I have been writing about Melangell Antiques since they opened. They are located at 1133 Pottstown Pike, West Chester, PA 19380 in West Goshen Township.
This business is in an old estate hunting lodge. A rather famous one to local history buffs. Also known as “Wrangley Lodge”, in an amazing century-plus old Arts and Crafts style designed by Charles Barton Keen as part of the original Greystone Estate. This is special to me because one of my very close friends and honorary other mothers is his granddaughter.
And those who know me know I love a good adaptive reuse, and some of my favorite antique stores have been in restored old houses! (You know like another favorite business down in Chadds Ford, Brandywine View Antiques.)
Anyway, I stopped in this past weekend because I knew that the store had some strands of vintage mercury glass garland, which I use on my trees.
Once again, when I walked in the door, I marveled at the sheer beauty of the place. And it’s not just what the business owner sells, it’s the restoration. This place really has been transformed. It’s a beautiful serene space. The building glows inside and out. No not literally, it’s just a feeling you get when you go inside and it’s lovely.
And what I also realized this weekend is they’ve never been honored or commended publicly by West Goshen Township or any of those supervisors there for what they have done. This is an adaptive reuse business that works in a historic asset.
I guess West Goshen doesn’t do historic preservation awards? Do they even celebrate local small businesses or are they only about Target and Chick Fil A? I mean, I like both stores, but they need to celebrate their small businesses too.
I also decided to research the name. Melangell is Welsh and was the name of a Saint. That I already knew, but the rest of the history was fascinating. 
The name Melangell has its origins deeply rooted in Welsh culture and language. In Welsh, mel translates to dear, while angell relates to angel. Combining these elements, the name Melangell signifies DearAngel. This name has a rich and intriguing history, closely tied to the story of Saint Melangell herself.
Saint Melangell was the patron saint of hares and rabbits. She was a Welsh hermit and abbess. She possibly lived in the 7th or 8th century, although the precise dates are uncertain. According to her hagiography, she was originally an Irish princess who fled an arranged marriage and became a consecrated virgin in the wilderness of the Kingdom of Powys.
According to legend, she was known for her devotion to nature and for providing sanctuary to a hunted hare (rabbit) , thus earning her saintly status. As time passed, the name Melangell became associated with this valiant, compassionate figure, and it found its place in Welsh folklore and traditions. The Shrine Church of Pennant Melangell is reported to be one of the most beautiful little churches in the UK.
Anyway, this store is filled with wonderful treasures if you’re looking for a gift or something for your home or something for the holidays. Art, antiques, and fun. The place is just simply beautiful and I think we can all use a little more beauty in our lives and they definitely have Christmas magic.
The comment I am about to share has sent my teeth on edge and if you don’t want to listen to my rant, get off of this post now:
Chester County Ramblings my current neighborhood is not a dense borough, is not walkable, and has no restaurants/shops/galleries/etc. Regardless, I’m fine with development and don’t object to new neighbors. Not everyone is a NIMBY.
I don’t agree with everything you post but you are definitely “in the know” and I appreciate the updates.
As soon as my kids finish HS, I’ll be moving to a new place and WC Borough is on the list. I hope it has more apartments, nice buildings, restaurants, etc. by that time. It keeps getting better as it gets redeveloped. Maybe it will even have restored train service in a few years but I’m not holding my breath.
I’m curious as to why you choose to live in the suburbs of a major city when you frequently lament growth, development, and change? Wouldn’t some place like Forest County be a better fit? Or do you simply want access to the amenities this region offers by virtue of having the density and wealth of being near a city but not the development and congestion that come along with that? You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.
Also this comment:
Y’all hate when someone builds something on an empty lot 😂
And this one:
That was a historic parking lot though! George Washington parked there!
And this one:
Chester County Ramblings I own a home in the borough, drive or walk past these sites multiple times a week, doesn’t bother me one bit. I lived in Chestnut Square when it was first built and it was awesome, brought a lot of young people into the town, everyone was proud to live there and the property was always well taken care of. It brings more people to our local businesses and restaurants, more money into the borough. The only people I see complaining are the ones too high and mighty to live near “renters”. No one will convince me that replacing an empty concrete lot or an abandoned Burger King with a brand new, nice, apartment building is a bad thing.
And this:
All the NIMBY’s know is unhappiness about any sort of growth and change. They are perfectly content with this region stagnating and declining while the rest of the world flourishes and advances. I can see being against a 5-floor apartment complex on a farm in West Nantmeal Township, but on an empty parking lot in a walkable town with amenities?
I’m really tired of having the same conversation over and over and over again.
While some are reveling in their ignorance of what they think are funny comments, they are missing the point and the point is there are too many apartments.
NONE of these developments are even attractive at this point . The development can be along I 95 in Philadelphia or in Chester County and it all looks the same. Cheap looking Lego boxes.
Too many apartments are creating a transient aspect to society out here. It causes issues with other types of real estate. It encourages predatory real estate investors, etc.
It’s just whatever the developer can suck out of the plot of land. If these folks all want to be part of the conversation, they’re welcome to be part of the conversation but if they’re just here to be ignorant, they can F off.
I’m just tired of it. We can’t have intelligent conversations about anything.
People can either constructive and polite even if you are on the other side of the issue, but they are not . Does anyone think these apartments are doing anything in the long run? They aren’t. They cause more kids to be in already bursting at the seams schools and they cause other stresses on infrastructure which is human and otherwise so it’s services like utilities, and then it’s emergency services like fire and police, etc and roads.
So if anyone out there would like dense buildings next to you, give the developers your address I’m sure they can oblige.
We can’t handle everything that’s being built literally. And our municipalities can not afford it. They get the short term high of ratables, but then we’re all on the hook.
There is no pace. There’s no real design. There’s a lack of human scale in most of these developments and issues with setbacks as well. Find open space? Not if they can help it. You know how you get open space in any of these new developments? If they can’t build on all of the land correct?
And then there are the developers that shove these plans down the throats of people in various municipalities and then they just let everything sit there and rot Today we have seen in Berwyn what happens with that. See my post on Berwyn Square.
Yes, communities have to grow and evolve to survive. But the growth shouldn’t always hurt so much and how about plans that are less dense and not so many rentals? That would probably be welcome just like anything other than a cram plan of apartments or townhouses.
What about affordable housing? I mean, basic average houses that people can downsize to who are getting older but raised their families and possibly even grew up themselves in a particular community or area. I’m also talking about what used to be called “starter houses” for people who grew up somewhere and came back to raise their own families and start their adult lives in a particular community. And by affordable housing, I’m also referring to low income housing. The state of the current supply of low income housing in Chester County is deplorable.
These developers aren’t building for a sense of community. They’re building for a sense of their own bank accounts. This is why you saw two municipalities this past election put an open space referendum on the ballot – East Whiteland and Uwchlan. Both referendums passed.
We don’t live in Chester county because it’s just some random suburb, we live here because we love the history of our county and we don’t want to become what Montgomery County and Delaware County have become and we’re pretty much there. It’s becoming too much development, overcrowded schools and an urban feel which is not what most of us signed up for. Bucks County too. Basically pick a county.
The Municipalities Planning Code of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is something I have written about so many times before I’ve lost count. This is the state level zoning bible, the guides all municipal zoning throughout the state. This weighty tome came into being when the definition of suburb and exurb was very different than today. this thing has not been comprehensively updated since around 1969. We’re at 2024. That’s 55 years.
Supposedly there was a big update in 2022, but I don’t remember anyone in Harrisburg enacting an act of the state constitution to do it?
What changed in 2022? Things most people didn’t even realize happened:
Amended Title 53 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes to establish the Municipal Boundary Change Act. This act also defined changes to real property that don’t require the assessment office to adjust an assessment
Amended Section 509 of the MPC to clarify the amount of financial security that municipalities should retain to cover the cost of remaining improvements on a subdivision or land development. This amendment took effect in February 2022
What we’re looking for in our communities among other things is more open space preservation, historic preservation that actually has teeth, and meaning, means to slow down the pace of development and have better control in our communities over the types of development we’re seeing. we want to be able to say we need to pause dense development and we want tools that our municipalities can legally have to help us preserve the feeling of where we call home.
It feels like every square inch of where we live is getting developed doesn’t it and as soon as you say, I really wish there wasn’t so much development you’re called NIMBY.
That’s bullshit. And the reality is the pace of development currently is not sustainable long-term and the stuff being built it doesn’t have staying power. The finishes and building style is just put it up as fast as you can. It doesn’t last. What is being built is not inexpensive and it looks cheap.
Parcels of land are built out to every inch possible. If any thing is retained as “open space” half of the time it’s not billable so you think a developers being magnanimous, but they really aren’t.
And then with all this development, especially in places like West Chester Borough you have people that’ll say “but we need workability and then maybe we’ll get the train back .”
Do you have two dollars? I can give you a piece of my bridge. I don’t really own a bridge. It’s a turn of phrase. All I’m saying is people are so gullible that they want to believe just about anything, but it doesn’t mean anything is based in reality.
And people always want to just say I’m NIMBY and I hate all development. There have been developments in the past I’ve actually liked. but those plans are few and far between or in some cases never actually happened because they were too good to be true.
Plans for development need to fit the communities in which they are going to be located. which of course is why I am worried about what is planned for the Weston tract in West Whiteland of W. King Rd. It’s why I am also concerned about whatever warehouses are being planned for the corner of Phoenixville Pike and W. King Rd. in West Whiteland.
Another thing I’m concerned about is whatever will happen with that random 15 acres that are partially in East Goshen and West Whiteland that were part of Schiffer Farm that the West Chester University Foundation is selling to a developer which backs up to a sweet older neighborhood on Old Phoenixville Pike.
And things like Lionville Station Farm are still in play aren’t they? And what is it about Downingtown Area School District that you don’t really know what’s going on with what the latest buyer is actually going to do?
And then you go past what used to be Happy Days Farm. The scale and just size of those warehouses is insane and no more farm.
If you want to see what negative impacts are occurring with all of this development try to drive through Ardmore or Wayne. Look at all the apartments in Tredyffrin, including along 202.
All of the development is overly dense and it’s about maximizing developer profit. It has nothing to do with community. It has nothing to do with any of us who were here first.
Again, all of this development is not sustainable. All of the rentals don’t foster a sense of community but they do create a more transient society. But go ahead, call me NIMBY if it makes you feel better. It’s not the truth.
Regency Park is a Low-Income Multi Family community that offers 2 & 3 Bedroom Apartments.
We are conveniently located to public transportation, with easy access to dining, entertainment, & shopping.
The apartments offer a well lit private entrance and include modern appliances.
We have a very active Full-time Social Service Coordinator that provides services & programs for all Residents.
Our community includes an on-site laundry facility, community room, beautiful community garden and playground.
With our great location in Coatesville, Pennsylvania not only do we have privacy as a community but we also have the convenience of various shops, restaurants, entertainment, pharmacies, and more just minutes away.
So do the photos people in Coatesville are starting to post look nice to you?
Not to me.
I have been seeing these images increase and conversation online. Over the years, my experience has been that those who live in rent controlled or low income housing don’t really open their mouths unless it’s so bad it’s completely untenable because they fear they will be evicted or punished or worse.
Even people in regular apartments that aren’t section 8 or HUD or anything or loath to complain to a landlord especially if there’s someplace that is somewhat safe for them to live. Years ago, when I was still single and living in Lower Merion Township, I lived in a crappy apartment in a safe neighborhood and you couldn’t get the landlord to do anything unless the township had been through on a rental inspection. You had to play games just to survive.
My kitchen floor back then in my former apartment completely flexed as in you could feel it move when you walked on it because I think there was termite damage underneath. Only it was never repaired. The township back then told them to fix it, they never bothered. The floor had duct tape on it because it was bowing and everything so badly that the tiles kept popping up. Our doors in and out were not exterior grade doors. They were just interior doors and none of the windows locked in any apartments. Some tenants didn’t even have doors that actually locked properly.
So I feel for these people who don’t really have a choice they can’t just pick up and leave, they can’t just move. And where would they move to? It’s not like rentals are particularly affordable at this point even in Chester County. And is it true that this building has lots of single moms? Are they actually safe?
Apparently, Coatesville knows there are problems as in the city of so why don’t they act? How can the county turn a blind eye? It seems that a company out of Camden NJ runs the place, the Michaels Organization ?
They had me at Camden. SMH. Anyway I took a look at their executives on their website. Wonder if any of them have ever been to the property in Coatesville?
I don’t know anyone who lives in these apartments in Coatesville. But while things like the Daily Local’s “Operation Holiday” is running around why don’t they look into some folks who could use help? Or any other print or television media out there? Only a media spotlight will help and they could be the difference because the bad optics during the holiday season might mean these people will get help.
And Chester County Commissioners while you’re out raising taxes maybe do something about this? You like photo ops in Coatesville so go out with your inspectors and whomever is supposed to be in charge of affordable housing?
Ok I hope these people get attention. According to social media they are planning a peaceful protest on December 2 at 3 PM. 699 Victoria Drive Coatesville in front of “home office.”
I am not the media, just a blogger, and it should not be so hard for these people to get help. But hey, it’s a media desert out there.
So Michaels are y’all awake yet? Chester County? Coatesville? This place looks disgusting and a coat of paint will not address all that ails this complex will it? And I will note that the ONLY email Michaels lists for EVERYTHING is info@tmo.com
If I had been rescuing ducklings from an oil spill I would have been good this afternoon . But I was just getting some last minute holiday essentials delivered by Instacart.
Sigh. I went into pre-holiday meltdown over this one.
I treated myself to Instacart. I mean who likes going to grocery stores the week of Thanksgiving or any major holiday, am I right?
For me holiday grocery shopping PTSD started with a particular event in the early 2000s.
This comedically terrible event took place in the Bryn Mawr ACME before the store was rebuilt.
I had run in for a couple of things and I was right up against the shelving, reaching up on tips of my toes to get something off of the top shelf. All of a sudden it was “wham” and then “ouch”, as somebody had rammed a cart into the back of one of my heels and actually scraped it.
The cart was “driven” by angry male shopper who probably had a giant honey do list and instead of saying “Oh my gosh, are you OK?” He yelled at me that I should watch where I was going. He also told me that it was my fault.
Ummm yeah no.
Mouth flew open and I said “No, the correct response is ‘I am so sorry, I hope I didn’t hurt you,’ not ‘It’s your fault that I just maimed you.’”
Benny Brooks Brothers then told me I was a crazy bitch and basically cart wheelied down the aisle to I guess one presumes another ankle assault in a different aisle.
And since cell phones came into existence, the other thing I don’t like about holiday grocery shopping is listening to everyone’s cell phone conversations on speakerphone in the aisles. Women are more guilty of that than men and those women really should watch the conversations they’re having in public and that’s all I’m going to say other than no one needs to hear whom Charlie is cheating with, and favorite sexual positions of strangers.
Mmmkay no thanks.
So as I have been regaling all of you with tales of why I don’t like going to the grocery store right before a holiday, have you noticed the photos I’m posting? This is very important. This means that as any kind of a shopper even delivery you cannot escape the holiday curse sometimes.
I treated myself to Instacart, especially because I wanted things from Aldi and Aldi is crazy on a normal day. I had a “platinum shopper” so I thought I would be in good hands and yet when she tried to replace white wine vinegar with white vinegar, I should’ve known…. especially because I had as my instructions for a refund if it was not available.
She also wasn’t the most communicative shopper and that could’ve just been the Internet access in the store. She dropped the order off, and I went to retrieve it.
This is when I had my pre-holiday Calgon take me away moment. She had put the Dawn dish soap in the over stuffed shopping bag upside down. this meant my order was basted in Dawn dish soap.
Because there were things in paper containers, and paper sacks like flour for baking, they had to be thrown out because they were soaked in Dawn dish soap.
That soap permeated so much!
Also because the bag was poorly packed a lot of my eggs were broken and also were coated in liquid dish soap. And the yogurt container was somewhat smashed, with the added flavor of ….you guessed it….dish soap.
Now I admit Instacart customer service was wonderful and very apologetic because I sent them photos. I didn’t want them to think I was just trying to get free stuff . I don’t think even they had seen anything quite like that before.
Note that bags if you have to buy them aren’t that much and I would rather pay for a second bag then end up with dish soap all over my grocery order two days before a major holiday.
I also think I have to find another dish soap smell now.
I was over at Surrey Consignment Shop this morning and realized there was a brand new store next-door to them that I hadn’t been in. I don’t think it’s been there long, but it is such a breath of fresh air and if you’re going to Surrey, you have to stop there. It’s called B Devoted.
The owner Karen is so nice and she has a true artist’s soul. It’s clothing and things for gifts. And handmade and artisan jewelry.
The crafts people and purveyors she sources are women. She had these felted wool Christmas ornaments in the front of the store. I believe she said they were Peruvian made. They’re just beautiful. There were also these Christmas pillows that were handmade that I just loved. Plus, there were all sorts of pashmina wraps and these little ponchos and all sorts of stuff.
The store is bright and alive and has a great vibe. I look forward to going there again! And a postscript would be Surrey Consignment Shop is loaded with amazing finds!
Here we are coming towards the end of year seven missing . In Chester County we are now on the third district attorney in office since she went missing.
Say her name. Anna Maciejewska.
I have lost count of how many times I have written about her on this blog, and I never met her. But I still think about her and I think about her especially around the holidays because I think of the little boy she had who is not so little anymore who has probably lost the memory of the sound of his mother’s voice.
I wonder what that boy thinks and feels? I wonder if he is happy? I wonder what his father her husband tells him about his mother? I wonder if he ever talks to his Polish grandparents and how they are?
There has been no activity on the Facebook page for Anna in forever. I went to see if the PA Crimestoppers bulletin was still up for her as a missing person and …oh it can’t be found.
I wonder if the Pennsylvania State Police still think about her because she is their missing person’s case. Or have they just put her in a dusty drawer in a dusty cupboard in a storage room somewhere?
Christmas is coming people. Let’s say her name a little. I’m going to share the old videos that I can still find on YouTube about her.
Anna Maciejewska is still missing. Here’s hoping for a Christmas miracle that the state police remember she’s one of their cases. Here’s wishing and hoping that the current Chester County District Attorney could blow the dust off the case folders and help a little.
On November 11, 2014 Pamela Badolato launched a charity project and without telling anyone she knew, called Plaid Pajamas Project. She wanted to collect and distribute pajamas to people in need. They are about to hit their 10 year anniversary and in the past ten collection seasons we have donated probably 10,000 pairs of pajamas.
In her own words:
Every Christmas for as long as I can remember, my sister Kristina and I were allowed to open one gift on Christmas Eve. We received a new pair of pajamas from our grandparents, Nonnie and Poppie, and wore them that night. During our teen years we had some funny pajamas opening experiences as it was humorous to see what they would choose for us. You’ll still find us laughing till we cry when recounting a pair I got during my freshman year of college which were purchased slightly too large. How large you ask? Large enough for Kristina and I to fit in them- together!
As you can see, these pajamas played a huge part of our family Christmas memories. My parents, Mema and Pepa, carry on this tradition and give pajamas to our children each year, and even when we aren’t together it’s the only gift they open on Christmas Eve. Nonnie and Poppie sent pajamas to Jim and I through 2021. However, we lost our beloved grandmother in November 2022, but I know our pajamas are still from her heart no matter what.
Our family has been inspired by our tradition, one that many families share, and we’ve created Plaid Pajamas as a way to provide warm winter pajamas to people in need. Giving our children a chance to learn about the importance of being helpers and givers, not just receivers. Our pajama collection takes place from October through January, with distribution from the end of November through mid-January to various organizations.
The requests for pajamas have already begun rolling in, and she expects to have even more this year. So far they are committed once again to T&E Care, about 15 Head Start classes in Philadelphia, and will have a pair of pajamas for each child that receives a bike from Dom Fixes Bikes .
Their pajamas help keep people warm during the winter, regardless of what holidays you celebrate or not. Their mission is to provide some happiness, smiles, and warmth.
I have thought this was a good thing ever since the inception of this project. It’s simple. It makes people happy. It helps people whose holidays may not be so jolly have some good cheer. It’s just nice.
Seriously a dead chrysanthemum (mum) is just a dead mum. Would you spray paint a dead squirrel ? Probably not, right? So if you can’t keep a chrysanthemum (mum) alive and transplant it into your garden for next year, why can’t you give it a dignified exit?
I’ve been seeing this disturbing barf worthy loving hands at home craft idea since like 2018 or 2019 and I can’t believe it’s still around. It’s still ugly and it still looks like a spray paint it dead plant with some Christmas ornaments stuck in it.
People have videos on YouTube and TikTok about this. How on earth do they think that’s crafting or normal looking or festive? It looks like Morticia Adams got bored with cutting the heads off of flowers.
I’m sorry is it just me or am I being mean? There are those who like to say I am a mean blogger as some of tell me that all the time all of you lovely people out there but I might have a grinch about Christmas? I don’t think so because I actually love Christmas and I don’t see a dead mum as a Christmas decoration.
Take this TikTok from Horine Homestead:
Or this one from Lora Bo
Actually, there are tons of videos on TikTok and elsewhere about this which is just like blows my mind.
If you want to add pizazz to your front porch or front walk and more, try real greens or even something artificial and even weather resistant Christmas greenery.
I guess my point is there are so many things that you can do with so little to create Christmas magic out front of your house or even in different parts of the inside of your house and it doesn’t mean you have to spray paint dead plants.
Well it ended up being the worst kept secret in Malvern. Kamala Harris and Liz Cheyney were at People’s Light.
I watched with a friend on Facebook Live and it was impressive. And there were quite a few Republicans in the audience. People don’t want a Trump do-over. I know I do not.
I totally would have gone if invited. Even if I was a Republican.
I already did vote for Kamala. And for Republicans out there? You won’t turn to stone if you vote for her – I didn’t when I voted for Obama. And no one has to know what you do in the sanctity of the voting booth. The real Republican party, the party of Lincoln, no longer exists. That is the long and short of it. So if REAL Republicans want to turn the page? Vote Kamala Harris.
I have thought what has happened to Bob Lange and his wife who own Sugartown Strawberries abominable.
Now, probably because I am a blogger, and I wrote about this, I am being targeted from random people in other parts of the country.
These people should be advised that I have absolutely no problem sending everything to federal and local law-enforcement. They want to vomit their First Amendment rights all over everyone and they want their rights to matter more than my rights, for example? That’s not the way the Constitution works.
We will support our local businesses around here, in spite of the craziness of election season.
Shame on any person who calls themselves a Republican, who thinks that this kind of behavior is acceptable.
It’s a shame that people are acting like this, but to the rest of you out there I say vote. Vote to preserve your rights.
