After nine years near the Penn campus on 40th Street, The Marvelous, a music and musician supply store, is moving into the location formerly occupied by Wake Up Yoga (4916 Baltimore Ave.).

Milan Marvelous, the owner, said that they’re planning to open the doors on Baltimore Avenue on July 12. “We’re totally stoked, because the new space is simply luscious … We’re looking forward to our new neighbors – Dock St, Firehouse Bikes, Elena’s, Satellite Cafe, Vix, Mariposa, etc.,” said Milan.

This week, the store is throwing a big “moving away” sale (July 2 – July 7), with everything marked down up to 50% off. The store’s last day at 208 S. 40th St. will be Saturday July 7.

Visit The Marvelous Facebook page for more information.

Seeds Gallery is coming to Baltimore Avenue soon and is seeking artists who would like to display their work for the opening event at the end of July. Seeds Gallery is a modern art studio with a focus on local artists and represents emerging and established career artists in all media and styles. Currently, the gallery is showcasing artwork collections throughout the city – in local restaurants, coffee shops, yoga studios, libraries and bookstores.

The gallery’s mission is to create a networking forum for local artists and to help seed them in the community. Also, they are trying to go beyond presenting artist’s work to help educate them in business practices such as risk and liabilities, contract management, financial management, product pricing, and marketing.

If you are a local artist and are looking to get your work out there, drop an email to artists@seedsgallery.com. For more information, visit www.seedsgallery.com.
 

If you live between Baltimore and Kingsessing Avenues, and between 47th and 49th Streets, the 48th Street Neighbors group is inviting you to be one of the hosts at the next Porch Hop Party on Saturday, August 4. Nine porches participated in the first Porch Hop on May 19 and those who attended this event had a great time. The hosts reported that it was the easiest party they’ve ever thrown with little preparation and no clean up!

If you would like to host the next Porch Hop please or have questions, send an email to: slbumgarner@gmail.com. Please include your street address in your email. You can also leave a message on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/events/361878197200583/

Please respond by Monday, July 2.

OK, stop. Before you read any further go check out the video below.

Done?

Cool right? That piece is by West Philly artist Nilé Livingston and is part of the “Baltimore Avenue Series,” which she will show on Monday, June 25th at The Gold Standard Café (4800 Baltimore Ave.) from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Livingston describes the exhibit as:

“Biographic interpretations of growing up in West Philadelphia have inspired me to explore endless character encounters. I sketch my ideas on paper and then collage them in Photoshop. Creating art is my relentless urge to explore sources of anxiety, document interactions, share memories, as well as provide evidence for narrative works that address social, environmental, and technological changes.”

You can read more about Nilé at her website.

Phase 1 of the Route 34 Track Renewal Project began this morning. Buses will replace the trolleys all the way from the 40th Street Portal to the end of the line at 61st Street until the completion of the project on September 1, 2012. Phase 1 will last until July 7 and will include the reconstruction of the tracks between 40th and 42nd streets. During this phase, the entire two-block area on Baltimore Avenue will be closed.

The “13th and Market” on the bus (see photo) is a little confusing. The bus will take you to the 40th Street Portal where you can catch trolley the rest of the way.

Phase 2, 3 and 4 are scheduled to take place between July 1 and September 1 and will involve track reconstruction and Baltimore Avenue closings between 49th and 52nd streets, 54th and 55th streets, and the intersection of 58th and Baltimore. All traffic, including buses, will be detoured around the construction sites and side streets in the construction area will be closed to through traffic. For more information and the schedule for each phase, go here.

If you have questions, please call SEPTA Customer Service at (215) 580-7800.

Good news: Dollar Strolls are returning this summer to Baltimore Avenue, according to University City District. Bad news: it looks like there won’t be a stroll in June, meaning we will have to wait until July for $1 samosas, cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon and theater tickets.

Here are the dates:

July 19

August 16

September 20

Stay tuned for more information on participating businesses and their $1 specials, and as a reminder of what we’ve been missing since last summer, check out the gallery below.