On November 3, 2017, come out to visit your favorite Narberth shops, and one new one!  Here are some of the things going on Friday.  Activities continue on Saturday and Sunday, too.  

Character Development: Every First Friday, Character Development stays open late and has a sale on books.

Nannygoat Antiques:  ​Join us this weekend for our November Market!
1st Friday, November 3rd, 6 - 9 pm
Saturday, November 4th, 12 - 5 pm
Sunday, November 5th, 12 - 5 pm

Narberth Bookshop celebrates their one-year anniversary this Saturday.  ​Food, fun, and plenty of giveaways. Two lucky attendees will receive lifetime bookshop memberships!

Join your friends and neighbors for a night out in Narberth's downtown!  Here are some of the things going on:

PECO is replacing the gas lines under all the streets of the Borough.  The South-side is finished and re-paved, and the multi-year North-side project has begun.   The next several weeks will be some of the most challenging, as the project moves through the downtown on weekdays, from 7am-3pm.  Cars cannot make a right on Haverford, from the movie theater side of N Narberth Ave, today and tomorrow (Monday -Tuesday, June 5-6).  You CAN make a left on Haverford to head towards Montgomery.

They are trying to get out of that Haverford & Forrest intersection asap, but many of these ancient utility lines are mismarked or unmarked, causing problems that slow everything down.  On Wednesday, they should be far enough down Haverford Ave that cars can detour through the lower parking lot (behind McShea's) like we do during the music festivals.  If you come over the bridge on Tuesday, you can carefully (watch for pedestrians) work your way through the upper (Little Gym) lot.

If you're approaching the downtown from the direction of the park, turn down Forrest instead of Narberth Ave.

BTW, Rose and I will try to update this ongoing construction info as often as we can.  This is a web page (as opposed to a Facebook post), so you can share this link with anyone online:  http://www.narberthonline.com/narberth-news-and-notes.  

​One last thing - remember that this construction is especially hard on our downtown businesses, so make every effort to patronize them even more than usual.  Narberth will have a special downtown as long as we make a commitment to support our favorite stores - especially now, when they really need it.

Join your friends and neighbors in downtown Narberth tonight to enjoy some amazing weather on this June First Friday.  You know you don't want to cook, and you won't want to be inside once you see how nice it is after work tonight!

Start out at The Greeks Next Door's free beer tasting - they will have Thomas Hooker Brewing from 5-7 along with Katie the Baker, then from 5-7 Manayunk Brewing will be here with Jerry the Baker.

Many stores stay open late like Swan Dancewear, and Character Development with their First Friday book special.

Sweet Mabel invites everyone to join their open house, saying hello to summer with refreshments and exhibits from local artists:  "This month we welcome in summer with a beach themed exhibit sure to bring back memories for all of us who have vacationed at the Jersey shore. Narberth artists Ann Simon and David Fox effectively capture the carefree spirit of summer with vibrant paintings illuminating warm, sunny days at the beach. And new to Narberth, model maker Phil Juska hand builds remarkable scaled renditions of iconic landmarks. Included here are a lighted Kohr's Bros Custard Stand plus two miniature golf courses that you can actually play."

All your favorite establishments will be hopping tonight, but no place will be bringing the funk more than McShea's, who host a street performance by Narberth fave, Nash and the KZP!

There are  plenty of family-friendly events happening in downtown Narberth this weekend, so come out and enjoy the beautiful Spring weather, and join your friends and neighbors for some fun.  While you are in town, make sure to patronize your favorite shops and establishments.  It's our support for each other that makes Narberth a special place, and our businesses need a little more love than usual as the road construction has added challenges to their usual routines.  So shop, eat, and have fun this weekend!  If you ever need details about a Narberth meeting, event or activity, keep this calendar bookmarked on your computer. Here's the mobile-friendly calendar for your phone.

On Friday night, the Mayor's Movie Night comes outside, to downtown Narberth.  Grab a burger and a beer (in a to-go cup) and bring the family down to the corner of Forrest and Haverford Ave (Cadence Fitness property) for a movie at dusk.  Tonight's film is "The Book of Life" .  The Lunchbox food truck will be there with kid friendly food for sale.

Saturday at 4pm, we have a special treat from the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet.  At their Narberth Avenue studio "on the hill" they will have family-friendly live performance by advanced students.  Classical and contemporary pieces.  $10 admission - all proceeds benefit the nonprofit PA Academy of Ballet Society.

Finish off the weekend with the first of this year's Narberth Music & Art Festivals.  ​Join your friends and neighbors for an afternoon of fun in downtown Narberth.  The Music and Arts Fest runs from 2pm to 7pm on Sunday, May 21.  It is a family event on Haverford Avenue featuring street food, drinks, and free live music all day. Artists Alley is right next door on Forrest Ave from Noon to 6pm. ​​​

Time for my annual post:
In honor of grilling season, here are the top ten reasons to buy your grill from Ricklin's Hardware:
1. They carry everyone’s favorite Weber grills at the SAME PRICE as the big box stores. (I bought the Weber Spirit SP-320);
2. They assemble and deliver your new grill at no extra charge;
3. They haul away your old grill at no extra charge;
4. Their customer service is the best. The moment you walk in the store, a helpful and knowledgable team member is ready to assist you;
5. Ricklin's has been serving our community just over 100 years;
6. Over those 100 years, they have supported hundreds of events, fundraisers and local organizations - a shining example of a business community partner;
7. When you spend your money in a locally owned business, those dollars stay in this community;
8. Your support keeps them in business so they are there when you need them; 
9. Owner Jed Riddell knows you could shop anywhere, so he actually sends you a personal thank-you note for choosing to buy your grill at Ricklin’s; and 
10. Jed and his team are great people, and truly appreciate your business.

You know that gas line replacement project that was in South Narberth a few months ago, and has been recently working its way down Haverford Ave?  Well it's about to hit downtown Narberth, and will be bringing parking restrictions and traffic detours to Haverford Avenue most weekdays for the better part of the next month.  (It begins on Narberth Ave, "on the hill" and will close the bridge for a couple of days.)

Now your first instinct might be to avoid the whole area - but that's the opposite of what we need to do.  We all need to make a concerted effort to spend even more of our shopping dollars than usual in Narberth this month.  This is one of those times when we need to actually walk the walk - if we really want to support local business, it's challenging times like this when they need each of us to put our money where our mouth is.

Local businesses can't compete with big national chains on things like price, parking, selection,  and  hours of operation.  Small independent stores only survive despite those disadvantages because we make an extra effort to keep them in business.  We do it because these independently owned shops offer other things that we value  - personal service and attention, expert advice and assistance,  and the convenience of being right in the neighborhood.  And as good community partners, they return the favor, supporting our leagues, schools, events and organizations.  This month they will need us even more.

So let's make this happen - the traffic detours and parking restrictions will make it harder for others to patronize our downtown, but those of us who call this our downtown can fill that gap.  Buy that new grill at Ricklin's  (for all the reasons I mention here); get gifts for all your occasions at Sweet Mabel, Character Development, Swan Dancewear, Narberth Bookshop, Fuzion, Spots, Danny's Guitars, Twice as Nice (and all your other favorites), eat more meals at your favorite establishments, stop at American Family Market on the way home from work, and so on.  Think about what stores you really love, and help them weather this challenge!