If you are planning to spend the rest of the week here in the ‘hood, check out the Thanksgiving weekend hours at some local stores/cafes/restaurants. We’ll be updating this list as more businesses send us their schedules. If you want your business to be included in the list, please email us at: editor@westphillylocal.com or post your hours in the comments.

Aksum Cafe (4630 Baltimore Ave)

Thursday: Closed
Friday-Sunday: Regular hours (Brunch: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Dinner: 5 – 11 p.m.)

CVS Pharmacy (43rd & Locust)

Thursday: Store: open 24 hours, Pharmacy: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Dock Street Brewery (50th & Baltimore)

Thursday: Closed
Friday & Saturday: 12 p.m. – 12 a.m.

Earth Cup (45th & Pine)

Thursday & Friday: 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Elena’s Soul (4912 Baltimore Ave)

Thursday: Closed

Four Worlds Bakery (4634 Woodland Ave)

Thursday: 8 a.m. – noon.

Fu-Wah (47th & Baltimore)

Thursday: 9 a.m. – between 3-5 p.m.

Green Line Cafe

Wednesday: Baltimore Ave, Locust Street and Powelton Village close at 4 p.m.; Green Line at PennVet open normal hours (till 3 p.m.)
Thursday and Friday: – All shops are closed
Saturday: Baltimore Avenue 8 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.; Locust Street 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Powelton Village 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Sunday: Baltimore Avenue and Locust Street 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Powelton Village 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Mariposa Food Co-op (4824 Baltimore Ave)

Thursday: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Milk & Honey Market (45th & Baltimore)

Wednesday: 7 a.m. – 12 a.m.
Thursday: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.

The Fresh Grocer (40th & Walnut)

Thursday: open 24 hours

The Gold Standard Cafe (48th & Baltimore)

Thursday: Closed
Friday & Saturday: 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Sunday: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Serving brunch all three days (including black Friday) from 9:30 a.m. til 2 p.m.

VIX Emporium (5009 Baltimore Ave)

Wednesday: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Thursday: Closed
Friday & Saturday: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. (open 1 hour earlier)
Sunday: 12 – 4 p.m.

The Clark Park Farmers’ Market (43rd & Baltimore) will be open on Wednesday, Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., to cater to your Thanksgiving shopping needs. Expect the following farms and products:

Quaff Meadows: Fresh vegetables and pre-order turkeys
Big Sky Bakery: Pre-order apple and pumpkin pies and fresh breads
Homestead Garden: Fresh vegetables and herbs
Frecon Farm: Fresh fruit and apple cider
Primordia: Mushrooms
Eden Garden: Pre-order cider and apples

Source: University City District

The West Philadelphia Fresh Food Hub, a non-profit grocery truck that brings fresh and healthy food to Mantua, Belmont and West Powelton residents, is gathering community input that will help them create a strong, locally-owned business that serves everyone.

If you live in one of the above mentioned neighborhoods, you are encouraged to participate in the Food Hub’s Fall 2012 Community Input Survey. The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete and to thank you for your time and honest responses, the Food Hub will provide you with a fresh produce voucher.

The Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative, a school-based program of the University of Pennsylvania’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships, is hosting its fourth annual Eats and Beats community dinner to showcase youth leadership and skills. AUNI encourages West Philadelphia students to grow, cook, consume and sell healthy foods. The AUNI Youth Development Program employs more than 100 teens to grow and sell organic food at high school gardens and to teach nutrition to community groups.

The dinner will be held at 5:30-8:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 10, at the Calvary Center for Culture and Community (48th and Baltimore). The menu will feature a locally sourced, organic five-course meal grown and prepared by the AUNI youth crews.

“At Eats and Beats, the youth plan the menu, prepare the food and give musical performances. They’re also taking care of ticket sales,” says Ty Holmberg, AUNI coordinator.

Tickets ($25) are available at the AUNI stand at the Clark Park Farmers’ Market 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturdays and at the Mariposa Food Co-op during open hours. RSVPs are also being collected online at www.urbannutrition.org/eatsandbeats.

For more information visit www.urbannutrition.org or email: kristins@urbannutrition.org.

A national franchise is entering the local pizza game. Domino’s Pizza is scheduled to open its doors at the corner of 45th and Chestnut streets next Monday. The space was formerly occupied by the restaurant Demetris, which reopened last winter after being closed for remodeling, but closed again shortly after that.

Unlike many Domino’s restaurants that specialize in take-out and delivery, this location includes a half-dozen or so eat-in tables. This is the second Domino’s Pizza restaurant in West Philly. The other one operates in the Overbrook area (60th and Lancaster).

Rue 52 owner Mahari Bailey (photo by Mike Lyons).

West Philly native Mahari Bailey sees his new coffee shop on 52nd Street as a symbol of sorts. Rue 52 (503 S. 52nd, near the southwest corner of Malcolm X Park) has all the requisite quirks of a trendy urban hangout – great coffee and eats, local art on the walls, free WIFI and an owner who likes to hangout there and prefers t-shirts to ties.

Rue 52, which is officially a crêperie and espresso bar, is unlike just about any other business near it on 52nd Street, once the core of West Philly’s arts and culture scene. Bailey says people always want to know why he’s trying this on 52nd Street. But he sees Rue 52 as a small step in returning that grand street to its former glory. Continue Reading