locally made West Philly t-shirts to handcrafted bags, jewelry and clothing.

• The gift of grub

Gift cards are always a safe bet. How about a festive brunch gift card? Check out Café Renata (4305 Locust St.). They have a bunch of new gift cards in stock and cookies and cakes for small holiday gatherings. Speaking of holiday get togethers, The Gold Standard Café (4800 Baltimore Ave.) is taking reservations for holiday festivities or just a great meal at 215-727-8247. Aksum Café (4630 Baltimore Ave.) is offering 15 percent off their unique Mediterranean fare for parties of 12 or more during the holidays. The offer is good on dinners Sunday through Thursday.

• Pets and pageturners

Don’t forget your pet (or pet owner) this holiday season. There’s a ton of ridiculously fun and useful stuff for dogs and cats down at Baltimore Pet Shoppe (4532 Baltimore Ave.) This is also a great place to go if the holiday stress has you down. Watch the cats up for adoption for a few minutes and you’ll be back to your old self. Another awesome way to unwind during the colder months is spend time with a great book, one of the all-time great gift ideas. Penn Book Center (130 S. 34th) is an independent locally owned and operated bookstore with great deals going on all kinds of books, from works by local authors and on local topics to cookbooks and everything in between. They currently have 2-for-1 deals and 20 percent off select gift books.

• Memberships

A fantastic way to support the local community is through memberships, which directly help support some of our favorite spots in West Philly. We highly recommend a membership to Bartram’s Garden, one of the true treasures of West Philadelphia. Another gift that keeps giving is a membership to Mariposa Food Co-op, which not only gets you discounts on fresh organic food and other items, but gives you a chance to have a say in how this vital community asset is operated.

• Beer, coffee and tasty treats

The holiday season is a time for food and drink. So if you are looking for anything from quality craft beer, to a delectable bag of coffee or a fine cheese, here are some suggestions. Local 44’s Bottle Shop (4333 Spruce St.) has one of the best bottle beer selections in the city. Great ideas for parties or stock stuffers. One of the most cosy coffee shops in West Philly, The Coffee Market (405 S. 45th) is a good spot to warm up during the winter and they also have a ton of different organic and fair trade roasts for sale by the bag. Gift cards are also available. Also, Milk and Honey Market (4435 Baltimore Ave.) is an all-around holiday haven, with loads of gift ideas for home brewers, hosts and hostesses and even kids. Want a little taste of summer during the holiday season? A gift card from Lil’ Pop Shop (265 S. 44th) might do the trick. The shop is open this winter and, in addition to the crazy good popsicles, is offering a selection of fresh-baked cookies and super-good hot chocolate.

Lastly, local merchants who make up the Baltimore Avenue Business Association would like to thank you for buying local and keeping your hard-earned money in the community. Happy Holidays everyone!