Inside Ardmore’s sprawling new jewelry store | Inquirer Lower Merion
Plus, an Ardmore man is accused of selling U.S. Treasury checks and a Clothier cottage is for sale.
Hi, Lower Merion! 👋
A sprawling new showroom with Govberg Jewelers roots opened in Ardmore this month, marking the brand’s first storefront. Also this week, an Ardmore man was among those accused of stealing and selling over $80 million in U.S. Treasury checks, we take a look at Lower Merion’s steady population gains, and peek inside a Wynnewood home once part of the Clothier estate.
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The 1916 Company formally debuted its first storefront in Ardmore this month with a 7,500-square-foot space on East Montgomery Avenue.
The brand was formed in 2023 by merging locally-based Govberg Jewelers and WatchBox, Baltimore-based Radcliffe Jewelers, and Denver-based Hyde Park Jewelers. The name is a nod to the year the Govberg family launched their company, which later became a Philadelphia institution, The Inquirer’s Denali Sagner reports.
WatchBox was founded by the Govbergs in 2017 with a focus on high-end timepieces on the secondary market.
The new storefront more than doubles Govberg Jewelers’ previous space in Suburban Square, and offers personalized service and consultations, displays of high-end watches like Rolex, and plenty of other glittering jewelry.
Take a look inside the massive new storefront here.
Lower Merion has continued to benefit from the pandemic-era trend of people relocating to the suburbs, reflected in the township’s slow and steady population growth after decades of stagnation.
Lower Merion’s population grew 0.71% from July 2023 to July 2024 after adding 455 residents, according to the latest U.S. Census data. It has grown by 6,718 people since 2010.
The township’s population is now 64,702, making it the second-largest suburban municipality in the region.
Read more about Lower Merion’s population gains here.
💡 Community News
In observance of Juneteenth today, trash and recycling pickup will operate under an altered schedule. See how your pickup is impacted here.
Yesterday, Montgomery County officially barred its employees from cooperating with ICE, directing them to withhold details like immigration status and country of origin unless directed to do so by their superiors. The move comes roughly a week after county officials changed a policy so that jails will no longer hold immigrants wanted by ICE after they have posted bail.
Hundreds joined the nationwide “No Kings” protest by demonstrating in Ardmore on Saturday. The protesters lined Lancaster Avenue to voice their concerns over the Trump administration’s policies, including on immigration, federal spending, healthcare, and LGBTQ rights.
Cory Scott, a 25-year-old Ardmore resident, was among four people charged last week in connection with a scheme that involved stealing and selling more than $80 million in U.S. Treasury checks.
After receiving an anonymous $1 million donation from a longtime patient earlier this year, 179 nurses at Lankenau Medical Center received up to $3,600 each to cover their student loans this year. A second group will receive payments next year.
A Wynnewood cottage that was once part of the Clothier’s Ballytore estate is on the market with an asking price of $1.8 million.
Phillies owner and Bryn Mawr resident John Middleton and his wife Leigh are preparing to share their expansive art collection publicly. About 120 pieces will be split between the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for an exhibition next year.
Lower Merion officials are considering how to reduce roadway fatalities by 50% over the next five years through a recent Comprehensive Safety Action Plan. It comes as commissioners are also considering the installation of red light cameras. (Main Line Times)
Bryn Mawr native Alex Ross Perry has released a documentary about 1990s rock band, Pavement. Six years in the making, the film, called Pavements, “is a surprisingly sweet, high-wire juggling act,” The Inquirer’s Dan DeLuca reports.
Earlier this month, the Friends of the Gladwyne Memorial Jewish Cemetery, made up of a group of local synagogues, dedicated the “Monument for Lost Souls” at Har Hasetim Cemetery in Gladwyne. The marble monument recognizes the individuals buried there with no marker or headstone. (Philadelphia Jewish Exponent)
Leveaux Pilates makes its debut today on Lancaster Avenue. The Ardmore studio offers classes for various levels of experience.
Rosemont resident, business executive, and Lower Merion High School Football Hall of Famer John J. Braithwaite Sr. died late last month at the age of 92.
🏫 Schools Briefing
After the school district confirmed last month that sensitive documents had been inadvertently posted online through BoardDocs because of a security breach, the vendor behind the software acknowledged that the leak was not isolated to Lower Merion.
Heads up parents: Tuesday was the last day to use the BusStatus app as the district transitions to a new provider. Anyone with a student taking summer classes will receive an email on June 25 to sign up for the new app, StopFinder.
Moving within the township this summer? Parents need to submit address changes through PowerSchool Enrollment and provide two proofs of residency.
🍽️ On our Plate
Nick Elmi and Fia Berisha of Lark fame are launching their pop-up, Fifi’s Fry & Co., on Saturday, which pairs fries with high-end ingredients. The debut will be held from 3-9 p.m. at their other Bala Cynwyd restaurant, The Landing Kitchen. They hope to later turn the concept into a truck or trailer for festivals.
🎳 Things to Do
☀️ Summer-sational Nights Solstice Edition: Celebrate the official start of summer with music, lawn games, crafts, food from Owl’s Water Ice and Treats, and beer from Conshohocken Brewing Co. ⏰ Friday, June 20, 5-8 p.m. 💵 Free to attend 📍 Stoneleigh
🌅 Summer Solstice: Riverbend Environmental Education Center will also celebrate the longest day of the year with music, a wine garden, kids activities, a bonfire, and a sunset viewing. ⏰ Friday, June 20, 6:30-9 p.m. 💵 $35 per family 📍Riverbend Environmental Education Center
🎶 Livingston Taylor: The longtime musician, who has penned top-40 hits for his brother, James Taylor, headlines this week’s Bryn Mawr Twilight Concerts. ⏰ Friday, June 20, 7 p.m. 💵 $24.84 📍 Bryn Mawr Gazebo
🗓️ Juneteenth Block Party Celebration: The Center for Positive Aging in Lower Merion will celebrate the holiday with live entertainment, food, activities, and local vendors. ⏰ Saturday, June 21, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 💵 Pay as you go 📍 West Spring and Greenfield Avenues
🎞️ Wuthering Heights: See the 1939 film adaptation of the Emily Brontë classic. ⏰ Saturday, June 21, 1:15 p.m. 💵 $16.25 for adults, $13.75 for seniors and students, and $11.75 for children 📍 Bryn Mawr Film Institute
🎵 Make Music Narberth: Rich Myers will perform a bluegrass jam from the Narberth Gazebo at 7 p.m., while local residents join in this worldwide event by playing their own music from porches and parks. ⏰ Saturday, June 21, 6-10 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Narberth
🏸 Shalom Summer: Klezmer Jam & Concert: Hankus Netsky and the Klezmer All Stars will lead an open jam followed by a concert. There will also be lawn games and kids activities. ⏰ Sunday, June 22, 3-5:30 p.m. 💵 $36 suggested donation 📍 Kaiserman JCC
🍹 Summer Mocktails with Mrs. Mayuri: Adults can learn to make mango and strawberry, blue citrus, and pineapple and coconut mocktails. ⏰ Monday, June 23, 5:30-7 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Ardmore Library
🎨 Glo in the Dark Painting: Kids 11 and older can create glow-in-the-dark art with black lights and special paint. ⏰ Monday, June 23, 6-7 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Penn Wynne Library
🎤 Not Tuna: The Hot Tuna tribute band headlines the Wednesday Night Concert Series, which also includes a performance by Harold Messinger and Molly Grace. ⏰ Wednesday, June 25, 7 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Chet Tyson Pavilion
🏡 On the Market
This nearly 5,000-square-foot Gladwyne home was originally built in 1795 and has undergone extensive updates since. Dubbed Fairview, the six-bedroom home has a number of original details. It also has a two-story Georgian Revival-inspired porch that looks out on the grounds, which includes a spring-fed pool. Outside, there’s a pizza oven and two beverage refrigerators. Inside, an updated kitchen features quartzite counters and high-end appliances, as well as an original stone fireplace. The second floor has a primary suite with a renovated bathroom complete with a soaking tub, a family room, two additional bedrooms and a bathroom. A third floor is home to three other bedrooms and flex space.
Price: $2.95M | Size: 4,914 SF | Acreage: 2.24
Have you seen an interesting listing in or around Lower Merion? Share it with us in an email to [email protected].
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