The holiday edition of the popular Go West! Craft Fest returns to The Rotunda (45th and Walnut) on Sunday, Dec. 13. The number of local artists and craftspeople participating has reached 100! As always, Go West! is a great chance to shop for unique, handmade gifts, such as artwork, jewelry, ceramics, clothing (including warm knitted items), prints, stationery, soap, candles, home accents, children’s items, and more. Check out the vendor list here, and also follow Go West! Craft Fest on Facebook and Instagram.

The event will take place from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Go West! Craft Fest Instagram page screenshot.

   Photo courtesy of Lil’ Pop Shop.

After over three years of operation at 44th and Spruce and gaining popularity throughout the area, Lil’ Pop Shop is ready to expand.

The new location, at 4608 Woodland Ave., will serve as a main production hub for the business and will include more offerings. “We’re outgrowing the kitchen on 44th,” says owner Jeanne Chang. “We will have a lot more equipment [at the new location].”

The new space is equipped with an oven for baked goods, including cakes and pies, confections, marshmallows, and different types of cookies. “This will greatly impact the products we can make; it will better serve the neighborhood,” Chang said.

Lil’ Pop Shop II will emulate the same model as the first, as it will be mainly for takeout with limited seating.

Chang relocated to Philadelphia in 2012, after her husband began working at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a West Philadelphia nonprofit that researches smell and taste. She decided to open the business on 44th and Locust in May 2012 and has been serving up original popsicle recipes ever since. As a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, she uses her culinary background to craft flavors such as Vietnamese Iced Coffee, Early Grey with Black Pepper and Green Tea with Mochi for her customers.  Continue Reading

Each holiday season, we encourage folks to do more of their gift shopping locally. You can buy some unique gifts here, from arts and crafts to clothing to jewelry to locally made food and drinks to gift cards from a variety of local businesses. We also want to remind that books make wonderful holiday gifts, and we have several great, independently-owned bookstores in the area that need your support.

This piece, written for West Philly Local by award-winning writer Emma Eisenberg almost four years ago, might persuade you to buy books at local stores instead of Amazon. Many stores have special holiday hours and are holding holiday sales this month, so when doing your holiday gift shopping please don’t forget to stop by and check them out:

• Penn Book Center (130 S. 34th St.) is offering 25% off selected Random House titles, including new fiction, biography, history, cookbooks and more. Become a frequent buyer and get a $10.00 credit every time you spent $100.00. Open Monday – Friday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

• Bindlestiff Books (4530 Baltimore Ave) is open daily, Noon until 7 p.m. (except Sundays when it closes at 5) through and Thursday, Dec. 24. The store will be receiving new shipments twice weekly (generally Tuesday and Friday), and special orders are welcome. Special orders received by the end of the day on Dec. 20 (Sunday) will be available for pick-up on Tuesday, Dec. 22. Feel free to call 215-662-5780.

• House of Our Own (3920 Spruce St) – Open Mon-Thu 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Fri-Sat 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. E-mail: hooo@verizon.net or call 215-222-1576.

• The Last Word Book Shop (220 S. 40th St) – Open daily 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. For more info call 215-386-7750.  Continue Reading

We just received information on this from police: A 68-year-old man was shot and critically wounded inside his residence on the 5100 block of Cedar Avenue on the morning of Dec. 2. The shooting was reported by a concerned neighbor who lives on the same block as the victim.

Police say that the man was in his row home on the morning of December 2 when someone knocked on the front door. The victim opened the inner door and began having a conversation with an unknown male who was on the other side of the security door. The victim was unable to open the security door because it was locked and his girlfriend had the key, according to police. Then the man fired two gunshots from outside through the security door. The victim was struck once in the groin, according to police.  Continue Reading

Here’s a short update on Independence Charter School West (ICS-West), a new elementary school opening in September 2016. The school’s location will be at 56th and Chester, according to a recent announcement. The school also has a new website: www.icswest.org.

The school will initially be a K-3, mainly serving families from Southwest, West, and Overbrook areas. Applications will be accepted until February 1. More information sessions have been added this week for those families who are interested in applying:

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Lucien E. Blackwell/West Philadelphia Regional Library
125 S. 52nd Street

Thursday, Dec. 10, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Woodland Academy Child Development Center
5401 Grays Avenue

Friday, Dec. 11, 10-11 a.m.
Blanche A. Nixon/Cobbs Creek library branch
5800 Cobbs Creek Parkway (59th/Baltimore Ave.)  Continue Reading

One of the first things you notice as you walk in Jinxed, the new shop on the 4500 block of Baltimore Avenue, is a pair of nicely preserved small alligator (or crocodile or caiman) heads near the door. They kind of set the mood for the place. It’s one of those places that you want to come back to once in a while to see what they have found.

Photos by Mike Lyons/West Philly Local

Jinxed started in the 1990s as a t-shirt company and has since opened five retail locations in the city that sell all kinds of vintage and interesting stuff, everything from furniture and antiques to clothing and vintage lighters.

Located at 4521 Baltimore Ave., the shop is open 7 days a week from 11-7.

A big opening party is slated for Saturday, Dec. 12 from 12-8 p.m. The back of the store will be curated with art by Gush Gallery‘s Sarah Thielke and Stephanie Slate for the party.

And by the way, the reptile heads up front are $20 apiece. Not bad.