Sitting on a patch of neatly trimmed grass on Germantown Avenue is a green sign carved with golden letters, which reads “Nicetown: Putting the nice back in ‘The Town.’” Though the motto doesn’t boast much creativity, it holds a lot of meaning, particularly for the people living there. “We have a lot of dreams and we’ve been working hard to achieve our goals,” says Majeedah Rashid, the chief operating officer for the Nicetown Community Development Corp. (CDC).

Rashid isn’t just referring to making Nicetown “nice” again, but she means bringing businesses and the community together through several development projects, an issue …

The Weaver’s Way Co-op is a community-owned market in Mount Airy. Among other things, the co-op has committed itself to addressing the epidemic of childhood obesity throughout northwest Philadelphia and does so through its Marketplace Program. The Marketplace Program is a partnership between Weaver’s Way and local area schools to recreate cooperative markets, which the students run. The goals of the Marketplace Program are to provide healthier alternatives to after school and lunch snacks, to promote healthy …

David Smith is a limo driver. Edward Taylor is the pastor at Church of the Living God. However, both men have second jobs.
Although these two men have different occupations and operate in different sections of North Philadelphia, Smith in Strawberry Mansion and Taylor in Brewerytown, both run small businesses as a means “to connect with the community,” said Smith.
Born in New York, but now residing in Philadelphia, the avid Yankees and Giants’ fan sells clothes, houseware, electronics and  furniture outside his house on Ridge Ave. at an affordable price. Most of his merchandise has been donated from …

Los Brothers Barber Shop is just like ordinary barber shops…sort of.

The shop lies on the corner of Fifth and Hunting Park, rectangular in shape, like a box.  It holds seven chairs, split on two adjacent walls, a barber manning each one. Clad in blue smocks, the barbers check their work in the mirrors that …

Fishtown’s old souls brew Folgers and dip their sugary doughnuts in a coffee cup full of whole milk and granulated white sugar.

Other Fishtowners take a more dietary-conscious approach.  They see this morning ritual as a lifestyle choice and expect more from their daily wakeup routines.  Their doughnuts are made with flaxseed and soy rather than eggs and milk.

It is hard to keep every resident happy, especially as restaurants and cafes become more aware of special nutritional needs and lifestyle choices.  With an understanding for the demands of the market and the desire for coffee and food, Fishtown …

Valedan sits on an empty bucket once filled with Spackle.  He picks a paint-splattered fold up table from the floor and sets it to his right.  A big screen TV is hung on the wall to his left and a massage chair acts as a living room couch. He rests his razors and drawing pencil between a few carefully placed glass trinkets on a mirror-plated table.  His customer sits on a foot rest from the bedroom upstairs. The room is bright, as far as …

A bright spot sprouts amidst a string of deteriorating row homes lining Brown Street in the Mantua neighborhood of Philadelphia.

The fresh patch of greenery located on the corner of 49th Street, known familiarly as Millcreek Farm, contrasts directly with the burnt chestnut coloring of the aged houses on the opposing corner. The once vacant lot stretches for roughly half a block, and on Saturdays the entrance floods with fresh produce available for purchase by locals.  During one recent  weekend when a dreary overcast hung over the neighborhood, residents still made the journey in search of fresh, affordable …

Across from Fisher Park, the sound of a bass guitar and the smell of barbecue fill the air. Attendees of the second annual Family Health and Safety Festival slowly mill back and forth through the booths set up along both sides of West Spencer Street. Some stop and chat with the volunteers sitting behind the fold-up tables, while others barely give a curious glace as they walk towards the food at the end of the street.

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Elijah Carter, or “The Watermelon Man” as locals know him, presents a memorable display around an old van loaded with whole melons ready for sale on the corner of 84th Street and Lindbergh Boulevard.

Passing through you would likely notice the scene. Carter sometimes dons a large sombrero to escape the summer sun and his bright, red, quartered slices of watermelon seemly tantalize passing drivers.

Across Southwest Philadelphia vendors cash in on commuter traffic passing through onto I-95 …

In looking back at a century of service to Philadelphians, history shows that the Mann family profession began as one small and ambitious service. Yet by staying committed to a philosophy of providing the finest level of service available, the business has grown into …