Category: Features

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Focus on Frankford: Jennifer Mohr

Frankford Crafter Entrepreneur

Originally published on www.destinationfrankford.comIMG_5215 web

One sunny afternoon in October of 2012, I first met Jennifer Mohr at Overington Park  surrounded by children at the Fall Festival.  She was there volunteering with the Friends of Overington Park.  She sat at a table full of handcrafted jewelry and other things for sale. That kind of piqued my curiosity. I was surprised that this relatively young girl was out selling her own creations.

A graduate of Frankford Friends School and the Charter School for Architecture and Design (CHAD), she has been making and designing things almost her entire life.  CHAD seems like the perfect choice for someone who is creative.  It’s located on 7th street between Market and Chestnut in downtown Philadelphia.

Although she is now a Frankford resident, she actually grew up all over the northeast but mainly lived in Mayfair.  She spent a lot of time in Frankford with her aunt Lorraine. When she was looking for a place to live, Frankford came to mind because of the convenience for travel and also because she is comfortable here.  She says it’s not the best neighborhood yet but it certainly has a lot of potential and is affordable.  She doesn’t have a car yet, so the Frankford Transpiration Center is a great asset since you can get to almost any part of the city very easily.  She works full time in Northern Liberties.

On any first Friday of the month, you are likely to find her down around 2nd and Market Street between 5 and 9 PM.  The Old City Arts Association has been sponsoring First Friday in Old City since 1991.  Although the sidewalk vendors are not an official part of the event, they are not discouraged either.  The streets are filled with vendors selling everything and anything to the strollers who come out to tour the numerous art galleries.

It’s a perfect marketplace for her creations which are mainly silver jewelry, decorated boxes and crocheted items like hats and bags.  She is looking to get into candle making which is a very marketable line of business although it does require some new equipment.

She has also marketed her pieces at other vendors markets around the city and is in considering marketing on Etsy.  That is a marketplace for creative people from all around the world to sell their own hand crafted goods.

Jennifer is another example of the many creative residents in Frankford.  We’ve previously highlighted Nasifah Lewis and Flossy Stanowski who both built successful small businesses here.

She has aspirations to open a craft/coffee shop at some point in the future.  She is off to a good start, so that does not seem at all out of reach and we hope that the Frankford Avenue business corridor will be ready for it when she decides to take the plunge.

 

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NAC Meeting for January

nac board

NAC Board of Directors

There were two zoning issues this month at the Frankford NAC meeting at 2nd Baptist.

  • Master Charter School – Smedley Elementary needs a variance for a larger size sign than zoning regulations allow at that location.  The community members voted to support their variance.
  • The owner of a property on Edmunds Street came looking for support for use of the first floor as a store. The issue has not gone through the zoning process yet so that was continued.

The next NAC meeting will be on February 13th at 7PM at 2nd Baptist Church at 1801 Meadow Street.

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Focus on Frankford: Sam Barqawi

sam barqawi

Sam holding an award from the 15th police district

by: Al Houston

I had not been able to contact Sam Barqawi, proprietor of the Sugar and Spice convenience market at 4801 Frankford Ave. when I first stopped into his store.  I first met Sam at a Frankford Civic Association Meeting. I was struck by his sincerity and involvement.

The following morning I was out to fetch a newspaper, and I decided to go back to Sugar and Spice. Honestly, I did not think I would find the paper in his store. How surprised I was!

This store has it all: foodstuffs, dairy products, cold cuts, drinks (both bottled and fountain) and much more. Freezer cases ring the store and there is not a vacant spot on the shelves of the several aisles. He even has hand-dipped ice cream and freshly brewed coffee. In fact, merchandise was prominently displayed everywhere my eyes took rest. This shop could rival any Wawa and, in my opinion, 7-eleven cannot compete. I found the newspaper, the one I doubted they would have, and a smile flitted across my face.

I had the added pleasure of being helped by a perfectly gracious cashier. She was pleasant and spoke fluent English. In addition, she gave me information as to when I might return to see Sam, and then offered me a piece of paper on which to scrawl my name and affiliation. I must say this visit to Sugar and Spice was a breath of fresh air. And Sam would be well advised to keep Ms. Maria Rios in his employ, for she is personable and helpful.

There are other reasons why this was a pleasant experience. First, I have lived in Frankford for about 6 years and while I am amazed by its diversity and the huge contributions of its immigrant population, there are some areas that are needy. Crime and the illicit drug trade are sometimes frighteningly apparent. At the same time, I realize the many solid citizens of Frankford who are quietly and consistently fighting these scourges. Indeed, I think the very presence of these outstanding members of our community, is a deterrent for the miscreants among us, and Sam is a pillar.

Admittedly, his store is located in an area through which I only dare to drive. In fact, I can’t remember any other time my feet pounded the sidewalk on that section of Frankford avenue. But Sam is there fighting the good fight day and night, and all the while providing a valuable service for the community.

He is aware of the nefarious activities happening just outside his doors, and he is committed to stopping these occurrences. He has installed cameras around his building and can monitor events at home, in his store, or via his cell phone. His business has been established since November 1993 and it is a source of pride and stability.

He, along with local law enforcement, has affected a measure of good change for Frankford avenue at Foulkrod street. It is people like Sam that give me hope. It is people like Sam that inspires me to continue in this community; to do what little I can do to make it a better place for all of us.

 

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Manny Citron at Frankford Civic

manny citron

Sanya and Manny at Overington Park

Philly Rising’s Manny Citron introduced his replacement at the Frankford Civic Association meeting on December 5th.  Sanya Brown, graduate of Temple University, has assumed Manny’s coordinator duties at PhillyRising. Manny is moving on to another position in the Philadelphia Managing Director’s office.

Manny has been a constant presence in Frankford at every event over the last two years.  He is a roll up your sleeves and get dirty, kind of guy that you need in PhillyRising and he leaves Frankford a better place.  We look forward to working with Sanya.

Other news at the meeting:

  • Several nuisance bars have been closed on the East side of Torresdale Avenue in the last two months much to the relieve of local residents.
  • Turning Points for Children is opening a local office at 4329 Griscom Street.  The entrance will be on the side where Family Dollar is on Frankford Avenue.  They are the DHS Community Umbrella Agency for the 15th police district.
  • The club at 4721 Oxford Avenue has been closed by L&I.  That is what the white sign with the red strips means on the door.
  • There is some hope that two buildings 4728, 32-34 Griscom, long vacant, may be turned to good use.  There are some legal hurdles that have to be overcome but it could happen and that will transform that intersection.

The next meeting of the Frankford Civic Association will be held on January 9th, 2014.  This is one week later than usual due to the New Years holiday.

 

 

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Frankford Friends School’s New Trickey Building Wins Design Award

On October 14, the architecture firm DIGSAU of Philadelphia was presented with a 2013 Award for Design Excellence for Frankford Friends School’s new Margaret Passmore Trickey Building.trickey2

The award, conferred by the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, was one of three received by DIGSAU in this year’s competition.

In his remarks at the awards ceremony, Awards Jury Chair Peter Pfau, a San Francisco architect, said that the building felt “very Quaker, quiet and modest…but welcoming to the energy of children.”

The jurors, who visited the building in person, admired the building’s elegance and simple use of materials, and said that the “overall strategy shows great restraint.”

The jury appreciated the simple use of materials and loved the weathering cedar cladding. Looking from the porch of the historic Frankford Friends Meetinghouse to the entry of the new building, Pfau said one could understand the timeless quality of archetypal spaces like porches, and called it “an example of lovely place making; fostering a sense of community.”

In closing, Pfatrickey1u said that the jury was impressed by the quality of light in all the spaces, important to Quakers as a symbol of each person’s direct connection to God.

The Margaret Passmore Trickey building, constructed in 2012 on the school’s historic Orthodox Street campus, has allowed the school to offer its high-quality Friends education program to more families through additional middle school classrooms. In addition to the classrooms, the building provides a multipurpose space and a music room, and reduces energy use through a variety of innovative strategies.

Frankford Friends School, serving grades PreK-8, enrolled 156 students this year, the highest in its 180-year history. For more information, visit www.frankfordfriendsschool.org or call 215-533-5368.