Category Archives: Business

back to demolition by neglect at 310 lancaster avenue malvern, pa (the rotting clews and strawbridge house)

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I took this photo in March, 2025. It continues to rot.

Let’s go back to East Whiteland. To 310 Lancaster Avenue in Malvern, you know where Clews & Strawbridge Boats is?

Once upon a time that farmhouse looked normal. It is part of 3 separate parcels of land totaling about 5 acres. Main Line Watercraft Realty is the name, but looking into the deeds and mortgage, a name emerged. I will post those documents and you can look for yourselves. But hey, this man sits in a very nice house on pricey real estate in the region (not Chester County), while one of Chester County’s historic assets just ROTS and that is so truly terrible isn’t it? And if this property owner cared about the house and historic barn, wouldn’t they be better looked after? Now I am not writing this man’s name, although he has appeared in many public facing media things, especially for his day job so to speak right? No he’s not a real estate developer is he?

All I know is this historic house was once owned by artist Margaret Strawbridge Clews, who died at 91 in 2010. She must be turning over in her grave at the condition of that house, right?

I found her obituary. Here is a link and allow me to share from it:

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/seacoastonline/name/margaret-clews-obituary?id=24425566

HANOVER – Margaret Strawbridge Clews died August 6th at the age of 91 – just six days after she warmly welcomed each of her children, grandchildren, and all eleven great grandchildren as well as nearly 100 friends to the opening of her one-woman art show at the Howe Library in Hanover, NH. Born into the postwar debutante world of Philadelphia in 1919, the year women got the right to vote, she was a life-long activist and artist – devoting much of her art to her favorite causes of women’s rights and peace.

Mrs. Clews was the granddaughter of the founder of Philadelphia’s landmark department stores, Strawbridge & Clothier. With Mancha Madison Clews, her husband of 66 years, she was the proprietor of their family boat business, which thrives to this day in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Their company, Clews and Strawbridge, was the only combination marine & Saab automobile dealership in the USA.

She was a graduate of The Shipley School and of Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Exhibiting her first work at the age of 16

Do we think Margaret would love this decay? The decay of a once lovely 18th century farmhouse? She came up in a post I wrote in 2019:

chester county memories

Here is Margaret’s engagement announcement from the New York Times in 1940:

Here are some more clippings including Margaret’s husband’s death in 2006:

Here’s a post about Margaret’s in-laws and their French Chateau:

The Weird World of Henry and Marie Clews

Another bunch of posts written by one of her children, and Mr. Clews’ obituary:

https://www.snodoglog.com/Margaret-S-Clews.html

https://www.snodoglog.com/10-Family-Photo.html

https://www.fosters.com/story/news/local/2006/12/19/mancha-clews/52554614007

https://www.snodoglog.com/M-Madison-Clews.html

Now Lincoln Highway/Lancaster Pike/Lancaster Ave was laid out in 1732 according to the Tredyffrin-Easttown Historical Society. This farmhouse I was told years ago was built in 1734. And the current property owner just lets it sit and rot? And the rest of the property looks pretty shabby too, doesn’t it? I remember how nice it once looked because years and years ago when the Saab dealership was there, I had friends who got their Saabs there.

310 lancaster ave for sale brochureDownload

I found a brochure advertising the property from a realtor. Don’t know if this is still being marketed by this person or not. So who else is concerned about this property? It narrowly escaped being a very dense residential development a few years ago correct? So now what?

demolition by neglect, east whiteland township, chester county

The house COULD be saved, but not unless the owner sees the light right? He lives far enough away he doesn’t drive by it every day so it’s just something in an investment portfolio, correct?

Is there anyone who can encourage him to see it as the valuable historic asset that it is? Maybe he can make an old house call? Do the right thing?

To follow are the deed and some other things found on public records. Perhaps some reporter somewhere will be inspired to write a real story about the history of this house and the current ownership?

If not, tick tock East Whiteland. It’s time for this guy to respect Chester County’s historic architecture, right? And yes I can have that opinion.

10325928 deed 2Download
10325930 another part to deedDownload
deed p480Download
2007Download
2018- 19 mortgageDownload
Clews and Strawbridge tenant estoppel thingDownload

another wonderful surrey holiday house tour!!!

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And that’s a wrap until next year! Another amazing holiday house tour from Surrey Services for Seniors

I am an in kind and regular sponsor which I am just mentioning so you know WHY I do the photos and that they are done as a volunteer. (Otherwise you’re not allowed to take pictures inside people‘s homes obviously.)

This year, the houses were so beautifully and perfectly festive!!! I have to say the homeowners knocked themselves out for all of us and it was much appreciated!

I loved all the homes and will be going through photos over the next couple of days, but I will be sharing a little video with you guys below so you can get a flavor for the tour and the shops afterwards, which were also so much fun!

I do have to say my favorite house was on Poplar Avenue in North Wayne. I love that section of Wayne. It is so historic and just being in the neighborhoods there makes you happy because mostly everyone decorates.

If you would like to give a Christmas donation to Surrey, which does so much for people follow this link:

https://surreyservices.org/

Here is the little compilation video:

stormwater funkadelic in paoli much?

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So I think this is Tredyffrin Township and this is Stormwater funkadelic. The pipe drains to the public sidewalk. As ONTO the sidewalk along Lancaster Avenue – talk about a winter hazard for pedestrians especially, right?

This is the strip shopping center at 41 E Lancaster Avenue in Paoli where Our Deli etc is.

And no, I was not driving when I took this picture. I was a passenger in a car.

So whichever municipality this is they need to deal with this. It’s a fall hazard for pedestrians and this is going right out onto the road which causes another potential hazard trying to keep the road clear during winter icing events.

We all know the roads aren’t going to be perfect in the winter but something like this dripping over time in freezing weather could just be big enough to cause an accident. I mean, let’s face it. It’s problematic enough getting out of this weird little strip mall.

Thanks for playing funkadelic with me.

too early is too early, not “banker’s hours”

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Around 6:30 AM this morning, Casella Waste Systems showed up to pick up residential garbage in a residential neighborhood. They are the successor to Whitetail and pretty much are just as bad as per the reviews.

6:30 AM is too early in a residential area. Noise ordinances exist for a reason.

Of course because I posted this on Facebook the great unwashed had to roll up and say I was being mean to trashmen. Duh, the guys driving the trucks don’t set the schedule. That’s why I didn’t call the police which municipalities say to do. (I also don’t believe that it is the role of police departments to babysit trash trucks who get their orders from the corporate offices.)

So the comments I am sharing are representative of the dumb dumb chorus and posted publicly.

One of my favorite comments is from a woman who posted a public photo on her Facebook page that I found very amusing for the tacky factor.

I am not being mean to the working man. Also my trash hauler NEVER does this holidays or not. And FYI my neighbors who use this company don’t particularly care to be woken up too early.

And again, the drivers don’t set the schedule, the offices do. So that is where I take my complaint. TO THE OFFICE.

Enjoy the obnoxious comments received before removing them and their authors.

The great unwashed and ignorant on social media are after all, national treasures!

things that make you go hmmmm…in east pikeland township maybe?

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I am always curious when things seem odd, aren’t you?

I will admit I have always been a little curious about East Pikeland because it always seems a little off, doesn’t it? Is it as simple as too many crystals and soy based candles or something?

And then there’s the Kimberton Fire Company, which is like part of the heartbeat of that community, isn’t it? so the first question is why is somebody suing the fire company?

For real:

So then I have to ask is why is the Kimberton fire chief trying to I don’t exactly know do what to a 41-year-old widow with three kids? I mean, I have to ask do we really think a 41 year-old widow with three kids is a threat to the Kimberton fire chief?

And why am I allowed to ask that question? Is it simply because there is a public criminal complaint and a publicly posted court docket?

And is this how residents who speak out in this municipality are treated? Is it just me or is this kind of twisted?

So yeah, that’s all I’ve got. And my questions and my opinions are brought to me by the First Amendment. And why I’m asking is posted below in screenshots.

She is being represented by Samuel C. Stretton, Esq. of West Chester.

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

hey villanova officials have you actually been to mt. pleasant?

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Yeah….so Villanova held a meeting with neighbors over at Cabrini. I actually am glad they did it, except listen to a snippet of the presentation and I have to ask if this Villanova official has ever visited Villa Blue Tarp in Mount Pleasant?

This neighborhood is mostly Chester County/Tredyffrin, but a part of it is also Upper Merion/Montgomery County. The Tredyfrin part of it has some seriously ridiculous off campus party pits. Forget about are the houses safe for the students to live in, will the neighbors ever have peace? The lady speaking at Cabrini I’m sure has the best of intentions, but she has zero clue or doesn’t want to have a clue of what actually goes on in off campus party pits in Mount Pleasant, which is close Cabrini.

Neighbors also reported the following who were at the meeting:

FYI Traffic is going to be awful when Villanova opens the Cabrini campus next year!!!

Villanova says they have purchased six large buses. Shuttle service will leave Cabrini campus every 5-10 minutes 6:30 AM to 10:30 PM.

400 on campus student vehicles. 600 staff and commuter vehicles. Who knows how many Ubers and Doordash type vehicles, right?

That’s a lot, isn’t it?

They are permitted on campus at any time. The King of Prussia and Eagle Road entrances will close at 10:30 PM and reopen at 6:30 AM.

All traffic during this time will enter and exit on Upper Gulph.

I am very glad I don’t live near there. And with Villanova going to Cabrini and Valley Forge Military failing, and who knows what’s happening to that land, how will Radnor and Tredyffrin be protecting their residents through this?

I am glad that Cabrini is not going to be a giant parcel for residential McMansion development, but all the same, Villanova doesn’t have a good track record with their off-campus students, so what’s it going to be like over there?

Also to be considered is the practicality of the traffic implications on a lot of these roads, which are overtaxed and overburdened already.

Buckle up residents, you can hope this will all go smoothly, but I predict a lot of bumps in the road.

And speaking of Villanova, what are they doing with their main campus area property (or properties?) that back up to Aldwyn Lane? And doesn’t the university own properties on Aldwyn Lane? Is Radnor protecting their residents over there or ignoring them?

This is going to be interesting for sure, right? It’s their own version of Happy Valley without the great ice cream right?

after a brief hello, it’s goodbye from vanner house

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Wow. They dressed up the area and now they’re going. I’m always sad when a small business doesn’t make it.

I will not say I was a customer of this business because I wasn’t, but they put a lot of work and their whole heart into it and it’s a bummer.

Vanner House is sadly, toast.

I literally just had never had the time to make it down there. And one reason why I was glad they were there is I love that location. I love those old buildings. Years ago when there was a rent sign up there for residential living I went and looked at the property and it was just so cool even if it’s sat smack on Conestoga Road.

I don’t know if everyone remembers but Savvy Main Line did a big article on them. Here is the link:

Historic Ithan market restored as Vanner House, a dapper destination for all things equestrian

Again, I’m sad to see a small business close. Retail for the independent individual person is tough. If you’re a big box store, it can be tough, but it’s not this kind of tough.

So another one bites the dust. Maybe if Pennsylvania and these various municipalities made it more attractive for small businesses to stay they would be able to. 

I am guessing that this event tonight is the Swan song for the store as far as things like that⬇️

It’s a shame. Is this our country winning?

have you been to this cute art gallery in frazer?

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OK, I bet you’re asking where is this art gallery have we driven past it the answer is yes or it’s there and you don’t realize it.

It’s on the second floor of the Franklin Auto Spa in Frazer PA at 535 Lancaster Avenue!

They are just starting to build a social media presence and you can find them on Facebook and Instagram.

https://franklinartgallery.com/

The gallery is quite literally art in an unexpected place and it’s fun! It’s a big well-lit space on the second floor of the auto spa.

As a matter of fact an amazing artist I know named Leah Macdonald who is an encaustic artist has a show there on Saturday, November 8, 2025 from 4 PM – 6 PM.

Anyway, discovering Leah was doing a show was the cherry on top of the delightful surprise of discovering this new gallery. There were a few different galleries that were in Malvern Borough over the past few years which are now sadly gone.

Art is one of those things that makes the world a happier place, so I hope you check it out. Again the gallery space is on the second floor of the Franklin Auto Spa in their lounge area.

another easy way to support farm boy bbq while penndot holds small businesses hostage in east whiteland.

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I make no secret of the fact that FarmBoy BBQ is one of my favorite local businesses or that I know the owner. I think they have the best barbecue around and their brisket is like a religious experience.

However, I wrote a post here in August about how difficult it is getting in there because of PennDot and their endless sink hole remediation project. The project has been forever and seems to be way behind schedule.

yo penndot, stop messing with our bbq and other businesses’ access.

Farm Boy is located at 625 N. Morehall Road (AKA Route 29) in Malvern.

But guess what I discovered completely by accident today? Farm Boy is on Instacart under the restaurant tab for our area!

So if you would like to help out this restaurant so that they survive PennDot hell part two (they already had to live through this sink hole remediation once with PennDot ), place an order on Instacart and Uber Eats if you don’t want to deal with the aggravation and delays created by PennDot!

Trust me, you’ll be glad you did. And if you’ve never tried Farm Boy, this is as good an excuse as any.

And if you have an extra few minutes, please contact our state Senator Katie Muth, and tell her that PennDot is strangling small businesses with their delays on Route 29.

the gladwyne market house, once known as delaware market house closes and is sold…again

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Facebook and Google Photo

Once known as The Delaware Market House, The Gladwyne Market House is in a building has been a market at the corner of Youngs Ford and Righters Mill roads in Gladwyne since the early 1900s. It could be longer. I’m just not sure.

Delaware Market originally was a beloved small gourmet grocery with prepared food as well in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, that closed in September 2009. It was like the Instacart of its day because you could get groceries delivered. Now mind you, that was a paid privilege and the market was pricey, but the quality was amazing of pretty much everything.

I do not know or remember when they started doing more prepared foods because when we ever use the market, we didn’t use it for prepared foods per se.

I actually went to the Delaware Market House the day it closed and that was around 2009.

My photo

I still have my Delaware Market House bag from that last day they were open and the last chance to shop. It was a really nice store run by really nice people. At the time those owners were successor owners to the original owners who had sold it to them. It was reported back then that economic downturns made it too expensive for them to stay open.

My photo. Last day of Delaware Market House 2009

I never went back there after it closed as Delaware Market House, but it was resurrected thanks to a caring local resident. It then became the Gladwyne Market House or Gladwyne Market. So when it was resurrected at that point it became a slightly more modern iteration of what it had been. And there was catering and more prepared food, and it was still beloved by the community.

Well, we all recently learned if you ever follow things in Gladwyne that the market had its last day the other day forever.

Once again the property has been sold and the business closed.

From Facebook

According to a social media post I saw the new owners do not have a desire of just getting rid of the market building or the shops across the street which also sold from owners different than the market to these new people “RMR Property Holdings LLC.”

It seems that their goal is restoration, revitalization, and reimagining what could be. Again, saw it on a social media post.

But it sounds like it’s not an end per se in Gladwyne, but a new beginning. I am going sign off feeling hopeful.

Thanks for stopping by.