Frankford, as we all know, is much more than meets the eye. One of the many special shops right here in our business district is Gilbert’s Upholstery, 4529 Frankford Avenue. They not only reupholster furniture, but have a large collection of antiques and a warehouse full of sofas, chairs, and more right behind their shop.

Though the shop is currently run by Gil Pons and his brother, Rick, their father, Gilbert Pons Sr., started the business in 1970, a year after he moved to the United States from Santiago, Cuba. Gilbert was nine years old when his family moved to Philadelphia, and he and Rick would head to their dad’s shop after school each day to learn the family trade.

Gil and Rick took over the shop in 1982, and their father officially retired in 1998. Both brothers love the upholstery business for a variety of reasons. But, most importantly, satisfying their clients is what gets them out of bed each morning. They consider their store a specialty shop, and work to ensure they return each piece to their customers’ exact taste. Gil also enjoys the challenges involved in his work: each piece has its difficulties and surprises, and he loves working with his brother to figure out how to overcome those obstacles and give their clients the best possible product. Recently, Gil and Rick have become a part of the nation-wide “green” trend. For two years they have been using sustainable materials and practices, and they are even a distribution point for GRID Magazine, Philadelphia’s premier magazine dedicated to issues surrounding environmental sustainability.

That’s not all, either. Gil is working to take his store online! Friend him on his new facebook page – search for Gil’s Antiques – and visit www.gilbertsantiquegallery.com. You can always do things the old fashioned way and call the shop at 215.744.5385. Maybe one day they’ll be on twitter, too!

But don’t just follow Gilbert’s Upholstery online. Stop by the shop and meet Gil and Rick for yourselves. We know you’ll love their gallery of antiques as well as their workshop.

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3. Better Know a Frankford Business: Just Good Scents

There is a good story on Hiddencity Philadelphia about the Globe Dye Works with an update of where they stand in the massive renovation and repurposing of the complex.  Take a look at this link.

There will be some events this year at the Globe that will be open to the public.  If you have the time, it is well worth a look at this hidden treasure in our midst.  Both sides of my family worked in the textiles mills in Frankford and the Globe is a significant part of that history.

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2. Former Globe Dye Workers Sought for New Video
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Our local Brightside Academy, located at 1627-29 Meadow Street, hosted a “Meet Your Legislators” event on Friday, 1/13/12, to bring our local legislators, parents and students together. Part of the program included a photo display of students’ concerns about our community. The students had been given disposable cameras to capture and record what they would like to change about Frankford. Students also prepared questions to present to the legislators. As I looked at the photo display, there were pictures of littered streets and abandoned buildings. We, too, share these young citizens’ concerns. Parents gathered in the meeting room of Brightside Academy, munching on provided snacks, to await the arrival of the legislators.

This was our first visit to Brightside Academy and we were warmly greeted and impressed with the brightly painted and decorated classrooms. This Brightside Academy is one of 30 academies in the city according to Davida Garr, Community Affairs Specialist. Brightside Academy is a part of many of our city neighborhoods and are reaching out to connect with their families and support the local communities. Early education and care are provided for children aged 6 weeks – 12 years. Academies are open year-round from 6 AM until 6 PM (may vary slightly by location). Juana Ramos, Area Business Director, explained that Brightside Academy opened in 1999 at this location. The name “Academy” is very important to staff as they provide an educational environment, work to enhance their own qualifications through staff development and work to reach higher levels in the Keystone Stars program. Keystone Stars is a PA Early Learning initiative that gives accreditation to day-care centers based on the highest performance level they achieve – Star 1 through Star 4.

I had a chance to speak with parents who are unanimously very pleased with this facility. They feel staff are pleasant, there is a family atmosphere and they recommended them highly. One mother has had three children in Brightside Academy and the oldest is now 11. We visited a class where a student was celebrating an 8th birthday and cupcakes had been shared!

State Representative Tony Payton arrived, as did City Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez. Unfortunately, State Senator Christine Tartaglione had a previous commitment. Students welcomed them and introduced themselves asking questions about litter, jobs and money for education. These future voters did themselves well!

The Northeast EARN Center (located on Frankford Avenue) had representatives and a table of information at the event. This agency provides support for those transitioning from welfare to work in northeast Philadelphia. You must be referred to them by your caseworker if you are receiving assistance from the Department of Public Welfare. If you have any questions or think you might be eligible, talk to your caseworker.

For more information, visit their website at Brightside Academy or call 215.289.0641 or 877.868.2273. Kudos to all those involved in this event! Our Frankford community is the better for them!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

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Mayor Nutter cuts the ribbon

Mayor Nutter and Managing Director Negron visited Frankford on Friday January 6th to cut the ribbon on the new community computer center at the office of the Frankford CDC at Griscom and Harrison Streets.  This was the culmination of a PhillyRising project which began last year by listing the needs of the community based on meetings with residents.

The majority of the residents of Frankford do not have internet access.  The Free Library Branch does offer some service which is very well utilized all day long by students and others but those facilities cannot come close to meeting the demand.  The new computer center will help to close the gap.

There are 9 workstations (donated by the Temple University Computer  Recycling Center) now available on the second floor with some peripherals.  A schedule of hours the center will be open has yet to be established but will be posted shortly by the CDC.  In addition, there will be specific events scheduled for the public to come in for help with things like tax preparation and college financial aid forms.

The video below is about 14 minutes with the comments by Manny Citron of PhillyRising who coordinated the project with the CDC.  Managing Director Negron and Mayor Nutter speak and Tracy O’Drain completes the presentation.  You can hear some of the details of the project.  I had to edit the Mayor’s comments a bit for length.

This is another win for Frankford.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

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Thanks to our friends at CitySpace, here some real estate transactions for the 19124 zip code from November and December.

Related posts:

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2. Real Estate Transactions
3. Recent Real Estate Transactions

Thanks to the folks at CitySpace, we have this collection of real estate sales for the 19124 zip code.  Some run over into Juniata.  These go through August, September and October of this year.  Some data is missing but this is a good sample of what is happening.

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As reported by John Loftus in this weeks Northeast Times, a potential buyer is taking a second look at the building.  The buyer is described as a Philadelphia Theological institution.

“It’s about getting this taken over by someone who will make it a benefit to the community.” — Real-estate broker Sal Palantino discusses the potential sale of the New Frankford Community Y.

Read the rest of the story here.

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The meeting had over 20 in attendance.  Opening announcement from Pete Specos was that Alice Henry has had to withdraw from the board for personal reasons and he will be acting president.

The first issue was the application for a zoning variance for a day care at the church on the corner of Harrison Street and Frankford Avenue.  The variance is needed because part of the property is zoned residential.

The main topic of discussion was the presentation made by Joe Bella, attorney representing Harry Patel, the owner of the Quickie Mart Express at the corner of Unity Street and Frankford Avenue.  Mr. Patel says that business is down and he sees an opportunity to recoup those losses by offering take out beer at the Quickie Mart.  His proposal would include remodeling the entire shopping center, which he also owns, as well as the interior of the Quickie Mart to accommodate sit down dining .  That is a requirement of the license to sell take out beer.

Mr. Patel is trying to determine whether the community would support this change in his business before he proceeds.  Discussion from the group was centered on the problems now seen on the Avenue with people and alcohol.  Will this change make a difference or make things worse then they are now.  I have a video here of the presentation along with some of the comments and questions raised.  It’s 10 minutes long but might be worth a watch.

There is no doubt that Mr. Patel is an astute business man and the Quickie Mart is a nice store.  If you have concerns about this issue, you should attend the next Frankford Civic meeting to voice your opinion.  It will be held on December 1st at 7PM at Aria Health 2nd floor conference room.

Related posts:

1. Frankford Civic Association Meeting
2. Northwood Civic Association Meeting – 9/20/2011
3. Northwood Civic Association Meeting – 10/18/2011

Two years ago I was compiling a list of Frankford businesses with web sites and came to the Mezalick Design Studio.  That name didn’t ring a bell and I hadn’t seen anything by that name on the Avenue so I thought it might have been an old link.  Last year I was meeting with Father Steve Wetzel at St. Joachim and the wall of the room we were in was decorated with scenes from old Frankford.  It was really great and I asked him where it came from.  He told me Mezalick had done it as a custom job.  So I made note that I had to track down Mezalick.

Nidia Mezalick

The Mezalick studio operates from a storefront in the 4800 block of Frankford Avenue.  You would not notice it because their business does not walk in the door.  They create and restore church stained glass windows and other stained glass art.  The customer base is national in scope you can get a feel for the company by their extensive web site.

I met Nidia Mezalick this week at the studio having no idea of what I would find.  Nidia told me her story about her life and how she gotten interested in stained glass in the 90s.  She met her husband Michael who was working in Virginia at the time and they eventually decided to open the business together.  They quickly established a

New Stained Glass Work

reputation for quality customer service which allowed them to grow and they had to acquire the properties in Frankford which they now own.

The shop is a well equipped modern stained glass studio capable of handling the large windows that they are often called upon to restore.  Racks and racks of glass line the walls in a rainbow of colors and textures that is impossible to describe.  The majority of the business these days is restoration but you will find information about the new creations that have been executed by Mezalick on their web site.

Lighting restoration

Their most recent project was just shipped out last week so the shop only had some antique lights in the back that were being restored.  That project involved not only new glass work but also reconstruction of deteriorated metal, cleaning and rewiring.  They will be beautiful when they are rehung on one of the exclusive buildings downtown.

You never know what gem you will find just around the corner in Frankford.  Contact information for Mezalick Design Studio is on their web site.

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I’ve been patrolling You Tube for Frankford related video and found a few interesting things.  This one, which the CDC slipped by me, is ready for public viewing.  They will be telling us more, in the future, about these two businesses and how they came to be in Frankford.  Philly Love Bar and A Cupcake Wonderland.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

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