In today’s issue:

1. How Tariffs Nearly Derailed a Fitler Square E-Bike Startup

2. A Night Under the Stars: Gathering for the Schuylkill River Park

How Tariffs Nearly Derailed a Fitler Square E-Bike Startup

By David Aragon

For Alex Cunnane, the hardest part of launching a small business was not designing the bike.

It was trying to survive global trade policy.

Last spring, as Cunnane prepared to launch Higbee Bikes, the Fitler Square entrepreneur thought he was finally reaching the exciting part. After nearly two years of development, his family’s startup had ordered its first 250 compact electric bikes from factories in Vietnam and Taiwan. They had filmed a glossy launch video. Pre-orders were about to open.

Then tariffs hit.

New federal tariffs on Vietnamese imports threatened to add hundreds of dollars to the cost of every bike before a single customer had taken a ride. Instead of debuting the company with a marketing campaign, Cunnane found himself posting a very different kind of launch video: a sober explainer about tariffs, supply chains, and whether a tiny Philadelphia startup could survive either.

“It’s been very hard to plan production with all those changes,” Cunnane said in a recent interview.

For many businesses, tariffs are an abstract political talking point. For Higbee Bikes, they became an immediate threat to survival.

From shore rides to a startup

Cunnane, who lives in Fitler Square, did not come to the bike world as an outsider. His father, Pat, spent decades in the bicycle industry, beginning as a 12-year-old sweeping floors at a Montgomery County bike shop before eventually leading Advanced Sports, the Philadelphia-based company behind Fuji Bikes and SE Bikes.

Higbee Bikes, however, began less as an industry play and more as a personal frustration.

Cunnane loved riding bikes down the Shore, where cycling felt easy and instinctive. In Philadelphia, he found himself riding less. City bikes often felt too bulky, too technical, or too cumbersome to store in rowhomes and apartments. He wanted something lighter, simpler, and easier to live with. So he designed one.

The company’s flagship e-bike, the Martini, combines a compact frame with an intentionally understated look. The goal was not to build the fastest or most powerful e-bike on the market. It was to make something approachable enough that people would actually use it every day.

“We wanted to bring that [Shore riding] feeling,” he said. “A bike that is very simple to own, to ride, makes you want to hop on, but takes up less space.”

A global problem hits locally

Like many modern consumer products, Higbee’s bikes depend on a global manufacturing network.

The frames are built in Vietnam. Final assembly happens in Taiwan. Key components including motors and batteries come from suppliers across Asia.

When new tariffs were announced last year, Higbee suddenly faced a brutal math problem. Cunnane estimated the tariffs would add more than $400 per bike if fully absorbed into retail pricing.

For a giant corporation, that kind of disruption can often be absorbed. For a startup with a single shipment of inventory, it can threaten the entire business model.

Cunnane and his father flew to Taiwan to accelerate production, fix issues directly on the factory floor, and rush the shipment through California before higher tariff rates took effect. The company ultimately avoided the worst-case scenario, though shipping changes and added costs still squeezed margins.

Rather than fully passing the increases to customers, Higbee absorbed part of the cost itself to keep the bike priced below $2,000.

“It made it still a viable product,” Cunnane said.

Growing one shop at a time

Today, Higbee Bikes remains tiny by design and necessity.

The company is effectively run by Cunnane and his father, with help from family members and friends in the industry. It rents warehouse space from a South Jersey bike shop.

Yet despite the rocky launch, the company has steadily expanded. Higbee bikes are now sold in roughly 20 bike shops nationwide, including Cadence Cycling in Fitler Square.

Cunnane said growth has come the old-fashioned way: driving bikes to shops personally and convincing owners to test ride them.

“Once we bring our bike into shops, they get it,” he said.

Philadelphia itself has not yet become Higbee’s largest market. But Cunnane hopes that changes as warmer weather arrives and more city residents look for alternatives to driving.

The company is planning a public demo event with Cadence later this summer.

For now, Higbee occupies an increasingly familiar position for small urban businesses: local in identity, global in dependence, and vulnerable to economic forces far outside neighborhood control.

A Night Under the Stars: Gathering for the Schuylkill River Park

Submitted by Friends of Schuylkill River Park

There is a distinct magic to the Schuylkill River Park when the sun goes down, a quiet transformation from the daytime neighborhood hub of strollers, dog walks, and basketball games into a serene, leafy escape in the heart of our city. Next Saturday, June 6th, our familiar green space will transform once more, hosting the annual Party in the Park.

This year, we are making sure every generation of park-lover gets to join in on the fun, starting with a lively lineup of daytime activities just for families.

Sunrise to Afternoon: Fun for the Whole Family

We aren’t leaving the kids out of the celebration. The festivities kick off early on the plaza with a schedule packed with neighborhood favorites:

10:00 AM – 10:45 AM | Mister John’s Music: Bring the little ones, grab a spot on the plaza, and get ready for the city’s beloved, high-energy interactive music class. It’s the perfect way to jumpstart the morning.

10:00 AM – 3:00 PM | Plein Air Painting: Throughout the day, the park becomes an open-air art studio. Artists from across the city will pick up a brush, capture the beauty of the park on canvas. Stop by and watch local artists at work and stay for the party to bid on these unique treasures.

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Coco Academy: The afternoon brings engaging, hands-on activities and creative play designed to get kids moving and thinking.

As Dusk Falls: The Adults-Only Glow Party

This year’s evening affair takes on a vibrant new energy with a sophisticated, adults-only “Glow Party” theme. Designed to celebrate and support the Friends of Schuylkill River Park (FSRP), the night bridges the gap between an elegant night out and a casual, community block party. Neighbors can look forward to a beautifully illuminated plaza, local bites, and a chance to toast the community under the canopy of Center City’s favorite park.

This is an evening where the neighborhood’s familiar faces, the people you pass daily on the paths, the local business owners, and your closest friends, come together to step away from the daily routine and invest back into the green space that anchors our neighborhood.

Whether you are a longtime resident who remembers the park’s early days or a newcomer who has quickly found a home on its lawns, the evening is a celebration of shared stewardship. Pull together your best touch-of-glow cocktail attire, gather your neighbors, and join in for a night dedicated to keeping our park vibrant, safe, and beautiful for seasons to come.

The Details:
Event: FSRP Party in the Park: Glow Edition
Date: Saturday, June 6, 2026

Location: Markward Plaza

Featuring: live band favorite, the Panamaniacs with food from Miles Table and Pizzata, open bar and delicious sweets

All proceeds directly fund the maintenance, landscaping, and community programming for Schuylkill River Park. Come meet your neighbors or break away to catch your friends at the best party of the year.

Humans of Fitler Square is our take on the long-running Humans of New York project: brief, verbatim portraits of local residents, offering a glimpse into the people and stories behind the rowhouse doors.

Tuesday Gordon, 68

My first name is Andrea [pronounced Andre]. I have five brothers, so when I was about 12 years old, I told my mother she wanted another boy and that’s why she gave me a boy name.

She goes, “Oh, no, no. It’s a French name and it’s beautiful.” I said: “Well, I’m changing my name.” I announced to everybody that my name was Tuesday, because I was born on a Tuesday.

Well, of course, my family laughed. My mother just stared at me. That’s how my name began. I couldn’t change it officially, because it cost money. So I just named myself Andrea Tuesday Gordon. It stayed with me.

When I travel, people always remember me by the day of the week. Also Tuesday is a very popular name in Africa. So with the research I did as a young person, I fell in love with it. It’s been with me ever since and now I’m 68.

I’ve had people referring to me as different days of the week. There’s Thursday. There’s April. One person referred to me as “Every day of the week, because you’re just fabulous.” Which I loved.

I don’t have any children of my own, but I love little people, and I’m always investing in them with my time. Spending time reading with them. Telling them about my journeys. I think children have taught me to be playful, to be silly, to not take life so seriously.

Bhavisha Patel

I’ve been living in this neighborhood for over 20 years now. Initially, I chose this neighborhood because I used to commute to New York City, and it was close to the train station.

One day, I fell into the train tracks and shattered my femur. And so I was in and out of the hospital. I had five surgeries.

They didn’t know whether they could save my leg. At some point I had decided I was going to go back to work to New York, commute every day with crutches and whatever it took. Take this train, take the subway and just resume life. I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from doing what I wanted to do.

It was just a way of shutting everything down and saying: “Okay, we’re not going to let this slow where we are.”

During that time, somebody gifted me a set of oil paints, and I became a painter. Eventually I started a group called the Naudain Art Collaborative. And now every 3-4 months I open up my house on a weekend and two of the artists in the group will show up.

It’s been really amazing. This weekend we had 90 people walk through the house, which is really neat. I know that the community enjoys having a space like this where they can come and see art and just talk to artists and get to know their neighbors.

The retail space at 1611 Walnut Street has become something of a proving ground for direct-to-consumer brands.

Menswear label UNTUCKit was there first, then DTC bra brand ThirdLove, which decamped to King of Prussia Mall in late 2022. Now Underoutfit, which opened its first-ever brick-and-mortar store there on November 15, 2025, is betting it can make the address stick.

A ‘mini Fifth Avenue’

“When we came to look — and there weren’t that many vacancies, by the way — we looked at Rittenhouse Row and were like, ‘This is a mini Fifth Avenue in Philadelphia,’” said Steven Castellano, Underoutfit’s founder and chief product officer. “You have Alo Yoga across the street and an Apple store next door. There’s a lot of connectors to those brands.”

Founded in April 2020, Underoutfit sells wire-free bras it describes as so comfortable you’ll forget you’re wearing them, along with shapewear and underwear for women of all ages.

The brand grew quickly online, posting seven-figure growth in an 11-month stretch in 2021. But Castellano, a veteran of Victoria’s Secret and Maidenform, sees the physical store as something more than a retail outpost. He calls it a “lab.”

“Having conversations with women face to face is an amazing thing,” he told Fitler Focus. “There’s only so much information you can get out of people communicating through their computer.” The store lets his team gather direct customer feedback and use it to shape future designs — something no e-commerce dashboard can fully replicate.

Philadelphia was an easy call, Castellano said, after customer data showed Pennsylvania ranking among the brand’s top markets. The logic for Rittenhouse Row followed from there.

Why you really can’t shop for bras online

During my recent visit, I began to understand why intimate apparel in particular benefits from the in-store experience. Store manager Angelina DeCarlo measured my band and cup size in the dressing room before walking me through the wall displays: bralettes, clasp-back bras, shaping camisoles, and sports bras. Since Underoutfit uses its own size chart that diverges from standard bra sizing, her guidance was genuinely useful in finding the right fit.

DeCarlo, who previously worked at ThirdLove, said the fitting process is often what converts online skeptics into regulars. “She bought a few styles of bras online but ended up returning them for a different one that I showed her in the store,” she said of a recent customer.

Her clientele runs the gamut. “We get a lot of people who work in the area and are looking for a comfortable bra they can wear to work. Some come on their lunch breaks because they work around the corner. We also get a lot of older women who are retired and want something comfortable for their day-to-day.” She’s helped customers from their mid-20s into their 70s, each with different priorities around support, coverage, and fit.

From Rittenhouse, with an eye on expansion

DeCarlo said she’s bracing for a rush during Walnut Street’s next Open Streets event on April 6, after the last one brought in a wave of new shoppers. Meanwhile, Castellano is already looking ahead — he has his sights set on California and New York for Underoutfit’s next boutique locations.

From the Community

Nearly three years after neighborhood opposition derailed her planned café on Lombard Street, Jezabel Careaga is coming back to Fitler Square.

This time, she says, the business is different. The process was different. And the expectations, on all sides, may be different too.

“I’m calling this Jezabel’s 2.0,” Careaga said in a recent interview. “All the growing up that we had to do, we did it.”

Her new café, slated to open this summer at 617 S. 24th St, will return her to the neighborhood where her original restaurant built a devoted following. It also reopens questions that animated the 2023 zoning fight: what kind of businesses Fitler Square wants, and how they take shape.

Blocked by the neighborhood she loved

In 2023, Careaga proposed opening a café on Lombard Street. Nearby residents pushed back, raising concerns about traffic, trash, and the effects of a commercial use on a residential block. The project stalled.

The episode laid bare a tension Fitler Square has long struggled to resolve: how to balance its quiet residential character against the growth of neighborhood businesses.

Neighbors who did not forget

In the years since, Careaga said she kept hearing from people who wished it had gone differently: at farmers markets, on neighborhood streets, and in passing.

“I’ve been listening to this for a full year,” she said. “I can’t believe it. You should have forgotten about me already.”

What she came to understand was that the café had meant more than a place to eat. At her original location, students from the nearby Philadelphia School would stop in after class, sometimes without money, on the informal understanding that a parent would pay later.

“It wasn’t just the food,” she said. “It was that safe place for kids.”

She didn’t hesitate about extending that kind of credit.

“Of course,” she said. “Why wouldn’t I do that?”

That sense of trust, she suggested, was as central to the café as anything on the menu.

A menu rebuilt from scratch, and four-day medialunas

Careaga is not trying to recreate what she had before.

The new café reflects years of expansion, setbacks, and experimentation across multiple locations. The menu will blend familiar dishes with substantial new material: tapas, larger plates, and a steak entrée as part of a limited dinner service several nights a week. Argentine wine—a first for her business—will also be on offer.

At its core, though, the identity remains rooted in Argentine baking, and in the kind of painstaking technique that defines it. Her medialunas, a signature pastry, take four days to make, moving through stages of resting, laminating, shaping, and baking.

“Good pastry takes time,” she said.

The operation behind the café is more complex than before. A commissary kitchen in West Philadelphia will handle large-scale production; the Fitler Square location will focus on finishing, baking, and service. Separate teams will run daytime and dinner shifts. The goal is a business that can sustain itself without dramatically raising prices, even as costs climb.

‘They didn’t know it was me’

Looking back at Lombard Street, Careaga doesn’t take the opposition personally. She describes it instead as a resistance to change, one that unfolded without full information.

“People didn’t know it was me,” she said. “They didn’t understand what we were trying to bring.”

In her view, many of the concerns about traffic and trash might have dissolved on their own once the café opened.

“The moment that you put a seated café on that corner, people are going to slow down,” she said.

Still, she acknowledges that the experience changed how she approaches development. Not the business itself, but the process behind it. This time, she secured zoning approvals before making any public announcement.

“We did every single item the way that it was supposed to be done,” she said.

She has not heard from the neighbors who opposed the earlier project.

Testing the return, one pop-up at a time

The opening isn’t happening all at once.

In recent weeks, Careaga has been running sidewalk bake sales on 24th Street, drawing long lines and selling out in under two hours. The pop-ups are both a preview and a test: a way to reintroduce the business to the neighborhood before the doors officially open. (The next one is on Saturday, April 18th at 10am, at 617 24th St.)

She is also financing the project differently. Rather than taking on investors, she launched a Kickstarter campaign, continuing the self-sufficient approach she has maintained throughout her career.

The café is expected to open in early to mid-summer, with a soft opening before a fuller ramp-up in the fall.

For Careaga, the return is less about revisiting the past than redefining it.

“We’re not going back to what it was before,” she said. “We’re coming to be who we want to be now.”

Last October, Mad Cat Brewtique buzzed with Swiftie energy. The new Fitler Square shop, which opened in May 2025, joined other local businesses in celebrating the release of Taylor Swift’s 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl. What set Mad Cat apart was intention. Co-founders Traci Fairey and her daughter Cassidy were not chasing a gimmick. Swiftie culture is their wheelhouse.

That day, the shop felt like a private party among friends. A drag queen in a showgirl costume floated through the room. Taylor Swift karaoke filled the space. A regular lingered at the counter, chatting about the new album while sipping her favorite drink. An Eras Tour clip played on the big screen. It was communal, warm, and effortless.

And it was only one day in a much bigger idea.

A Den, a Dream, a Den Again

Mad Cat feels like a cozy private den crossed with a teenage dream bedroom, a coffee shop hangout, a kitschy Philly sports bar, and a pop culture shrine.

The space is carefully curated across price points. There is whimsy, kitsch, and actual Kitsch hair products. A board-game table doubles as a dining space. A giant TV cycles between Gilmore Girls and ‘90s rom-coms. On game days, Eagles energy takes over.

Near the coffee and pastry bar sits a 100-year-old table. Giant pillows line a window seat overlooking Odunde Triangle, a nook that feels lifted from a Meg Ryan movie, perfect for brooding over hot chocolate on a gray afternoon.

Everything signals permission to linger. This is not just a place to buy things or grab a drink. It is a place where you could spend all day, or imagine having a sleepover.

The effect is a potent mix of trendiness, nostalgia, Philly sports devotion, modern feminism, and expansive creativity. Local artisans’ wares are woven throughout. Nothing feels accidental.

Mother, Daughters, Collaborators

Co-founders Traci Fairey and her daughter Cassidy built the concept gradually, even as they prepared to open. They originally planned a full kitchen, but stepped back. “We reduced the coffee part,” Cassidy said. “The boutique was always going to be part of it.” They leaned into that strength instead.

Cassidy, the eldest of Traci’s two daughters, had imagined a place like Mad Cat since what she calls her “pre-teen era.” The idea crystallized after OCF Coffee House closed and spaces became available. She had previously worked at Social House, where she helped organize a Taylor Swift themed pop-up during Eras Tour fever.

While considering an East Coast move from California, mother and daughter took a touristy trip to Philadelphia. A search for a dog stroller somehow led them to Odunde Triangle, where a falafel lunch shifted everything. Cassidy sensed the Triangle was the hub and heart of the community, a place where kids, families, dogs, med students, hospital workers, and neighbors all gathered for respite.

They saw an opening. There was nothing like Mad Cat in Fitler Square.

As Cassidy explained this across the 100-year-old table, Traci typed away nearby. Without looking up, she chimed in.

“[Cassidy’s] the brain. I just help out,” Traci said.
“I mean, I’m good at making things,” Cassie added.

Their shorthand is constant. They interrupt and riff, defer and expand. Traci is both collaborator and mom, letting Cassidy lead, then quietly adding context. When Cassidy speaks optimistically about the business, Traci grounds it. “We’re still in the struggle phase,” she says softly.

Harper, Traci’s younger daughter, is also part of the ecosystem. A dedicated dancer, she runs the register and loves matcha. Her presence signals that Mad Cat belongs as much to teenagers and pre-teens as it does to nostalgic 90s kids.

Drinks, Devotion, and Community

The shop’s mascot is Pedro Pascal. Not the actor, but a rescue cat whose survival became a mission for the family. When Pedro needed surgery, they fought for him with relentless energy and won in the eleventh hour. That devotion mirrors how Mad Cat was built.

The ever-changing themed drink menus are the standout. For Halloween, there was a Never Too Old To Dress Up matcha and a Pumpkin Patch cocoa infused with pumpkin puree. For Showgirl week, drinks included I Can Do It With A Broken Heart And Some Caffeine, an Americano with white chocolate cold foam, and an Opalite Matcha with lemonade. Eagles game days bring a Tush Push Latte and a cold brew called The Dom.

During the Showgirl release event, Mad Cat partnered with other Triangle businesses, name-checking Igloo’s Frozen Desserts and Grace Tavern. The message was clear. This is a neighborhood team effort.

That ethos extends beyond pop-ups. In November, they added a community fridge stocked with donated food. For Christmas, they built an interactive window scene with a sled where passersby can stop for photos. These are small gestures, but they deepen roots.

A Place that Shimmers

Fitler Square presents a canvas for creative minds. Mad Cat reflects Fitler’s evolving identity, grounded in nostalgia, fashion, sports obsession, and quiet cool. It is girlhood-driven and openly welcoming to Philadelphia’s LGBTQ community.

Fitler already boasts several women-owned businesses, from The Indie Shelf to Café Lutecia to Greenhouse Salon. Mad Cat joins that lineage while adding something distinctly playful. It understands the pull of escapism, connection, and comfort in a moment when many are grasping for normalcy.

Fitler’s spirit is not singular. It belongs to young families and seasoned elders, college roommates and exhausted medical professionals, TikTok natives and OG Swifties. Mad Cat speaks to all of them, offering a cheekily named drink, a piece of local art, a Philly tchotchke, or simply a place to sit.

With its effervescent, eclectic energy, Mad Cat Brewtique fits naturally into Fitler Square and Odunde Triangle. Or, to borrow the language of its favorite pop icon, it makes the whole place shimmer.

When Nathaniel Margolies arrived in Philadelphia in the summer of 2020, the city was shuttered by COVID-19 and shaken by unrest. “Every storefront was boarded up,” he recalled. “I thought, oh my God, I made a huge mistake.”

Six years later, he leads one of Center City’s most influential civic associations, and is working to ensure that the neighborhood that once unnerved him remains vibrant, safe, and sustainable.

Center City’s Voice at City Hall

Margolies, who lives near Fitler Square, joined the Center City Residents’ Association (CCRA) not long after moving to Philadelphia. What began as casual involvement at social events grew into a full-time volunteer commitment. He was elected president after concluding that CCRA needed “a bit of a direction change.”

That change, he said, centers on rebuilding the group’s finances, focusing on quality-of-life issues, and serving as a bridge between residents and City Hall.

Center City’s west side, he noted, is “no politician’s core constituency,” divided between council districts whose power bases lie in South and North Philadelphia. “As a result,” Margolies said, “Center City has had to get by a lot of the time by making its own voice heard.”

Much of CCRA’s work is invisible: coordinating with the city to repair streetlights, repaint crosswalks, and plant trees in partnership with the Philadelphia Horticultural Society. The group’s absence, Margolies said, “wouldn’t create chaos overnight. But people would start wondering why small problems suddenly weren’t getting fixed.”

A Volunteer Army, Running Lean

Today CCRA operates entirely through volunteers. Last year, the organization eliminated its only full-time staff position after years of financial strain. “We’d been hemorrhaging money from our reserves for years,” Margolies said. “This year is about getting back to even.”

The group’s 30-member board and roughly 50 additional volunteers shoulder nearly all operations: fundraising, membership events, zoning review, and government relations. Committees have names that reflect both seriousness and humor: one dedicated to street cleanliness is called “Talking Trash.”

Margolies hopes the leaner model will refocus CCRA’s energy on essentials. “We can’t do anything if we go defunct,” he said. “Our first job is to make sure we’re financially sustainable, then build back up.”

Crime Data and the Feeling of Safety

Public safety, Margolies said, remains the top concern for residents, and a complicated one. “Safety is as much about data as it is about feeling,” he said. Violent crime in Center City has declined, but perceptions lag behind statistics.

CCRA works closely with the Philadelphia Police Department, but also pushes for broader conversations, including a recent homelessness forum to clarify what the city is doing to support unhoused people. “Homelessness isn’t the main driver of crime,” Margolies said. “But people see it and feel unsafe. We’re trying to bridge that gap in understanding.”

Preserving History, Welcoming Change

Founded in 1947 to prevent Rittenhouse Square from becoming an underground parking lot, CCRA has long championed preservation. But Margolies believes preservation and progress must coexist.

“History has to be in concert with the use of the built environment,” he said. “We can’t have beautiful old buildings sitting vacant forever.” His approach favors balance: protecting historic character while encouraging new development that keeps the neighborhood alive.

Margolies sees that tension as central to Philadelphia’s identity. “If the Drake were proposed today,” he said, “I doubt it would get approved. But it’s one of the city’s great buildings. To find the things worth keeping, we have to keep building new ones.”

After a massive sinkhole shuttered a stretch of the Schuylkill River Trail last summer, some Fitler Square residents began looking across the river with new unease. Freight trains rumble daily along the CSX corridor in Fitler Square, just yards from dense residential towers and one of the city’s busiest recreational paths.

What, readers asked, is moving on those rails? And if something went wrong, how prepared is the city?

Our reporting, including a Right-to-Know request and interviews with both CSX and a Temple University hydrogeologist, reveals a system that is heavily inspected and tightly coordinated with emergency responders.

It also revealed a firm refusal, by both the railroad and the City of Philadelphia, to disclose what hazardous materials move through this corridor.

A Request Denied

In November, The Fitler Focus filed a Right-to-Know request for records detailing what hazardous materials move along Fitler Square’s CSX corridor, and how the city plans for emergencies along that stretch.

The city denied the request in full.

Deputy City Solicitor Edward H.V. Skipton III wrote that the records, if released, would implicate public safety concerns. The city said disclosure would be “reasonably likely to jeopardize or threaten public safety” or endanger infrastructure security.

The denial means residents cannot see how frequently hazardous materials move through the corridor, or what emergency planning documents say about rail-specific risk.

Prepared for Emergencies, Silent on Shipments

In a phone interview, Austin Staton, director of media relations for CSX, confirmed that the railroad does not disclose hazardous material shipments by specific route.

“That’s a Homeland Security issue,” Staton said, explaining that after 9/11, railroads stopped publicly identifying where certain hazardous materials travel.

CSX provides information to state and local emergency response agencies, including yearly reports on specific commodities, Staton said. Those reports are shared with first responders on an annual basis but are not made public.

In the event of a derailment involving hazardous cargo, Staton described a robust internal emergency process. CSX maintains a centralized dispatch center that can quickly identify which cars are involved and what materials they contain. From there, notifications go to the company’s hazmat team, railroad police, and local first responders, with additional state and federal notifications depending on the material.

On railway inspections and maintenance, CSX was more forthcoming. Every track segment is inspected at minimum once per week, Stanton said. Inspections increase after severe weather or instability events.

At the statewide level, CSX’s 2024 Pennsylvania fact sheet shows that the majority of freight volume is coal and intermodal traffic, together accounting for roughly three-quarters of shipments by volume. The company moves 478,382 carloads annually across 2,006 track miles in Pennsylvania.

What portion of that traffic through Center City includes hazardous materials remains undisclosed. “It’s not from a lack of transparency,” Staton said. “It’s a national security issue.”

The Science Beneath the Trail

The sinkhole that closed part of the Schuylkill River Trail prompted the renewed scrutiny. But geologically, it is unlikely to reflect the kind of deep, dissolving-bedrock collapse seen in places like Lancaster County or Florida.

“[The Schuylkill River Trail] is not vulnerable to geologic sinkholes,” said Dr. Laura Toran, professor emeritus of hydrogeology at Temple University.

Philadelphia does not sit atop the carbonate rock formations that commonly produce large, natural sinkholes. Instead, Toran said, urban sinkholes are typically anthropogenic, meaning they result from human activity. In many cases, they’re tied to leaking or failing underground pipes that gradually wash away surrounding soil.

A leak can erode sediment over time, she explained, sometimes producing subtle surface changes before a sudden collapse. In other cases, the failure appears abrupt.

Cities monitor water budgets and conduct dye and smoke tests to detect leaks, but “you can’t keep track of every inch of pipe,” Toran said, noting that pipe leakage remains one of the persistent unknowns in urban hydrology.

Whether a sinkhole poses any direct risk to adjacent rail infrastructure depends on the location and orientation of underlying pipes, she said.

Safeguards Assured, Details Withheld

CSX says it inspects the rails weekly and coordinates closely with emergency responders. The city says releasing planning documents and cargo manifests would jeopardize public safety. Both insist that safeguards are in place.

What remains unavailable to the public is concrete information about how often hazardous materials move through this corridor.

The trains run in plain view. The details of what they carry remain out of public reach.

On winter weekends, the Girl Scouts outside South Square Market have become a Fitler Square constant: the same folding table, the same bright stacks, and, increasingly, the same faces. Troop 93942 has sold there for nine years, long enough that some of the girls now working the front line began when they were barely tall enough to see over the boxes.

What neighbors see is a familiar transaction. What they do not see is the machinery behind it: a borrowed storefront, pallets that do not fit through the door, and a system that asks kids to learn resilience in public, one “no thanks” at a time.

How 18 Pallets Move Through Center City

This season’s cookies arrived by Mack truck, not minivan. The troop’s inventory is stored inside a vacant coffee shop in the Atlantic, the Broad and Spruce high-rise, where residents temporarily give up parking so the troop can load and unload. When the pallets arrive, parents and scouts move cases by hand and stack them into “cookie towers” that will supply weeks of booths and deliveries.

Keeping track of it all, across booths, personal sales, and online orders, falls to a small group of adult volunteers and a shared master spreadsheet that logs inventory, payments, and credits for dozens of scouts. On busy weekends, the troop’s cookie manager, Matt Thomas, tracks thousands of dollars of transactions.

Even after nine years, the operation is not frictionless. Kate Wurges, one of the troop’s leaders, said the group experienced its first stolen box of cookies this year, an incident she chalked up to confusion rather than malice. “We’re happy for him to have the cookies,” she said.

Selling Where Neighbors Expect You

Wurges said South Square Market is not the troop’s highest-volume booth by the hour, but it remains one of its most important. Other locations move cookies faster, she said, yet South Square Market is where Fitler Square neighbors reliably expect to find the girls, season after season. The troop has chosen to prioritize that familiarity, returning each winter to the same corner and the same customers.

That relationship is also why cookie season can feel personal on both sides of the table. Residents come looking for a specific troop. Girls learn who the regulars are. The neighborhood, in turn, becomes the place where they practice being brave in public.

Nine Years at the Table

Beatrice Wurges, 13, has been selling cookies for nine years. She started when she was four and remembers almost none of it. What she remembers clearly is how the job changes as you get older.

“Younger Girl Scouts get sales much easier,” she said. “They’re adorable. That’s what people expect.” As that advantage fades, the work becomes more strategic. This year, Beatrice plans to email real estate firms and businesses directly, hoping to secure large orders that mean fewer hours standing outside in the cold.

Her goal, shared with her sisters, is to sell 1,000 boxes each. It is an ambitious number, but one shaped by experience. “You have to look like you’re enjoying it,” she said. “Even when it’s below freezing.”

The Physical Cost of a Sale

Cookie season happens in winter, and for the girls, that means long stretches of standing still in wind tunnels created by city blocks, smiling and calling out to passersby while their fingers go numb.

“It’s really hard to look happy when it’s freezing,” Beatrice said. Riya Ortiz, 12, described the work as tiring but worth it. By the end of a shift, the exhaustion is physical as much as emotional.

Learning to endure that discomfort is part of the job. So is learning how to engage anyway, to sing, wave, or strike up conversation when instinct says to stay quiet and warm.

No Pity, Just Cookies

Claire Dorsey, 11, in her fifth cookie season, put it bluntly: the worst customers are the ones who half-engage. People walking past with AirPods who glance at the table and offer a gentle refusal can feel more annoying than silence. “I don’t want people to view me as someone younger who needs to be felt bad about,” she said. “I’m trying to sell here and not take your pity.”

Grace Clement, 11, has been selling cookies for seven years. She said rising prices have forced her to get faster at mental math, and with competitive soccer filling her weekends, she has come to prefer scheduled booth shifts over selling to family and friends individually.

In Fitler Square, cookie season returns every winter with the same folding table and the same bright boxes. What is less visible is how the girls change, learning to stand still in the cold, start conversations with strangers, and grow more confident each season.

Reach 1 in 3 Fitler Square homes by sponsoring a future issue. Inquire here.

Trash is lingering longer on residential sidewalks in Center City West, and for the first time in nearly a decade, no private crew is coming behind city trash collection to clean it up.

The change follows a quiet but consequential decision by the Center City Residents’ Association to end its privately funded sidewalk cleaning program outside the Center City District’s commercial boundaries.

The contract expired at the end of 2025, leaving dozens of residential blocks newly reliant on city sanitation services and individual compliance with trash rules.

CCRA leaders say the move was unavoidable. Sidewalk cleaning, once a manageable quality-of-life expense, had grown to consume an estimated 41 percent of the group’s projected 2026 budget, according to a letter sent to members. With other obligations mounting, the board concluded it could no longer afford to subsidize the cleaning service.

A Visible Shift on Residential Blocks

The Center City District continues to sweep sidewalks within its assessed commercial catchment area, which is funded by mandatory property assessments. Residential streets outside that boundary are now dependent on city sanitation services and individual compliance with trash regulations.

Residents report that the absence of supplemental cleaning has had an immediate visual impact. Trash placed out incorrectly, torn open overnight, or scattered by weather is no longer routinely cleared after city collection, leaving debris on sidewalks for extended periods.

CCRA President Nathaniel Margolies said the organization had long viewed sidewalk cleaning as a quality-of-life program but ultimately concluded that it could not continue operating at a financial loss. In an interview, Margolies described cleanliness as one of several issues where civic groups have historically filled gaps in city services, often invisibly, until resources run out.

Rules Exist, Enforcement Lags

City regulations already require residents and landlords to place trash out on designated days and to use secure containers or sealed bags. Enforcement of those rules, however, is largely complaint driven, relying on reports to the city’s 311 system.

CCRA said it plans to focus future efforts on coordination with the Department of Sanitation and the Office of Clean and Green Initiatives rather than funding direct cleaning.

The association has also formed a Cleanliness Committee to explore enforcement strategies, resident education, and partnerships with city agencies and private providers.

Public Meeting Planned

In response to growing concern, CCRA is hosting a public town hall focused on trash and sidewalk cleanliness. The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, January 27 at 7 p.m. at Trinity Memorial Church at 22nd and Spruce Streets. Expected attendees include reps from the Philadelphia Department of Sanitation, the Office of Clean and Green Initiatives, and the city’s 311 system.

In promotional materials for the event, CCRA stated that the end of sidewalk cleaning is already producing “visible and growing impacts” on Center City West and encouraged residents to participate in shaping next steps .

While no replacement for the former cleaning program has been announced, CCRA officials say the focus now is on longer-term solutions that rely less on private subsidies and more on consistent enforcement and city coordination.

La Maison Jaune may be new, but its purpose is clear: to make visitors feel as if they’ve left Philadelphia the moment they walk in.

“With the music and the aesthetics, I know it is over the top,” owner Zahra Saeed said in an interview. “But when somebody comes in there, I just want them to feel like they’ve escaped.”

The tiny café, housed in a building dating to 1801, is Saeed’s latest project as a real estate investor and interior-design obsessive. Nearly every chandelier, sketch, and mirror has a story — many of them packed into her suitcase from recent trips to France.

“Every café I would go into had a different vibe,” she said. “They had their own twist on the classics. I kept thinking, why don’t we have something like this in Philly?”

On a recent girls’ trip to France for her 50th birthday, she found herself walking Parisian markets with the café in mind.

“Every time I’ve gone before, I’ve bought stuff for my home,” she said. “This time I was like, oh, that would look so cute in the café.”

Those finds are still arriving. As they come in, she gets them framed and squeezes them into the space.

A Café That Keeps Its Past Intact

The building still carries a painted sign for “David Mann Meats & Provisions,” which Saeed said dates to 1881.

Some neighbors once suggested removing it.

“Maybe you should get rid of the sign,” she remembers being told. “I am like, what are you talking about? It is so beautiful and it is literally a part of history. Why would I do that?”

Before opening, the project drew questions at a neighborhood meeting about trash and delivery trucks, as well as the removal of metal window bars that had been added in the mid-20th century.

“There was never a zoning issue,” Saeed said. “This is by-right. The trash concern was absolutely legit, but once we explained that we are not cooking there, that there is no kitchen in there, everyone was fine.”

Since opening, she said, she has not heard complaints.

“So many people come in and say, I live a block away, I live down the street, we love it,” she said. “I own the building. I pay taxes here. I am invested in the neighborhood.”

Small Café, Big Pastry Ambitions

Behind the ornate mirrors, La Maison Jaune runs an unusually serious pastry operation for such a small space. Saeed hired two pastry chefs she met through online applications, one of whom “basically lived in Paris since he was 17.”

Neighbors snap up the pastries as quickly as the chefs can make them. “We almost sell out of everything,” she said. “There’s really not anything that gets left behind.”

For Thanksgiving, they introduced a pecan tart. A hazelnut ganache tart followed, then a chocolate caramel tart. A full croissant lineup is scheduled to debut this year.

“We are going a little nuts with the croissants,” she said. “[Soon] we’ll have the regular, the almond, the pistachio and all these other flavors we want to introduce.”

To keep up with demand, Saeed is constructing a dedicated off-site pastry kitchen.

“In Philadelphia, there’s not a lot of spaces you can rent for commercial kitchens geared towards pastry,” she said. “So I just decided to open up my own. I do want to grow the brand and the locations and maybe do more catering or eventually get into wholesaling.”

Her personal favorite item in the case is one many customers may not recognize by name: the macaron de Nancy. The recipe, she said, comes from the town of Nancy and a story about two sisters who supported themselves during the French Revolution by baking

“It is the original version of a macaron,” she said. “That is how they were made in the 1700s in France. The inside filling is chocolate and caramel. Those are the original macarons, how they are supposed to be made. Now what we see with all the colored stuff is the more commercial version.”

“Our chefs make it,” she said. “It is ridiculously good.”

Carving a Niche in a Competitive Coffee Scene

Saeed is careful not to frame La Maison Jaune as a rival to the neighborhood’s other coffee shops.

“I do not think we are hurting them either, believe it or not,” she said. “Everybody is busy. Coffee shops are part of the culture now. They are the new pubs.”

She believes the neighborhood needed more places to linger, especially with the rise of working from home.

“People want to come in for the coffee and the drinks, but they also want a quick bite,” she said. “Nobody wants to necessarily go to a restaurant and sit down for lunch.”

What she insists on, beyond pastries and marble tile, is hospitality.

“Customer service is top priority for me,” she said. “We cannot be somebody that is just handing over a cup of coffee and saying, here you go.”

She pushes her staff to learn names, ask questions, remember dogs.

“Get to know people, talk to them,” she said. “We all have to feel human. It cannot just be a transaction.”

Most of the stories that took off this year started the same way: someone noticed something odd, frustrating, or out of place and asked, do you know what’s going on here?

That question is the backbone of The Fitler Focus. We follow the paper trail, talk to city officials and business owners, and give neighbors clear answers about the places they pass every day.

Here are the ten stories Fitler Square read most in 2025, ranked from least to most views.

10. River Trail Extension Links Fitler Square to Grays Ferry

A long-anticipated trail connection finally stitched Fitler Square more cleanly into Grays Ferry, making car-free commuting to South Philly and beyond just a bit smoother.

9. Idling Trains Block Trail Access in Fitler Square

Freight trains continued to idle at the 25th & Locust crossing, cutting off access to the Schuylkill River Trail and testing the patience of runners and cyclists.

8. Long-Quiet Corner Reawakens With a Health-Forward Café

A sleepy corner near the river finally found its footing with Vita Sana, a wellness-minded café betting on juices, smoothies, and vibes.

7. A New Leash on Life: Schuylkill River Dog Park Completes Six-Figure Transformation

After years of worn-down turf, the Schuylkill River dog park got a six-figure glow-up that made both dogs and owners noticeably happier.

6. Greenfield School’s $880K Playground Makeover Reimagines Community Space

Greenfield Elementary unveiled plans for a nearly $1 million playground overhaul, aiming to create a safer and more inclusive space for students.

5. Meet the Man Behind Fitler’s Famous Corner

The cheerful corner at 24th and Manning, with its hand-painted birdhouses, little free library, and ever-changing seasonal displays, has become one of Fitler Square’s shining stars.

4. Grace Tavern Reborn Under New Ownership

After closing its doors, Grace Tavern is back with new ownership promising familiarity rather than reinvention.

3. Med Spa/Café Hybrid to Replace Long-Vacant 7-Eleven

After sitting dark for five years, the former 7-Eleven at 22nd and Lombard reopened as The J Spot, a boutique medical spa tucked behind a small juice and coffee café.

2. Who’s Projecting Samsung Ads on This Fitler Square High Rise?

Residents were startled to see massive Samsung phone ads suddenly projected onto a neighborhood skyscraper, courtesy of a mysterious van parked nearby.

1. Flooding at Schuylkill River Park Persists, Blocking Trail Access

Chronic flooding near a key Schuylkill River Park entrance turned rainstorms into obstacle courses, sometimes making trail access impossible.

Update on this story: On September 26, city crews excavated the site to fix what they said was “a broken pipe.” A source with direct knowledge of the work, who wished to remain anonymous, ballparked the cost of repair at $15,000 - $30,000. Since this work completed, the area no longer floods after rainstorms.

What’s on Your Mind?

These stories all started the same way: someone noticed something and asked a question. If you have one for 2026, about a blocked sidewalk, a confusing permit, a shuttered storefront, or a change that doesn’t quite add up, we want to hear it. The best Fitler Focus reporting begins with neighbors paying attention, and we’ll be right here, following up.

What feels like a minor violation has become a real safety hazard, one that Pennsylvania lawmakers now have a chance to address.

House Bill 1142 would require window tint compliance to be checked during Pennsylvania’s annual vehicle safety inspection. It is a modest change, but one that could have an outsized impact on pedestrian safety in dense neighborhoods like ours.

When Eye Contact Disappears

In a city built on narrow streets, crosswalks depend on a simple exchange. A driver looks up. A pedestrian looks back. Both understand what is about to happen. Illegal window tint breaks that contract.

When a windshield or front windows are too dark, pedestrians cannot see if a driver is yielding, distracted, or even aware of their presence. That moment of uncertainty is not abstract. It is the split second that determines whether someone steps forward or hesitates, whether a cyclist proceeds or slams on the brakes. In neighborhoods with heavy foot traffic, eye contact is a safety tool. Illegal tinting takes it away.

Real Crashes, Real Consequences

The danger here is not a theoretical. In July 2023, Tamarah Savage, a 35 year old mother of two, was struck and killed in a hit and run while crossing North Broad Street. Police said the fleeing vehicle had dark, illegal window tint.

In September 2025, Kelvin Williams, 57, was driving to work on Roosevelt Boulevard when an out of control SUV with heavily tinted windows and a tinted license plate cover slammed into his truck. Williams was ejected and killed. Two passengers were injured. The illegal tint made the vehicle harder to identify as the driver fled.

Two months later, in University City near Drexel University, Meaza Brown, 48, was fatally struck in a crosswalk by a speeding Chrysler 300. Investigators noted that the front and side windows were illegally tinted, reducing visibility at a busy intersection and obscuring the driver’s ability to see, and be seen by, pedestrians.

According to Miguel Torres of the Philadelphia Police Department, each of these incidents is still active and ongoing with Crash Investigation Division. No arrests have been made.

A Simple, Sensible Fix

Under current law, enforcement of window tint violations relies almost entirely on traffic stops. Police officers have many higher priority responsibilities, and tint enforcement understandably falls low on the list.

Meanwhile, because tint is not part of the annual inspection process, vehicles with clearly illegal windows continue to circulate without consequence.

House Bill 1142 offers a straightforward solution. During a routine safety inspection, mechanics would take a quick reading with a tint meter. Vehicles that violate existing sun screening regulations would fail until corrected. No new enforcement system. No additional burden on police.

The bill also includes a consumer protection measure requiring tint installers to inform customers when an installation would make a vehicle illegal. That clarity helps drivers comply with the law and reduces unintentional violations.

Why It Matters Here

Fitler Square residents experience this threat daily, crossing near the park, walking children to school, or threading through traffic on South Street. In each case, safety hinges on a simple exchange: drivers must see pedestrians, and pedestrians must be able to see drivers.

House Bill 1142 would not change the law. It would simply enforce the one already on the books in a consistent, efficient way. That small change could prevent crashes, reduce hit and runs, and restore a basic level of trust between drivers and everyone else who uses our streets.

State representatives should support the bill and work to move it forward.

If you live in Fitler Square or Rittenhouse, your representative in the State House is Ben Waxman. You can write him a message here encouraging him to advocate for House Bill 1142.

If you live outside these two neighborhoods, use this online tool to look up and contact your elected officials and press for the bill’s passage.

The cost is low, the benefit is clear, and for pedestrians across the state, including in Fitler Square, it would make a real difference.

David Aragon is a Fitler Square resident and the publisher of The Fitler Focus.

At the corner of 24th and Walnut, the double-decker space that once housed Good Karma Café upstairs and Sotto downstairs is finally coming back to life.

Later this month it will reopen as Vita Sana, a health-focused café built around organic smoothies, cold-pressed juices and Mediterranean-leaning bowls.

Co-owner Britney Stein said the team is going “all in” on healthy, fast-casual food. “There is such a need for health foods generally,” she said, especially for people who want something quick on their way to work or after a run on the Schuylkill River Trail.

Customers will enter on the Walnut Street side, where the full café will operate on the former Good Karma level. Below, in the old Sotto dining room, Vita Sana has built out a large production kitchen that will fuel a catering operation aimed at offices, gyms and neighborhood events.

A Warm Interior With Measured Detail

If the space feels unusually polished for a brand-new café, that is because much of the design work was done for an earlier Italian restaurant concept, Di Passare, and then carried forward. West Hollywood firm Built Inc. created a lush, transportive interior whose finishes remain largely intact for Vita Sana: oak floors, green marble bar surfaces and layered botanical wallpapers in shades of sage, mustard and teal.

Renderings show brass pendant lights over oak tables, cane chairs and clay-toned floral banquettes, with warm art lighting throughout. Even the restrooms get a dramatic treatment with dark floral wallpaper, marble counters and brass fixtures.

Stein said the kitchen spans most of the lower level, giving the team space for refrigeration, prep and juice production on a scale designed for both daily service and high-volume orders.

Organic fruit, dairy-free cheese, kid-friendly bowls

Vita Sana’s menu leans heavily on organic produce and house blending. The açaí is organic, unsweetened and blended from raw berries in-house rather than scooped from pre-sweetened tubs, Stein said. Smoothies use organic fruits, no “fake sugars,” and can be boosted with vegan or whey protein. Coffee service features Joffrey’s espresso and cold brew alongside matcha and herbal teas from the Random Tea Room.

On the savory side, grain bowls, salads and wraps skew Mediterranean and coastal, with many items designed to be naturally gluten free. Cheeses and sauces are largely dairy free, including dairy-free feta and tzatziki made with brands such as Violife.

For the many young families in Fitler Square, there is a kids menu with smaller açaí bowls, a simple chicken-and-cheese wrap and a mini rice-and-chicken bowl built from the same ingredients as the main menu.

Built for gyms, offices and riverfront life

Although walk-in traffic is important, Stein expects Vita Sana’s growth to come from partnerships. The company’s website already highlights catering as one of its three pillars, alongside the everyday café menu and branded merchandise.

“We are super passionate about connecting with other small businesses,” she said, listing gyms, hotels, yoga studios and corporate offices as likely collaborators. The plan is to stock lobby fridges with bottled juices, cater wellness-themed events and sponsor neighborhood runs and yoga classes with smoothie and juice stations. The oversized kitchen downstairs was designed with that kind of volume in mind.

Located a short walk from the Walnut Street bridge and the Schuylkill River Trail, Vita Sana is positioned to catch commuters spilling off the path in the morning and residents heading home in the evening. The café intends to operate seven days a week and is aiming for a quiet soft opening before Christmas, pending final health inspections.

From the Community

Fitler Square neighbor Allison Stadd shares fresh takes on work, creativity, and connection in her weekly newsletter, The OffBeat. In her own words:

The OffBeat is a short, weekly Philly-born newsletter about how music can reshape the way we lead, create, and collaborate. I’m Allison Stadd, a Penn alum who played drums in Penn Jazz, a mom raising two boys in the city, and a longtime marketing leader. The OffBeat mixes lyrical wisdom with real-life leadership insights. If you like thoughtful reads that blend culture, work, and creativity, it’s a good one to have in your inbox.

Want to sponsor an upcoming issue? Inquire here.

By Rolando Rosa

Humans of Fitler Square is our take on the long-running Humans of New York project: brief, verbatim portraits of local residents, offering a glimpse into the people and stories behind the rowhouse doors.

Kristin Davidson, 83

I came from England. I originally came to Philadelphia for a year. I ended up in a job that was interesting so I stayed a little bit longer.

Then I met my husband, settled in Center City, and really liked this community. I worked at Penn for most of my life in administration.

After I retired I got involved in a group called Penn’s Village. Older adults like myself want to stay in their own homes and don’t want to move anywhere else but need a little bit of help. So you get your help from volunteers. Kind of neighbors helping neighbors.

That group offers a lot of support for older adults. We get some help with light chores, tech help, companionship, rides to the doctor or rides to the supermarket, whatever is needed. It now has about 400 members, so that’s an exciting thing to have been a part of. Especially as I’m aging myself, you think about these things. What will your needs be when you’re not as mobile as you used to be? And you certainly don’t want to move out of this neighborhood.

The former surgeon general talked about the loneliness and social isolation epidemic in the country. Social isolation not only has a mental effect but it’s been proven that your physical health is better if you’re not isolated.

I’ve found that I’ve got a whole new social network at a time in life when you’re not expected to, so that’s interesting. My husband died eight years ago. I’ve lived on my block for a long time and I have wonderful neighbors. It is really good at this time for me to have a whole new set of relationships and sort of a sense of purpose.

David Traub

I’m a professional architect. I came to Philadelphia to study with the famous architect Louis Kahn in 1964. I graduated and decided I wanted to stay here. I fell in love with the city. Just this environment. The squares, the little narrow streets. The intimate character of the city. I’ve been here ever since except for a couple years in the Army.

I’m the co-founder of a preservation organization called Save Our Sites, which advocates for saving historic sights and buildings in Philadelphia. The idea was: ‘We’re not looking for your money. We’re looking for your voice.’ Unfortunately the other co-founder passed away last year, so I’m kind of left with a lot of the responsibilities. It is burdensome but it’s very important to me.

A lot of older people don’t have much to do but I have maybe too much to do. It really gives me a lot to do and it fills my life with really enriching activities.

Philadelphia is a traditional, conservative city. But I wouldn’t live anywhere else. I love traveling all across the world but I always love coming back. I could’ve gone back to Louisville, or New York or Paris when I graduated from Penn. I was free but I decided to stay here.

Correction: In an earlier version of this article, Mr. Traub’s organization Save Our Sites was misspelled. The article has been updated to fix the spelling.

Reach 1 in 3 Fitler Square homes by sponsoring a future issue. Inquire here.

What if an after-school class could teach young children to run, jump, stretch, and sit in stillness—all while learning how to focus their breath and calm their minds?

That’s the idea behind Yous, a Philadelphia-based youth wellness company that blends fitness, yoga, and mindfulness into a unified practice that founder Pete vonGlatz Nicholson calls “fitfulness.”

When Nicholson piloted the concept in a preschool class at Beacon Center near Fitler Square, the response was immediate: within a week, families reported their kids were spontaneously doing burpees, tree pose, or sitting quietly in meditation at home.

What began as a one-time class has since evolved into a movement now operating in nine schools across Philadelphia.

An Idea Born in Stillness

Nicholson came to the idea behind Yous while deep in meditation in February 2022. At the time, he had spent a decade in tech and sales and had recently left a robotics startup. A longtime practitioner of CrossFit, yoga, and Vipassana meditation, he began to imagine a new kind of class that integrated all three disciplines into a cohesive whole.

Two weeks after conceiving of the idea, he put in his notice at the robotics startup. “It was a pretty quick turnaround,” he said of his sudden departure.”

The concept took off. After a year of working primarily with adults, schools began reaching out. One preschool class led to a month-long engagement, then a year-long program. Today, Yous serves children as young as one with a curriculum Nicholson calls “fitfulness” — a blend of fitness, yoga, and mindfulness. In some cases, children as young as two have learned to meditate and observe their breath for extended periods. One four-year-old even held stillness for 20 minutes during a contest, and several others for 15.

From One Class to Nine Schools

Nicholson, who grew up in Moorestown, NJ, moved back to Philadelphia in 2017 after years abroad in Thailand, New Zealand, and Australia. He chose the city for its dense networks and supportive communities.

That choice has proven fruitful. Yous recently secured a Catalyst Grant from the City of Philadelphia to support its expansion, and Nicholson reports the company has surpassed $100,000 in annual recurring revenue.

All of this has happened with a lean team of just four coaches and minimal overhead. Most classes take place in partner schools, allowing Yous to focus on curriculum and quality rather than costly infrastructure.

One of the company’s most significant moves is happening right in Fitler Square.

This January, Yous will launch its first independent after-school program, hosted weekly at Trinity Church. The program picks up children from nearby Greenfield and Marian Anderson Neighborhood Academy, and runs from 3 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays. According to Nicholson, the idea came directly from local families. Parents kept asking him if he could continue working with their kids once they left preschool. “So we made it happen,” he said.

How the Program Works

Each session begins and ends in stillness. In between, children cycle through high-energy games, bodyweight workouts, yoga poses, and meditation. Exercises emphasize self-awareness as much as coordination. The students discover “how to work hard and how to push the edge of what’s possible for themselves,” Nicholson explained.

The approach is catching on. Spots in the Fitler program are nearly full, and Nicholson says the same curriculum is now reaching children as old as 14.

He credits the program’s appeal to a deliberate pedagogy that gives children agency. “If they don’t really love it, then they’re not going to find reasons to do it outside of the class,” he said.

Nicholson shared stories of kids asking to do burpees while waiting in line at the grocery store, or guiding their families into meditation when emotions ran high. One young student even taught her father how to sit in stillness, and now their family practices mindfulness together daily. “It’s become part of their routine,” he said.

Looking Ahead

With a new after-school program underway, a summer camp planned for 2026, and potential partnerships with trauma-informed organizations on the horizon, Nicholson is focused on deepening Yous’ impact in Philadelphia before expanding further. “We want to build something lasting,” he said. “The kids we work with now could be the teachers later.”

For Nicholson, the goal isn’t just to grow a business. It’s to help children build habits that last, reshaping how they move through the world, one breath at a time.

Reach 1 in 3 Fitler Square homes by sponsoring a future issue. Inquire here.

For more than two decades, a stately brick townhouse at 319 South 16th Street has quietly rented seven apartments to long-term tenants. No complaints. No code violations. Nothing that drew the city’s attention.

So why, after 24 calm years, did its owner and attorney go before the city’s zoning board to request a variance—essentially, permission for the building’s existing layout to be made legal?

The issue wasn’t safety or nuisance. It was zoning math.

On paper, city records still recognized the property as having four apartments and two offices, a relic of a 1959 variance that once permitted five dwellings and a doctor’s suite.

In reality, the building contained seven separate apartments. Because the property’s RM-1 zoning requires a minimum lot area per dwelling unit that the site doesn’t meet, those extra apartments were never technically legal.

To reconcile what existed with what was allowed, the owner needed the city’s approval to formalize all seven units.

A Common Story in Historic Neighborhoods

Attorney Oleg Sokolov, managing partner of RS Law Group, who oversaw the case, said the building’s situation is typical of older properties across Center City.

“A lot of the properties in historic neighborhoods like Fitler, Rittenhouse, and Society Hill were built for entirely different uses a hundred years ago,” he explained. “Over time, the market changed—people didn’t want 6,000-square-foot single-family houses anymore. They needed apartments.”

For decades, many of the grand 19th-century homes near Rittenhouse Square have adapted to a changing city—subdivided, repurposed, and redefined to meet Philadelphia’s modern housing needs. The stately brick townhouse at 319 South 16th Street is one of them.

A Building in Limbo

Maureen Horesh, who purchased the property in 2001, told the board she bought it as a functioning seven-unit building. “There were always seven units in the building—seven kitchens, seven bathrooms, seven studios,” she testified. “But my license read differently.”

She told the zoning committee that she discovered the inconsistency between the building’s physical layout and its zoning classification during her ownership, and chose to resolve it proactively by seeking a variance from the zoning board.

Making a Decades-Old Reality Official

At the October 1 zoning hearing, her attorney Gabriel Fellus argued that the building—just a few blocks from Rittenhouse Square—had operated for years without incident. The city’s records showed no recent code violations or neighbor complaints.

And in terms of density, Fellus said, it was consistent with nearby multifamily properties that had been granted similar variances.

The property’s RM-1 zoning permits multifamily housing but requires a larger lot area per dwelling unit than the site provides. That technicality meant the existing seven apartments needed formal approval to remain.

The Center City Residents Association, which hears local zoning matters before the citywide Zoning Board of Adjustment, voted not to oppose the request.

Horesh submitted a petition with 12 supporting signatures, several from her block. The Philadelphia City Planning Commission also recommended approval, noting that the additional units appeared to have been created by a previous owner without proper permits—likely many years ago.

Case Closed, Finally

After a brief round of questions, the Zoning Board voted unanimously to approve the variance. The decision clears the way for the property to be brought fully into compliance through the city’s permitting process.

For Horesh, the outcome ends a long period of uncertainty. “I’m just trying to make it right,” she said simply.

And now, after more than two decades, she can.

Reach 1 in 3 Fitler Square homes by sponsoring a future issue. Inquire here.

For more than 30 years, master dressmaker Irina Sigal has tailored elegance from her Philadelphia boutique, earning a reputation that draws brides and celebrities from across the country.

From her Locust Street storefront, she and her team work tirelessly to deliver custom gowns and meticulous alterations, serving a clientele as diverse as the city itself.

Sigal, who once crafted a jacket for Jon Bon Jovi’s European tour, says it’s the trust of her repeat clients that she values most. “Seeing generations of clients return is incredibly rewarding,” she says.

From Elkins Park to Rittenhouse

Sigal opened her original boutique in Elkins Park in the 1990s, but by 2015, with most clients city-bound, she relocated to 2038 Locust Street. The move placed her closer to the core of her business, though clients still travel from as far as California for her award-winning craftsmanship.

Each day, Sigal and her staff handle up to 20 garments, many requiring extensive work: resizing vintage gowns, adding intricate beading, or entirely reconstructing heirloom pieces. “Every dress is unique, just like the bride or woman wearing it,” she says. “My goal is to craft each piece to fit flawlessly and enhance the wearer’s beauty.”

Soviet Roots, American Dream

Born to a tailor father, Sigal grew up immersed in fashion and hands-on design. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1992 with little money and no English, she built her business from scratch. “Starting from scratch, I learned the language, built trust with clients and local boutiques, and grew my business one day at a time, step by step,” she says. “My journey proves the American dream is alive—anything is possible with determination.”

Her work ethic is legendary. Clients praise her willingness to tackle ambitious projects, often pushing creative limits others shy away from. “I’m unafraid to push boundaries, tackling what others might deem impossible, and my bold recommendations and meticulous attention to detail makes sure that every piece is uniquely tailored to perfection,” Sigal says. “I feel that my workmanship, ability to overcome objections and the creativity I offer my clients is what makes me stand strong and stand out in this industry.”

A Boutique Built on Relationships

Sigal’s presence in Philadelphia is more than professional. She’s often invited to clients’ weddings and family celebrations. Her boutique has become a fixture in the community, and she credits the city’s spirit for much of her inspiration.

“Philadelphia is a vibrant city—dynamic yet less frenetic than New York, stylish yet relaxed,” she says. “Its rich diversity inspires me daily, with the unique spirit of its people fueling my creativity in crafting fashion.”

Her team, many of whom have been with her for decades, are central to her success. “I deeply value my incredible team of seamstresses, assistants, and managers, each playing a vital role in delivering the exceptional experience and efficiency we strive for,” Sigal says. “I’m especially grateful for those who have stayed with me for decades. Great people are truly hard to find.”

Passing the Needle to the Next Generation

As she looks to the future, Sigal remains devoted to her craft and determined to share it. She encourages aspiring dressmakers to root themselves in community and authenticity.

“Be authentic, trust in your skills, and commit to continuous learning and growth,” Sigal says. “In a city like Philadelphia, people value genuine craftsmanship, and staying true to yourself will resonate deeply with clients.”

“Skilled tailors are rare in today’s world, and the artistry I bring cannot easily be replicated by AI,” she adds. “I hope to see my shop thrive into the future, carrying forward this legacy of craftsmanship, whatever form that may look like.”

Reach 1 in 3 Fitler Square homes by sponsoring a future issue. Inquire here.

This summer, seven-year-old Hayden planted a zucchini in his narrow Fitler Square backyard. It quietly grew into something extraordinary: more than 16 inches long, over four pounds in weight, and so unexpected that Hayden briefly doubted what it was.

“I kind of was like, is this a zucchini, or is this like something else?” he said. “Maybe a giant cucumber… or a squash. Or a giant eggplant.”

The zucchini, one of just two the plant produced, quickly became the pride of the garden and the surprise of the block. Neighbors stopped to admire it. Hayden let them hold it. “They said it’s heavy. ‘I can’t hold it!’” he laughed. “They thought it was from, like, a state fair or something.”

A quiet ritual takes root

Hayden doesn’t even like zucchini. He planted it, he said, because his mom does. “I just like growing stuff,” he explained. That instinct, nurtured by lessons at The Philadelphia School and years of backyard gardening, has bloomed into a quiet ritual of care, observation, and discovery.

“It’s taught Hayden about patience, and about surprises,” said his mother, Raina. “When you spend time really working at something, sometimes really amazing things can appear.”

Aaron, Hayden’s father, sees gardening as both a family tradition and a small act of stewardship. “It’s a way to care for the earth,” he said. “It involves nurturing, tending to the environment, and to the interconnectedness of everything.”

From garden to stoop stand

Hayden maintains the backyard plot largely on his own. He waters the plants, watches the sunlight, and sets up shop on weekends to share the results. On the family stoop, he sells children’s books, homemade organic soaps, and occasionally vegetables. One zucchini went to a neighbor. Another may become zucchini bread.

“People really like to come over and talk to him about it,” Aaron said. “It’s been a great way to meet neighbors and connect with the community.”

As the summer waned, a few zucchinis were still on the vine. One, Hayden noted, is medium-sized with a few dents. Not from an animal, just natural wear. “I hope it [grows],” he said.

Next year’s plans are already in motion: cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, and more zucchini. Even if he still won’t eat them. “I just like growing stuff,” he repeated.

In a neighborhood of rowhouses and postage-stamp plots, Hayden’s garden offers a quiet reminder. With enough care and curiosity, even the most modest patch can yield something surprising.

From The Community

Trinity Memorial Church is marking its 150th anniversary with a free symposium on Anna Wilstach, the Gilded Age philanthropist who founded the church and helped seed the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Wilstach’s legacy of generosity still echoes through the neighborhood she once called home. Register here.

This issue is sponsored by Penn Live Arts. This season, Penn Live Arts welcomes a powerhouse line-up of dance ensembles, big names in jazz, masters of early music, beloved world music artists and much more. Get tickets now.

Want to sponsor an upcoming issue? Inquire here.

When Nicole and Matt Atkins rushed their seven-week-old son Nate to the ER at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, they had no idea how close they were cutting it.

Nate was suffering from a rare brain tumor and a dangerous buildup of fluid in his skull. Doctors later told them he had hours, not days.

But he also had a major advantage: he lived in Fitler Square.

The neighborhood’s proximity to CHOP almost certainly saved his life. And in the days that followed, the community around him would help raise more than $60,000 for pediatric cancer research and care.

South Street Market posted his photo in the self-checkout lane. Philly Bagels and Igloo put signs in their windows. Zahav sent dinner to the hospital. Neighbors he barely knew watered the plants, brought in packages, and sent food.

“We were never alone,” Nicole said.

Ten minutes to CHOP, just in time

Nate was born on May 2 of this year. But at seven weeks, he started vomiting, refused bottles, and became lethargic. A pediatrician visit led to a mistaken reflux diagnosis. When Nate’s body temperature dropped the next morning, Nicole and Matt drove straight to CHOP.

By the time they crossed the South Street Bridge, Nate was barely responsive. Doctors quickly discovered the source: a choroid plexus papilloma, a rare, benign tumor seen in about two out of every million cases. It was blocking fluid and causing acute hydrocephalus, potentially fatal without intervention.

Nate underwent emergency surgery to relieve the pressure that night, followed by a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. Fortunately, his tumor is operable. Additional interventions, currently scheduled for later this year, are expected to cure it.

A neighborhood that shows up

Back on the 2100 block of Fitzwater Street, where the Atkins family moved just last year, neighbors didn’t hesitate. Some gathered their mail. Others wheeled in the trash bins. Gift cards for Uber and Doordash arrived.

Local businesses embraced the family’s fundraising efforts. South Street Market, Igloo, and Philly Bagels all displayed Nate’s story alongside QR codes linking to gonatego.com, where donations pour in daily.

Larger companies joined in too: DoorDash gave $2,500. The CEO of GitHub donated $5,000 after learning the fundraising site had been built on his platform. Vercel’s CEO gave $1,000.

One night at the hospital, a full tasting menu from Zahav arrived, sent after a family member reached out, remembering that Nicole and Matt had celebrated their wedding at one of Zahav’s sister restaurants.

All Funds Go to Pediatric Research

None of the money raised goes toward Nate’s own care. Thanks to Pennsylvania’s PH95 program, which provides full medical coverage to children with disabilities regardless of family income, all of Nate’s surgeries and treatments are covered.

Instead, every dollar supports CHOP’s pediatric cancer research and care. The Atkins family says that’s exactly as it should be. “We’re grateful,” Matt said. “But we know not every family gets this kind of outcome. If we can help others by telling Nate’s story, we’re going to.”

As for Nate, he’s home, smiling, and spending time with family. His parents are staying focused on October’s surgery. But they also know they’re not facing it alone.

“Fitler Square showed up for us,” Nicole said. “And we’ll never forget it.”

A young man died Wednesday morning after falling from the Cira Green building in University City, according to Philadelphia Police. The incident occurred around 8:25 a.m. near 30th and Walnut Streets. Authorities have not released the man’s identity, but witnesses described him as a young adult.

Officer Tanya Little, a public affairs representative of the Philadelphia Police Department, gave the following statement: “On September 17, 2025, at approximately 8:25 a.m., Drexel University Police responded to the 100 block of South 30th Street after multiple calls were received about a person in distress. Callers reported that an individual may have jumped from a nearby parking garage. Upon arrival, officers located a male lying on the street. Medics were on scene shortly thereafter and, at 8:38 a.m., the male was pronounced [deceased].”

The area was temporarily cordoned off as officers investigated and passersby gathered in shock.

A Popular Public Space Shaken

Cira Green, a 12-story rooftop park known for its skyline views and events, is a well-trafficked destination in the neighborhood. Operated by Brandywine Realty Trust, the park features food vendors, green space, and occasional public programming.

It remains unclear whether staff or guests were present at the time of the incident. Brandywine and Cira Green representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Community Reacts, Resources Shared

In a social media post about the incident, witnesses and other community members shared their thoughts and condolences for the individual. One commenter who witnessed the aftermath of the incident stated: “I was in shock, my brain could not compute what had and was happening. Looked like a young guy, absolutely awful.”

In 2020, the most recent year in which statistics on deaths by suicide were reported in Philadelphia, the city reported 175 suicide deaths, at a rate of 10.9 per 100,000 people. This is slightly lower than the state average at 12.6 per 100,000.

If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available 24/7 through the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling 988 or texting TALK to 741741.