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.

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.

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.

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.

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.