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  • Di Bruno Bros. to close three of its five gourmet markets

    Di Bruno Bros. to close three of its five gourmet markets

    Three of the five Di Bruno Bros. locations will close in the coming weeks, the specialty grocery chain’s owner confirmed to The Inquirer.

    Maureen Gillespie, a spokesperson for Wakefern Food Corp., the New Jersey-based supermarket cooperative that acquired the Di Bruno’s brand in 2024, said closing dates were not available.

    Employees at the Ardmore Farmer’s Market location, which opened in 2011 at Suburban Square, said they were told that its last day would be Feb. 4. Staff at the locations in Wayne, which opened in 2021 in Strafford Shopping Center, and at the Franklin Residences on Ninth Street in Center City, which opened in 2013, said they were notified Wednesday that those stores would shut down Feb. 11.

    Di Bruno’s original location on Ninth Street in South Philadelphia and the two-level store at 18th and Chestnut Streets will remain.

    In a statement, Gillespie said the company was “refocusing” Di Bruno’s market strategy on “the heart of the brand”: its Italian Market and Rittenhouse locations and “growing online business.” Concentrating on the two flagship stores and online business will be “a positive reset that allows us to preserve and elevate the in‑store tradition while growing the brand’s reach in meaningful new ways,” Gillespie said.

    Jobs will be offered to every retail employee, said a Sandy Brown, executive vice president of Di Bruno’s parent company, Brown’s Super Stores, the regional grocery chain founded by her husband. The news follows this week’s announcement that Amazon Fresh stores would close, putting about 1,000 people out of work at the six Philadelphia-area stores.

    The three affected stores share the same core Di Bruno’s DNA: cheese, charcuterie, and specialty groceries. The Ardmore Farmer’s Market location is the most “grab-and-go”: a compact counter where bagels and schmear, coffee, and quick bites sit alongside the cheese-and-cured-meat staples. Wayne is more of a full-on neighborhood market with the familiar cheese and charcuterie counters plus a cafe, Roman-style pizza, and an on-site bar for wines and small plates. The outpost at the Franklin, 834 Chestnut St., is the most Center City-practical and office-friendly. It has a coffee bar, sandwich shop, and petite bottle shop — suitable for lunch runs, last-minute gifts, and commuter provisions.

    The five Di Bruno’s stores were acquired in April 2024 by corporate entities controlled by Brown’s Super Stores. Six months later, Wakefern acquired the Di Bruno’s trademark and branded products.

    At the time, Wakefern said it expected to grow the Di Bruno brand and take it “to the next level.” In December 2024, Brown’s Super Stores said it planned to open an additional 12 to 15 Di Bruno stores in the coming decade.

    Wine and cheese at Di Bruno Bros. in South Philadelphia.

    Di Bruno’s is a unit of Wakefern, whose 45 member companies own and operate more than 380 retail supermarkets. The company generated $20.7 billion in retail sales during the 2025 fiscal year, a 3.1% increase over the prior year.

    The 2024 acquisition of Di Bruno Bros. turned heads in the grocery world, as the Brown family supermarkets like ShopRite and the Fresh Grocer operate in a considerably different fashion than Di Bruno’s specialty model.

    Italian immigrant brothers Danny and Joe Di Bruno opened the first Di Bruno’s store in Philadelphia’s Italian Market in 1939. The grandsons and nephews of the founders took over in 1990 and grew the brand. In 2005, the cousins opened the first store outside South Philadelphia at 18th and Chestnut Streets.

    Clarification: A comment from Sandy Brown, executive vice president of Brown’s Super Stores, was added to this article after publication to explain that affected Di Bruno’s employees would be offered other jobs.

  • Joe Walsh, Hall of Fame football coach and longtime West Chester teacher, has died at 75

    Joe Walsh, Hall of Fame football coach and longtime West Chester teacher, has died at 75

    Joe Walsh, 75, of West Chester, member of four athletic Halls of Fame, longtime high school and college football coach, retired health and physical education teacher at West Chester Henderson High School, mentor, and neighbor extraordinaire, died Tuesday, Jan. 27, of cancer at his home.

    Mr. Walsh grew up in the Farmbrook section of Levittown, Bucks County, and played football at the old Woodrow Wilson High School and what is now West Chester University. He got a job as a health and physical education teacher and assistant football coach at Henderson in 1972 and spent the next five decades coaching thousands of high school and college athletes, teaching thousands of high school students, and mentoring hundreds of friends and colleagues.

    He coached football, wrestling, lacrosse, and tennis at Henderson, and his football teams at Henderson and Sun Valley High School combined to win four league championships. He coached in 13 all-star football games and was named the Chester County area football coach of the year four times, the Ches-Mont League coach of the year three times, and the Del-Val League coach of the year once.

    In 1992, an Inquirer reporter asked him to describe himself. “I am an easygoing, volatile kind of coach,” he said with a big chuckle, the reporter wrote. “Actually,” he said, “I think I’m a player’s coach. I think my rapport with my players is my strong point.”

    Mr. Walsh (center) had many occasions to celebrate with family and friends on the football field.

    Former colleagues, players, and friends said in online tributes that Mr. Walsh was “an inspiration,” “a great coach,” and “a positive example for many, many young people.” On Threads, his brother, Russ, called him a “Hall of Fame human being.”

    “He was always there,” said John Lunardi, assistant principal at Henderson, who played quarterback for Mr. Walsh and served later as his assistant coach, “a steady, reliable role model, somebody who could be counted on no matter what.”

    In 20 years as head football coach at Henderson, from 1992 to 2011, Mr. Walsh’s teams won 131 games, lost 104, and captured three Ches-Mont League championships. From 1988 to 1991, he went 17-25 as head coach at Sun Valley and won the 1990 Del-Val League championship.

    His 2007 team at Henderson went 12-2, won the Ches-Mont title, and made it to the district championship game. “Our motto,” he told The Inquirer in 2004, “is no excuses, just results.”

    Mr. Walsh and his Henderson football team were featured in The Inquirer’s 1992 preview section.

    He coached the West Chester University defensive linemen as an assistant for seven seasons after leaving Henderson and was inducted into the university’s Killinger Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 2001. He entered the Pennsylvania State Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Ches-Mont League Hall of Fame in 2018.

    In 2025, he was inducted into the Chester County Sports Hall of Fame, and colleagues there noted his “remarkable achievements and contributions to local athletics” in a Facebook tribute. He earned a standing ovation after speaking at the ceremony, and Henderson officials recognized his legacy with a moment of silence at a recent basketball game. They said in a tribute: “Joe Walsh was a Hall of Fame person in every possible way.”

    Mr. Walsh taught health and physical education at Henderson from 1972 to 2008. He organized offseason clinics to encourage all students to join sports teams and told The Inquirer in 1992: “I’ve always tried my best to get as many people out and make it enjoyable for them so they stay out.”

    He served as board president for the Killinger Football Foundation and cofounded W & W Option Football Camps LLC in 2001. “It wasn’t about the wins and losses for him,” said his wife, Pam. “It was all about the kids, and he was that way in all aspects of his life.”

    Mr. Walsh and his wife, Pam, had many adventures together and spent countless afternoons at football games.

    Joseph Richard Walsh was born Feb. 5, 1950, in Philadelphia. He lettered in football, wrestling, and track in high school, and graduated from Wilson in 1968.

    He earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education at West Chester in 1972 and played center on its two-time championship football team.

    He married Sharon Clark, and they had a son, Joe, and a daughter, Kelly. After a divorce, he married Pam Connor in 1978, and they had a daughter, Jen, and lived in Downingtown and then West Whiteland Township since 1985.

    Mr. Walsh enjoyed all kinds of fishing and golf. In 2023, he and his wife visited half a dozen college football stadiums on a wild cross-country road trip to Yellowstone National Park.

    Mr. Walsh enjoyed time with his children.

    They entertained often at home, and his gourmet soups were usually the hit of the party. He doted on his children and grandchildren, and never lost his sense of humor, they said.

    He was the best neighbor ever, friends said. He cleared miles of sidewalks and driveways with his snowblower every winter, hosted late-into-the-night firepit parties every summer, and could fix practically anything.

    Survivors give advice about mourning their loved ones, as told to The Inquirer’s obit writer

    “He was gentle but strong,” his wife said. “He was kind and considerate, and he never badmouthed anybody. He truly was a great man.”

    In addition to his wife, children, brother, and former wife, Mr. Walsh is survived by seven grandchildren, one great-granddaughter, sisters Eileen and Ruth, and other relatives.

    Mr. Walsh rarely let the big ones get away.

    Visitation with the family is to be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, and from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 6, at DellaVecchia, Reilly, Smith & Boyd Funeral Home, 410 N. Church St., West Chester, Pa. 19380. A celebration of his life is to follow Friday at 10:30.

    Donations in his name may be made to the Joe Walsh Scholarship Fund, c/o the Athletic Department, West Chester Henderson High School, 400 Montgomery Ave., West Chester, Pa. 19380.

  • A developer is seeking to expand its proposed data center in East Whiteland

    A developer is seeking to expand its proposed data center in East Whiteland

    A developer wants to increase the size of its proposed data center on a remediated Superfund site in East Whiteland Township, stoking ire from nearby residents who worry about the increased scope stressing the power grid and driving up costs, along with environmental and health risks.

    The facility — which would exceed 1.6 million square feet in the amended plan —would sit on roughly 100 acres at 13 S. Bacton Hill Rd., located along the boundary line for East and West Whiteland Townships, and near U.S. Route 202.

    The amended plan, brought before the township’s planning commission Wednesday, would increase the size of the two data center buildings by roughly 61% from what was previously approved.

    Other changes in the new plan include:

    • Scrapping two microwave towers, antenna yards, and ground-mounted cooling towers
    • Relocating office and loading facilities to face Swedesford Road
    • Redesigning cooling equipment to use waterless chillers instead of water-consuming cooling towers, reducing water use by about 3 million gallons per day

    The applicants are asking the planning commission to approve the modifications because the currently approved plan is outdated, in both technology capacity and what occupants of such centers would need, said Josh Rabina, principal for Sentinel Data Centers, who is working with Green Fig Land LLC on the project.

    The planning commission had approved the original plan in 2024, but the project has been underway since at least 2018, when the developer sought zoning changes to OK data center use. After the planning commission’s approval in 2024, Sentinel joined the project, and suggested changes to address water and energy consumption, said Lou Colagreco, the attorney for the applicant.

    “They just looked at it with a different set of eyes, and they said, ‘First plan works; this plan probably works better,’” Colagreco told the commission. “It addresses certain concerns that we have heard about regarding data centers.”

    But nearly an hour and a half of public comment showed that residents’ concerns weren’t assuaged by the proposed new plan.

    “My head’s spinning with what’s going on here. I think you guys are way out over your skis here with what you should be asking, and there’s a lot that appears to me that you don’t even know you should be asking,” said one resident, Dean Prescott.

    Across the county — and the region — data center projects have been met with scrutiny from the people who will reside near them. Their opposition clashes with Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has been championing data center development, promoting a 10-year plan that includes cutting regulatory “red tape” to make it easier to approve them. The governor’s office also recently announced Amazon would spend $20 billion to develop data centers and other artificial-intelligence campuses across Pennsylvania.

    Despite the enthusiasm at the state level, 42% of Pennsylvania say they would oppose the centers being built in their area, according to a recent survey.

    And it’s creating a bind for local officials, who are limited in what they can do to prohibit development in areas that are zoned for such purposes.

    Residents in nearby East Vincent, also in Chester County, are pressing hard on their board of supervisors to reject a proposed data center at the historic Pennhurst State School and Hospital. The board there had sought to impose restrictions on data centers, but last month declined to move forward with an ordinance after the township’s solicitor warned it could lead to a challenge from the developer.

    In East Whiteland, as residents called on officials to reject the plan, township solicitor Michael Gill warned it wasn’t that simple.

    “This property is zoned to allow a data center use,” Gill said. “From a perspective of sheer outright denial of the use, that is not likely something that the township has the authority to do at this point in time. Nor did the township ever have the opportunity or the legal right to completely say, ‘We do not want data centers at all in East Whiteland Township.’”

    The proposed data center would be located at a former limestone mining site that eventually became a lithium ore-processing business called the Foote Mineral Co., which closed in 1991. A Superfund cleanup was completed in 2010.

    It is slated to sit across from Malvern Hunt, a neighborhood with about 280 homes and would be intersected by the Chester Valley Trail, a 18.6-mile route popular with walkers, cyclists, and runners.

    Residents worried about the noise, the safety of their well water, and whether digging at a remediated site could adversely affect health. They also raised concerns about the stress — and cost — the facility could put on the power grid.

    The facility would be adjacent to Peco’s Planebrook substation, and the developer is paying for the upgrades needed to support the project, they said Wednesday. Peco officials said previously that surrounding customers wouldn’t see any impact.

    The developers sidestepped questions about resident utility cost increases. The township’s planning director, Zachary Barner, said they had not seen “any sort of detailed analysis of consumer prices or anything like that.”

    Chris Fontana, a Wakefield resident who said he works in software and infrastructure engineering leadership at Zillow, the real estate website, said industrial noise, massive infrastructure, and energy demands make buyers hesitate, affecting home values.

    “Any tax benefit does not outweigh the permanent impact on our land, the strain on local utilities infrastructure, and the risk to the value of our homes, the single biggest investment most families here will ever make,” he said.

    The developer will submit a revised plan and responses to consultant review letters in the coming days, township officials said. The developer will return to the planning commission next month, seeking a positive recommendation from the planning commission to go forward to the township’s board of supervisors.

  • Gladwyne residents are split on town revitalization plan | Inquirer Lower Merion

    Gladwyne residents are split on town revitalization plan | Inquirer Lower Merion

    Hi, Lower Merion! 👋

    Gladwyne residents are divided on a proposal to revitalize the town center. Here’s what they’re saying. Also this week, we take a peek inside a more than 9,000-square-foot Gladwyne home listed for $8.5 million, a man has been sentenced for his involvement in the death of a woman in a wheelchair in 2024, plus a new restaurant is taking over the former il Fiore space.

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    Gladwyne residents are split over a plan to revitalize the town center

    A proposal calls for revitalizing Gladwyne’s town center.

    Gladwyne residents are mixed on their support for a sweeping revitalization proposal of the town center, plans for which were revealed just a few weeks ago.

    Led by design firm Haldon House and backed by billionaire Jeff Yass, the project calls for historic architecture, green spaces, and businesses that “fit the character” of the area, The Inquirer’s Denali Sagner reports.

    One resident called the proposed changes an “absolute no-brainer,” but others are skeptical, particularly about one group having so much say over the town center. It’s even prompted a petition.

    Read more about the divide.

    Peek inside a gated Gladwyne estate on the market for $8.5M

    The $8.5 million property for sale in Gladwyne includes a 9,166-square-foot home.

    This Gladwyne estate situated on 12.76 acres on Country Club Road is on the market for $8.5 million. While the lot size is rare for the area, and provides plenty of privacy, a future owner has the option to subdivide it into three parcels.

    The property includes a more than 9,000-square-foot main home that was designed for entertaining. It has six bedrooms, eight full bathrooms, two kitchens, an elevator, a sauna, and a pool.

    Take a look inside the home and at its sprawling grounds.

    💡 Community News

    • The region saw its largest snowstorm in a decade over the weekend, with many spots recording more than nine inches, including Penn Wynne, which saw 9.4 inches, according to one figure reported to the National Weather Service — and there’s a small chance more is on the way this weekend. Freezing temperatures are expected to remain this week, meaning the snow and ice aren’t going anywhere. Check out a map of where the most snow fell.
    • Jamal McCullough was sentenced on Friday to three to six years in a state prison after fatally hitting 61-year-old Tracey Cary as she crossed City Avenue in her wheelchair in 2024. While prosecutors said McCullough was not at fault since Cary wasn’t in a posted crosswalk, he fled the scene, which carries criminal penalties. Cary’s sister said the hearing offered a chance to give the public a more complete picture of her sister, who was unhoused and had a love of reading, traveling, and the outdoors.
    • There’s a public meeting on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Lower Merion Township Building to discuss the Montgomery Avenue Corridor Traffic Calming and Safety Action Plan. The study, which is supported by a Safe Streets and Roads for All grant, focuses on Montgomery Avenue between Spring Mill Road and City Avenue, assessing things like traffic volume and crashes. Lower Merion Township and the Borough of Narberth will use the data and the public’s feedback to help improve safety.
    • St. Matthias Catholic Church’s former business manager, Sean Michael Sweeney, who is accused of stealing $1.1 million from the Bala Cynwyd institution, has been ordered to stand trial and is scheduled for an arraignment hearing on Feb. 25. (Main Line Times)
    • Club Studio Fitness is planning a late 2026 opening for its Wynnewood Shopping Center location. The high-end gym is taking over the 50,000-square-foot former Bed Bath & Beyond space and is known for premium amenities like cryotherapy and red-light therapy, a juice bar, and stretch stations.
    • The township’s planning commission will discuss a preliminary land development proposal for a portion of 1400 Waverly Rd. in Gladwyne on Monday. Retirement community Waverly Heights is seeking to demolish seven semi-attached single-family villas and put three buildings in their place. Two three-story buildings would be identical and house 12 units each, while the third would add 12 units onto the Blair Apartment Building. Plans also call for additional parking spaces. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at the Township Administration Building.
    • Lights are likely coming to Richie Ashburn Field in Gladwyne, after the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners voted to move forward with a memorandum of understanding to allow the Lower Merion Little League to build and operate lights there. The league will pay for the lights and can’t operate them after 10 p.m. (Main Line Times)
    • The Bryn Mawr Film Institute recently held the region’s first public showing of Ellen Jovin’s Rebel With a Clause, an indie grammar “docu-comedy” that’s as much about syntax as it is about human connection.
    • Members of the Lower Merion Township Police Department have donated a collective 800 hours of their time off to their colleague Dan Gilbert. The detective’s wife was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer last year, and in a show of support, the department rallied to give him extra time to spend with his family. His wife, Lauren Gilbert, 42, has undergone surgeries and is currently on trial medications. (CBS News Philadelphia)

    🏫 Schools Briefing

    • Tonight is course selection night for LMHS students and tomorrow is the school choice deadline. Tomorrow is also movie night for Penn Wynne Elementary, and there are middle school conferences Tuesday evening. See the district’s full calendar here.
    • For families who missed last week’s eighth grade to high school transition meeting, the district posted a video from the event, which you can watch here.
    • The district is hosting a presentation for parents and guardians with students receiving special education services that will focus on positive behavior support. It will be held virtually via Zoom on Wednesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
    • On Saturday, LMHS is hosting the 12th Annual Hope Classic to benefit the Angelman Syndrome Foundation. Angelman Syndrome is caused by a gene change and can result in developmental delays, speech and balance problems, mental disability, and seizures, according to the Mayo Clinic. The doubleheader will see the boys and girls basketball teams take on Haverford High’s teams at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    • A new restaurant is getting ready to take over the former il Fiore space in Bryn Mawr Village. Restaurateur Alessandro “Alex” Fiorello, 28, is planning a bar-forward Italian eatery that he says will be “a step up” from his Wayne restaurant, Alessandro’s Wood Fired Italian. Expect house-made pasta, wood-fired pizzas, and dry-aged proteins at the as-yet-unnamed restaurant.
    • Lark is among the region’s 50 best restaurants, according to a new ranking from Philadelphia Magazine, which put Chef Nick Elmi’s Bala Cynwyd restaurant at No. 41. The outlet noted that “there’s hardly a dish that isn’t simultaneously approachable and elevated,” calling out the cavatelli with escargot and bone marrow and pork cheek agnolotti with Taleggio.

    🎳 Things to Do

    🌎 Ardmore Passport: World Pours: Take a trip around the world by sampling global cuisine, craft beers, and other sips at this festival-style event, which will also feature live music. ⏰ Saturday, Jan. 31, 12:30 p.m. 💵 $64.17-$124.20 📍 Ardmore Music Hall

    🍿 Monday Night Movie: In honor of Groundhog Day, catch a screening of the iconic 1993 film starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. Registration is required. ⏰ Monday, Feb. 2, 6:30-8:30 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Penn Wynne Library

    🏡 On the Market

    A century-old Wynnewood Tudor with a heated pool

    The Tudor-style home has a heated pool.

    Built in 1924, this four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom Wynnewood Tudor blends past and present. This home’s first floor features a living room with a gas fireplace, a dining room, a “bonus room,” and a kitchen, with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and a separate coffee bar area. There are three bedrooms on the second floor, including the primary suite, which has dual closets, and an additional suite on the third level. The home also has a finished basement, a detached three-car garage, and a heated pool with a spa and waterfall. There’s an open house today from noon to 2 p.m.

    See more photos of the home here.

    Price: $1.15M | Size: 3,706 SF | Acreage: 0.71

    📈 Lower Merion market report

    • Median listing price: $525,000 (down $65,000 from November) 📉
    • Median sold price: $699,000 (down $173,500 from November) 📉
    • Median days on the market: 60 (up 20 days from November) 📈

    This Lower Merion market report is published on a monthly basis. Above is data for December from realtor.com.

    🗞️ What other Lower Merion residents are reading this week:

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • Why these local fire departments might merge | Inquirer Greater Media

    Why these local fire departments might merge | Inquirer Greater Media

    Hi, Greater Media! 👋

    Some local fire companies are weighing a merger. Here’s why. Also this week, we map snowfall totals from last weekend’s storm and take a look at the possibility of more snow to come, plus why our Delco is the one and only true Delco, according to an Inquirer columnist.

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    Several local fire companies are considering merging

    The Garden City Fire Department in Nether Providence is among the departments that could merge.

    A new report recommends combining several local fire departments to create a larger regional department covering Nether Providence, Swarthmore, and Rose Valley.

    The recommendation comes as several departments are facing a decline in volunteers and aging equipment, The Inquirer’s Torin Sweeney reports.

    The report, released last month, is just a first step, and a complete merger of South Media and Garden City fire companies in Nether Providence with the Swarthmore Fire & Protective Association could take up to three years.

    Read more about the proposed merger and where things currently stand.

    💡 Community News

    • The region saw its largest snowstorm in a decade over the weekend, with many spots recording over half-a-foot of snow, including Nether Providence Township, which saw 8 inches, according to one figure reported to the National Weather Service. Swarthmore saw 7.3 inches, and Media got 7 inches. Freezing temperatures are expected to remain this week, meaning the snow and ice aren’t going anywhere — and there’s a small chance more is on the way this weekend. Check out a map of where the most snow fell on Sunday.
    • There is only one true Delco, The Inquirer’s Stephanie Farr recently proclaimed, and it’s right here in Southeastern Pennsylvania. In her latest column, Farr defends this Delco as the original — it was, after all, founded before any other Delaware Counties in the country — and its claim to use the moniker on, well, just about everything. Her defense of the region came after discovering a fashion brand in New York is selling a line of apparel for a Delco there, which might have been fine if it wasn’t trying “to co-opt Delco as a culture,“ she writes.
    • A Springfield man, Chad Lauletta, 50, has been charged with 56 felonies and misdemeanor invasion of privacy for allegedly possessing multiple pieces of child sexual abuse materials, as well as engaging in a sexual act with a woman and filming it without her consent.
    • Ice sculptures in varying shapes, including a corn hole set, were on display on Media’s State Street over the weekend for the fourth annual Ice on State. Check out some of the scenes and sculptures in this video from 6abc.
    • Fox 29’s Bob Kelly recently paid a visit to Hidden Treasures Antique Mall in Gradyville, which has been open at 1176 Middletown Rd. for about 15 years. During his visit, he toured its nine rooms, which contain a wide range of vintage housewares, furniture, decor, jewelry, and instruments. Among the hottest sellers currently? Salt and pepper shakers. See the full segment here.
    • Former Wallingford resident Helen Cherry died earlier this month at the age of 101. Born in West Philadelphia, Cherry was a lifelong artist who illustrated 30 books and dozens of magazine stories throughout her career. A mother of three, Cherry also helped her husband operate Cherry’s Pharmacy in Ridley Park for years.

    🏫 Schools Briefing

    • Wallingford-Swarthmore School District’s Board of Education is considering a maximum 3.5% tax increase to help slash some of its budget deficit. The hike, discussed during a Facilities and Finance committee meeting last week, would generate about $2.3 million. The district, which is also weighing a $164 million capital improvement plan that calls for renovations to the high school, is facing a $2.6 million budget deficit for the 2027-28 school year. (The Swarthmorean)
    • Tonight is back-to-school night for Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, and Penncrest is hosting its “Jazz Night” on Saturday. See the district’s full calendar here.
    • WSSD is also hosting a community conversation on Wednesday about renovations to Strath Haven High School, where students, families, and residents can share ideas on project priorities. The discussion will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the high school’s library.
    • In the Rose Tree Media School District, tonight is course selection night for high school students. Tomorrow night is bingo night for Indian Lane, and Wednesday is the poetry slam. See the district’s full calendar here.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    • Looking for a sweet spot ahead of Valentine’s Day? Main Line Today recently rounded up nine local shops, including Bevan’s Own Make Candy in Media, noting the decades-old shop offers things like butter creams, chocolate-covered pretzels, mints, nut clusters, and truffles.

    🎳 Things to Do

    🎭 Draw the Circle: It’s your last chance to catch the one-person show that explores various identities. ⏰ Through Sunday, Feb. 1, times vary 💵 $20 for students and children, $35 for adults 📍Hedgerow Theatre Company, Rose Valley

    🎵 Acoustic Bob Marley Birthday Bash: Hear classic Bob Marley tunes ahead of what would have been his 81st birthday. ⏰ Thursday, Jan. 29, 7-11 p.m. 💵 Free 📍Shere-E-Punjab, Media

    😂 Huge Soup: Comedians will take cues from the audience during this improv show. ⏰ Saturday, Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m. 💵 $13.50 📍 PCS Theater, Swarthmore

    🏡 On the Market

    An updated mid-century home in Media

    The kitchen has an island with seating for four and opens onto an open-concept space with living and dining areas.

    This mid-century-style home has been fully updated inside and out, giving it a contemporary look befitting its architecture. The home’s first floor features an open-concept kitchen, living, and dining area. The kitchen features an island, quartz countertops, and stainless steel appliances. There’s also a flexible space on the first floor. There are four bedrooms upstairs, including the primary suite, which has a spacious walk-in closet. Other features include a finished basement, a new deck, and new landscaping for privacy.

    See more photos of the home here.

    Price: $1.395M | Size: 3,699 SF | Acreage: 0.54

    📈 Greater Media market report

    Media

    • Median listing price: $749,000 (up $71,500 from November) 📈
    • Median sold price: $528,000 (down $154,500 from November) 📉
    • Median days on the market: 56 (up 11 days from November) 📈

    Swarthmore

    • Median listing price: $599,900 (up $100,400 from November) 📈
    • Median sold price: $375,000 (down $24,000 from November) 📉
    • Median days on the market: 110 (up 31 days from November) 📈

    Wallingford

    • Median listing price: $279,000 (down $120,900 from November) 📉
    • Median sold price: $380,000 (down $82,500 from November) 📉
    • Median days on the market: 65 (up 22 days from November) 📈

    This Greater Media market report is published on a monthly basis. Above is data for December from realtor.com.

    🗞️ What other Greater Media residents are reading this week:

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • A plan to redevelop Gladwyne has residents split on their town’s future. What happens next?

    A plan to redevelop Gladwyne has residents split on their town’s future. What happens next?

    Three weeks after developers unveiled a sweeping plan to revitalize much of downtown Gladwyne, the affluent Main Line community has been abuzz with excitement, and skepticism, about the village’s future.

    On Jan. 8, Andre Golsorkhi, founder and CEO of design firm Haldon House, presented plans for a revitalized town center, complete with historic architecture, green spaces, and businesses that “fit the character” of the area. Golsorkhi told a packed school auditorium that Haldon House plans to bring in boutique shops, open an upscale-yet-approachable restaurant, and create spaces for communal gathering.

    At the meeting, Golsorkhi also revealed that the project was backed by Jeff Yass, Pennsylvania’s richest man, and his wife, Janine. Golsorkhi said the Yasses want to revitalize Gladwyne as part of a local “community impact project.” Haldon House and the Yasses, who live near Gladwyne, have spent over $15 million acquiring multiple properties at the intersection of Youngs Ford and Righters Mill Roads.

    The news drew a flurry of social media posts — and a write-up in a British tabloid. While some praised the proposal, others protested the changes headed toward their quaint community, and the conservative donor financing them.

    Renderings of a proposed revitalization project in Gladwyne, Pa. Design firm Haldon House is working with billionaire Jeff Yass to redevelop the Main Line village while preserving its historic architecture, developers told Gladwyne residents at a Jan. 8 meeting.

    What is, and isn’t, allowable?

    For some residents, one question has lingered: Is one family allowed to redevelop an entire village?

    A petition calling on Lower Merion Township to hold a public hearing and pass protections preventing private owners from consolidating control of town centers had gathered nearly four dozen signatures as of Friday.

    Around 4,100 people live in the 19035 zip code, which encompasses much of Gladwyne, according to data from the 2020 U.S. Census.

    “Residents deserve a say before their town is transformed. No one family, no matter how wealthy, should unilaterally control the civic and commercial core of a historic Pennsylvania community,” the petition reads.

    Yet much of Haldon House’s plan is allowable under township zoning code, said Chris Leswing, Lower Merion’s director for building and planning.

    Plans to refurbish buildings, clean up landscaping, and bring in new businesses are generally permitted by right, meaning the developers will not need approval from the township to move forward. Gladwyne’s downtown is zoned as “neighborhood center,” a zoning designation put on the books in 2023 that allows for small-scale commercial buildings and local retail and services. The zoning code, which is currently in use in Gladwyne and Penn Wynne, ensures commercial buildings can be no taller than two stories.

    The developers’ plans to open a new restaurant in the former Gladwyne Market and renovate buildings with a late-1800s aesthetic, including wraparound porches and greenery, are generally within the bounds of what is allowed, once they obtain a building permit.

    The Village Shoppes, including the Gladwyne Pharmacy, at the intersection of Youngs Ford and Righters Mill Roads in Gladwyne on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.

    More ambitious plans, however, like converting a residential home into a parking lot or burying the power lines that hang over the village, would require extra levels of approval, Leswing said.

    The developers hope to convert a residential property on the 900 block of Youngs Ford Road into a parking lot. Lower Merion generally encourages parking lots to be tucked behind buildings and does not allow street-facing parking, a measure designed to avoid a strip mall feel, Leswing said. In order to turn the lot into parking, the developers would need an amendment to the zoning code, which would have to be approved by the board of commissioners.

    Various approvals would also be needed to put Gladwyne’s power lines underground, an ambitious goal set by the Haldon House and Yass team.

    Leswing clarified that no official plans have been submitted, making it hard to say how long the process will take. It will be a matter of months, at least, before the ball really gets rolling.

    Leswing added the developers have been “so good about being locked into the community” and open to constructive feedback.

    Golsorkhi said it will be some time before his team can provide a meaningful update on the development, but expressed gratitude to the hundreds of residents who have reached out with questions, support, and concerns.

    Map of properties in Gladwyne bought or leased by the Yass family.

    From ‘110% in favor’ to ‘a tough pill to swallow’

    Fred Abrams, 65, a real estate developer who has lived in Gladwyne for seven years, said he and his wife are “110% in favor” of the redevelopment, calling it an “absolute no-brainer.”

    Many Gladwyne residents live in single-family homes that keep them in their own, sometimes isolating, worlds, his wife, Kassie Monaghan Abrams, 57, said.

    “Here’s an opportunity for being outside and meeting your neighbors and, to me, getting back to spending time with people,” she said of the proposal to create communal gathering areas.

    “I think it’s a very thoughtful, beautiful design,” Monaghan Abrams added.

    Some social media commenters called the proposal “charming” and “a fantastic revitalization.”

    Others were more skeptical.

    Ryan Werner, 40, moved to Gladwyne in 2012 with his wife, who grew up in the town.

    “One of the things I’ve kind of fallen in love with about Gladwyne is the sense of community,” said Werner, who has a background in e-commerce sales and is transitioning to work in the mental health space.

    Werner is not necessarily opposed to the renovations (although he loved the Gladwyne Market). Rather, he said, it’s “a tough pill to swallow” that Yass is promoting a community-oriented project while supporting President Donald Trump’s administration and Trump-affiliated groups.

    “I’m less opposed to just the commercial side of it and more grossed out by the involvement of certain people in it,” Werner said.

    Gladwyne is a Democratic-leaning community that voted overwhelmingly for former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

    On social media, some griped about the changes.

    “The Village will be just like Ardmore and Bryn Mawr. Can’t undo it once they build it,” one commenter wrote in a Gladwyne Facebook group.

    Golsorkhi said in an email that the “enthusiasm, excitement and support” from the community have been “overwhelming.”

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • How Malvern’s Pa. Turnpike ramp sparked billions in economic development

    How Malvern’s Pa. Turnpike ramp sparked billions in economic development

    Michael Chain Jr. once had to exit the Pennsylvania Turnpike at Downingtown and drive a zigzag pattern on State Routes 100, 113, 401, and 29 to reach his hotel.

    So did his customers.

    But then the turnpike built Exit 320, an all E-ZPass interchange that connects to Route 29 and brings traffic right to the family-owned Hotel Desmond Malvern, a DoubleTree by Hilton.

    “It would easily take 20 minutes,” said Chain, general manager of the property. “Now you cut that in half, if not more.”

    When it opened in December 2012, the interchange helped spur billions in new commercial and residential development in Chester County’s Great Valley.

    Michael Chain, general manager at a hotel in Great Valley, says the Route 29 ramp has transformed his business.

    Corporate office parks expanded and new ones sprouted. Vanguard relentlessly expanded its campus for its 12,000 workers. Pharmaceutical and biotech companies moved there. Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Teva, and other pharmaceutical companies planted offices and research laboratories there.

    Thousands of people moved in to take advantage of the new jobs or a suddenly more convenient commute to Philadelphia and its inner-ring suburbs, Berks County, Lancaster, or even Harrisburg.

    More than 10 years later, the effects of the turnpike’s project are evident, but the real estate market is evolving to meet a lower post-pandemic demand for traditional office space and a higher demand for more housing.

    Through American history, transportation and development have been yoked. Towns and cities have grown around navigable rivers, post roads, national highways, railroads, interstates, turnpikes, and public transit.

    “This new interchange was explosive in terms of the economic impact in that particular region in a way I’m not even sure we had anticipated,” said Craig R. Shuey, chief operating officer of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

    The key to success

    Experts caution it would be a mistake to attribute too much of the growth in the Great Valley solely to the turnpike exit.

    The area’s transition from agricultural and industrial to commercial mixed-use was already well underway when it opened. Real estate developers Rouse & Associates acquired land in 1974 and began building the Great Valley Corporate Center, a 700-acre business park.

    As the Pennsylvania 29 interchange was under construction, the U.S. 202 widening project occurred, helping ease the flow of traffic, although it still gets congested at peak hours.

    The Route 29 electronic toll interchange.

    The exit “plays well with an improved Route 202,” said Tim Phelps, executive director of the Transportation Management Association of Chester County.

    It’s also served by SEPTA Regional Rail Service and Amtrak, and there’s a connection to the 18.6-mile Chester Valley trail for biking, running, and walking.

    “The key is all the multimodal access to the area from different points,” Phelps said. “You move goods and freight along corridors and people to jobs; transportation is economic development.”

    New rise in residences

    Growth hasn’t been linear.

    ”Since COVID the office market has been struggling everywhere, and a couple of years ago the funding for biotech became harder to get,“ said John McGee, a commercial real estate broker and developer. ”Both of these events had a negative impact on demand for [office] space in Great Valley.”

    He and partners have turned an empty Exton office building into the Flats on 100, 24 studio and eight one-bedroom apartments, marketed to consultants and visitors who need to stay awhile while working with local companies.

    Other signs of a softer market in commercial space:

    • Malvern Green, a 111-acre office park owned by Oracle, is up for sale, marketed as a redevelopment opportunity. It has 759,000 square feet in four buildings on Valley Stream Parkway, off Route 29.
    • A 10.3-acre office property on Swedesford Road is slated to be demolished and turned into a mixed-use campus, with 250 apartments and about 6,700 square feet of retail and dining.

    With the pandemic rewriting the rules of work beginning five years ago, residential development has picked up, driven by housing scarcity and lack of affordability.

    Deb Abel, president of Abel Brothers Towing & Automotive, has seen the area evolve from her position as chair of the East Whiteland Planning Commission and as a member of the Chamber of Business & Industry.

    Deb Abel, chair of the East Whitefield Planning Commission, says workforce development is key to the area’s growth.

    “We talk all the time about workforce development,” Abel said. “People don’t want to come to work where they can’t afford to live.”

    More — and more affordable — housing is key both for current and future staffing needs. Workers shouldn’t have to commute from other areas with more housing options, Abel said.

    ‘A tangible asset’

    To Chain, the hotelier, travel time saved by the interchange is a tangible asset.

    “It improves the quality of life on a personal level, and [in business] I’m a beneficiary of people staying on the turnpike,” he said.

    As corporate travel budgets waxed and waned in the Great Recession and pandemic years, the Hotel Desmond beefed up other lines of business. An events space at the resort-like hotel now provides about half the revenues, Chain said.

    The interchange has helped him draw conference business from statewide associations, most of them in Harrisburg.

    And in recent years, youth sports travel teams from New York and New Jersey attending weekend tournaments in the region have filled rooms while using the interchange for easy access. Hockey teams are big.

    ‘A natural progression’

    A new multifamily project for Greystar Real Estate Partners is rising next to Route 29 on undeveloped land.

    IMC Construction is building a five-story, 267-unit apartment building featuring a rooftop lounge, fitness center, coworking space, pool courtyard, grilling stations, and more.

    IMC Construction signs and traffic markers along North Morehall Road in Malvern.

    A 133-unit “active adult” apartment building for people who are 55 and older is also under construction.

    Project manager Bob Liberato grew up in the area when Route 29 was a country road with one traffic light between Phoenixville and Route 30.

    It seems ironic now, but he remembers a petition circulating among fellow students at Great Valley High School to oppose the turnpike’s interchange proposal. Pretty much everybody signed.

    “We wanted to stop the turnpike because we liked our life,” Liberato said. “It was open, mostly fields and trees. Being able to go outside, have parties in the woods — all of that was great.”

    So what he’s doing now is, in a way, part of the circle of life.

    “We’re seeing a shift toward more residential projects, and there is a runway for more in the Great Valley,” said Liberato. With a scarcity of new development, ”it’s a natural progression in a lot of Philly suburbs.”

  • Swarthmore, Nether Providence take next step in merging fire departments

    Swarthmore, Nether Providence take next step in merging fire departments

    Swarthmore and Nether Providence are exploring a merger of fire departments to compensate for a drop in volunteers and aging equipment.

    The proposed merger would unite the South Media and Garden City fire companies in Nether Providence with the Swarthmore Fire and Protective Association.

    Swarthmore and Nether Providence commissioned Longwood Fire Chief A.J. McCarthy to study the challenges facing the three fire departments. He presented his report to both municipalities in early December.

    The report recommended creating one regional fire department to cover the two municipalities plus Rose Valley.

    McCarthy’s report highlighted a “critical” lack of volunteer firefighters and financial limitations.

    “Just because you haven’t had a disastrous fire doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen,” McCarthy said during a presentation of his report to Swarthmore Borough Council on Dec. 1. “I can tell you right now you’re not prepared for it.”

    Three Delaware Co. Township fire companies may merge into one.

    Swarthmore Mayor and Fire Chief Conlen Booth called the report “a vital first step” toward a merger.

    “The departments are going to need to sit down and look at these recommendations and then digest them,” Booth said. “And then identify ultimately what are ones that make sense for us.”

    Meet Conlen Booth, Swarthmore’s fire chief who just stepped into the mayor’s office

    A complete merger, forming one regional fire department, could take a year and a half to three years, he said, while something less formal could be completed more quickly.

    “I think there’s a very good chance that we would follow [the report’s recommendation] with maybe some nuances,” Booth said. “But there is no guarantee that happens and we could have other types of mergers, or we could start with other mergers and then evolve into that full merger.”

    Booth has a history of working in emergency services. He joined Swarthmore’s fire company in 2000, eventually working his way up to department chief.

    A single regional fire department would need new bylaws, a new charter, joint operation guidelines, and more. A complete merger would also require the departments to dissolve their existing nonprofit organizations and relief associations and create new ones.

    “A lot of these pieces are not difficult, it’s the sheer number of pieces that can be felt to be overwhelming,” Booth said.

    Nether Providence passed a resolution in support of the merger effort, but Township Manager Maureen Feyas declined to comment on the matter.

    The Swarthmore Fire & Protective Association firehouse.

    Lack of volunteers

    The biggest challenge for the fire departments is a drop in volunteers. In a 2023 report, Pennsylvania Fire Commissioner Thomas Cook said there were about 30,000 volunteers in the state at that time, down from 300,000 in the 1970s.

    South Media and Garden City operate solely with volunteers, while Swarthmore has some paid personnel.

    The report, however, says the full-time staff gives the department a “false confidence,” because they respond to both fire and medical emergencies. If two employees leave in the ambulance, that leaves only one behind with little volunteer support during daytime hours.

    The report also says South Media was “unable to produce a reliable and constant response” due to lack of volunteers.

    Garden City has had more success with volunteers. During a meeting in which McCarthy presented his report to Swarthmore Borough Council, he praised Garden City Chief Pat O’Rourke.

    “He’s doing an excellent job and is increasing volunteer numbers year-over-year, which is almost unheard of right now,” McCarthy said.

    Part of the reason these fire departments struggle to find volunteers is because they are located in affluent areas, McCarthy said, something he can attest to in his experience leading Longwood Fire Company in Chester County.

    “The area I protect has a very high cost of living, so I don’t have residents looking to do one of the most dangerous jobs in the world for free,” McCarthy said in the council meeting. “I have a lot of CFOs and CEOs. They’re busy in hospitals and law firms.”

    In 2024, Swarthmore had a median income of $146,992 and Nether Providence’s median income was $145,254, well above the national median of $83,730.

    The South Media Fire Company in Nether Providence.

    Equipment cost and maintenance

    A capital apparatus plan is also needed for upgrading and maintaining expensive fire trucks, ambulances, and other lifesaving equipment, the report states.

    Trucks have doubled in price over the last three years and take about five years to deliver, he said at the Swarthmore Borough Council meeting.

    “These things have to be planned out,” McCarthy said. “You can’t spend $2.5 million to replace a ladder truck and only start talking about it four months before you order it.”

    One of Swarthmore’s trucks costs more to maintain than to use, he said.

    Crozer’s closing

    The closing of Crozer-Chester Medical Center also put a burden on the area, with more medical emergencies to cover.

    Swarthmore stood up an ambulance service that can provide advanced life support in response to the closure, and it nearly doubled the number of calls the department responds to in a month, Booth said.

    The loss of Crozer’s ambulance service also means departments are being pulled further away to cover medical emergencies, causing a chain reaction where other departments are called to cover for them.

    Crozer’s new owner, Chariot Equities, said last week it hoped to reopen the hospital and resume emergency services in the county within two years.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • A Gladwyne estate that can be split into three lots is for sale for $8.5 million

    A Gladwyne estate that can be split into three lots is for sale for $8.5 million

    The possibilities are what make a Gladwyne estate for sale on Country Club Road “a significant property,” said listing agent Lisa Yakulis.

    It spans 12.76 “very private” acres, said Yakulis, a broker associate at Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty. “It’s hard to find that size of a property in that area.”

    The 9,166-square-foot home sits on about four acres. A future owner could subdivide the lower part of the property to create two roughly four-acre lots. An existing easement would provide access to the additional lots.

    The property is on the market for $8.5 million.

    The home for sale on Country Club Road in Gladwyne sits on almost 13 acres, which can be broken into separate lots.

    Yakulis said she’s seen that on the Main Line in the years since the pandemic, “desirable building lots with that kind of acreage are, No. 1, very hard to find, and No. 2, there’s a fairly large buyer pool out there that’s looking for land in that location to build exactly what they want to build vs. buying a resale home.”

    The home on the property was custom built in 1993, and its floor plan is more open than homes of that time. It was designed to host the owners’ family and friends, which it has done for the last three decades.

    The house has six bedrooms, eight full bathrooms, and three half bathrooms. Many large windows provide panoramic views of the property. The home has an elevator, six fireplaces, a library, two laundry rooms, and flexible living spaces.

    The front door of the home opens to a chandelier and winding staircase.

    The primary suite has two separate bathrooms and large dressing rooms. The main kitchen includes two ovens, a large island with a stove, bar seating, and a refrigerator that can be concealed behind sliding wooden panels.

    The property has a total of three guest suites on the lower level, in a private section of the main level, and above one of two oversized two-car garages.

    The home’s lower level includes another large kitchen, a sauna, entertainment space, and a walk-in safe.

    The main kitchen includes three sinks, two ovens, and a large island with a stove.

    The property features stone terraces, a pool, landscaped grounds, and acres of open land. A cottage-like utility building equipped with a half bathroom is where the owners cleaned their dogs. But it also could be used as a gardening shed or workshop.

    Potential buyers who have toured the home said they like the privacy, views, and location. The Main Line property is near preserved open space, the Schuylkill Expressway, and Philadelphia Country Club. Yakulis said the home is on a quiet street with plenty of space between neighbors.

    The property has attracted people of various ages, including empty nesters who like the elevator and the guest suites that offer spaces for visiting children and grandchildren.

    “I get the comment when people come through that it’s a happy house, and it’s true,” Yakulis said. “You walk in there and the light pours in, and you can just tell that it’s a happy house. It has a good vibe.”

    The property was listed for sale in October.

    A gate opens to the circular driveway in front of the home.
  • Grammar nerds and language lovers gather for a sold-out documentary at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute

    Grammar nerds and language lovers gather for a sold-out documentary at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute

    Despite frigid temperatures and the specter of the Philly area’s largest snowstorm in years, hundreds of language lovers and grammar nerds gathered in Bryn Mawr on Saturday for a screening of Rebel with a Clause, the hottest “road trip, grammar docu-comedy” on the indie movie circuit.

    Rebel with a Clause follows language expert Ellen Jovin as she takes her makeshift “Grammar Table” on a journey across the United States, from Bozeman, Mont., to New York City (and everywhere in between). From behind the table, Jovin asks strangers to divulge their questions, comments, and concerns about the English language, from when it’s best to use a semicolon to how to properly punctuate “y’all.” What starts as an amusing grammar refresher turns into a moving text on Americans’ shared humanity, even in polarizing times.

    Ellen Jovin, subject of “Rebel with a Clause,” signs books at a screening at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute on Jan. 24, 2026.

    Jovin, the movie’s star, has written four books on writing and grammar, including Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian, a reflection on her cross-country tour. The movie was directed and produced by Brandt Johnson, a writer and filmmaker who also happens to be Jovin’s husband.

    Jovin and Johnson, who are based in New York, are on a second cross-country tour as the Rebel with a Clause movie graces audiences. The Bryn Mawr screening marked the film’s first public showing in the Philly area.

    As he handed out optional grammar quizzes and grammar-themed chocolates in the Bryn Mawr Film Institute’s foyer, Johnson said the response to the movie has been “extraordinary.”

    “Ellen’s Grammar Table that she started in 2018 was about grammar, for sure, but it turned out to be as much about human connection,” Johnson said.

    “Just as a life experience, oh my gosh,” he added. “It’s been something that I certainly didn’t anticipate.”

    “Rebel with a Clause” producer Brandt Johnson hands out grammar-themed chocolates to moviegoers at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute on Jan. 24, 2026.

    Before the screening, attendees waited for their turn at the table, where Jovin was signing books and answering pressing questions about commas and ellipses.

    Mary Alice Cullinan, 76, said she and her friends are fascinated by grammar and how it seems to be losing ground among younger generations.

    Cullinan, who lives in Blue Bell, spent her career working in the restaurant industry but always read and wrote on the side.

    “I read to live,” she added.

    The Bryn Mawr Film Institute was packed with retired teachers, avid writers, and grammar aficionados who came armed with gripes about commas, parentheses, and quotation marks. At five minutes to showtime, an employee plastered a “SOLD OUT!” sign on the box office window.

    A sign announcing that the Bryn Mawr Film Institute’s screening of “Rebel with a Clause” was sold out. The grammar-themed documentary played at the Main Line movie theater on Jan. 24, 2026.

    Jen Tolnay, 63, a copy editor from Phoenixville, heard about the movie at an editors’ conference. She was so excited that she moved a haircut appointment to be there.

    The 86-minute film provoked regular laughter in the audience (and a line about Philadelphians’ pronunciation of the wet substance that comes out of the sink got a particularly hearty laugh).

    During a post-screening question-and-answer session, moviegoers complained about the poor grammar of sportscasters, praised Jovin and Johnson, and inquired about the colorful interactions Jovin had at the Grammar Table.

    For Katie McGlade, 69, grammar is an art form.

    The retired communications professional from Ardmore described herself as a habitual grammar corrector who would often fight with her editors about proper language usage. Now, as an artist, she makes colorful prints that center the adverb.

    “I love that’s she’s bringing joy to the word,” McGlade said of Jovin. ”We need joy and laughter, and we need to communicate with each other.”

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.