Shopping -- Randolph & Main Opens in New Hope PA

New Hope PA shop Randolph & Main has opened at 42 North Main Street, and describes itself as "an eclectic blend of specialty foods, unique gifts and convenience items."

It's located on the ground floor of an old house, and the lighting, wall treatments and merchandising are generally top-notch and the owners charming, which offsets the not unusual New Hope identity crisis characterized by say, waiting to pay for your chocolate rugelach while the customer in front of you picks his Lotto number.

In fact, the store lists as its primary offerings "lottery, cigarettes, cold drinks, ice cream, snacks, greeting cards, unique gift items, specialty foods and custom baskets." Mostly what stood out were t-shirts, beverage coolers, several gifts and cards, some interesting gourmet items, ready-made specialty food baskets, and lots of coca-cola signs. The wraparound porch is a nice touch, the outdoor displays tasteful.

Where the store seems heading is toward a greater emphasis on specialty foods, a niche ill served in New Hope PA since the departure of Variete, but one also under pressure from grocery chains and large discounters like Trader Joe's and Costco.

Where the store excels is in its overall aesthetic and the engaging personalities of its owners David Diaz-Stuart and Paul Weinstein. When I visited last weekend, the shop was crowded, and the mood lively and interactive.

Randolph & Main is located at the corner of Randolph and Main Streets, one block North of the Bridge from Lambertville.; 215-693-1010 or at their website.

Worth a visit.

Who the Heck are We Supposed to Vote For?

Many voters in the New Hope PA Borough Council elections are still scratching their heads this weekend over whom to pick next week . If you think you know who you're voting for, please tell the rest of us what to do by clicking our anonymous survey link located in the upper right column of this page.

It Must Be Fall, the Nuts and Politicians are Out Again in New Hope PA

Well, it must be fall, because leaves are falling and nuts abound as election time nears.

Four incumbents who've banded together claim to be "positive, proven leadership." I guess that's if "positive" and "responsible" means going on a real estate spending spree, including a multimillion dollar church to renovate for their new offices, a nearly half-million dollar forest path to a seldom used parking lot, and some $600,00 for an ugly, unused concrete and rock park that no one likes or uses.

And then there's the devastation of Bridge Street commerce and undermining of the local economy as exemplified by the loss of key players like the Michener Museum and Hot Plates, not to mention the short-sightedness of leaving the Delaware Canal unfilled, eliminating hundreds of parking spaces, and letting real estate developers run amok.

The opposition candidates, rumor has it it, are backed by our very own mayor and deposed Borough Council President, still stinging after the current leader's assumption via reported bloodless coup. All unsubstantiated local chatter, so we eagerly await any commentary or feedback from candidates themselves should they care to clear the record.

More opinion on this year's non-race to come in the weeks ahead.

Below, some achievements of New Hope's current Borough Council: empty Delaware Canal, empty stores:

New Hope PA Burro Council Ponders Dried Out Canal Problem

According to minutes published on a recent New Hope PA Borough Council discussion of the dried-out Delaware Canal issue, Chairperson Sharon Keiser began by saying: "I would like to ask Council to consider authorizing the payment of up to $7,500 to water the canal from the Logan Inn north from July through October.

"The canal is quickly reverting to nature. Several large trees have fallen across it. Weeds are 3 feet tall in some places. It looks less and less like a canal and more and more like an abandoned ditch.

"If it is not watered this year we will not have water until at least Spring 2011 since the Rabbit Run bridge will be closed next year with a coffer dam restricting any water to New Hope. Who knows what the condition will be by then.

"The impact on New Hope may be severe, recreationally [sic], aesthetically and commercially. Apart from the river, nothing physically defines us more then the beauty and serenity of the canal.”

Sharyn Keiser went on to ask if any Council members would offer a motion, and said one challenge is that the water would cover 2.5 miles of Solebury and only .50 miles of New Hope. Eighty (80%) of the canal is dry at this point, she asseted [sic]. If the canal were to be watered, it would only extend to The Logan Inn due to the leak in the canal south of The Logan.

"Randall Flager stated that the canal is an eyesore at this time." (Nothing gets past Randy)

Claire Shaw stated that "she feels that it would be fiscally irresponsible to spend the taxpayers’ money in that manner especially since the expense serves Solebury more than New Hope."

Sharyn Keiser stated that "there is nothing in the budget for this" and asked the Manager to provide a cost estimate.

John Burke estimated that the cost would be in the range of $7,000 to $8,000 for the shortened season, from the middle of July through the end of October.

Randall Flager ejaculated "what was spent on watering the canal in 2008?!"

Sharyn Keiser stated that the cost was split 50-50 in 2008 with PADEP. The Borough’s share was about $6,000, which covered the period from April to the end of November.

Randall Flager asked "if the Chamber [of Commerce] has requested that the Borough pay to water the canal in 2009."

Sharyn Keiser stated that "there have been no requests from the Chamber or any residents of New Hope and there is one resident who is opposed to it because she is concerned with the fish that will be left behind once it dries up. In the past this resident has physically relocated the fish in the canal to the river."

Randall Flager stated that if the canal can’t be watered down to the Locktender’s House, then he is not prepared to pursue this matter. (Heart of gold, that Randy) Glen Stephan stated that he would like to see water along the entire length of the canal in New Hope and that he would consider contributing to this. (His money or Chamber members' money?)

Sharyn Keiser "stated that the projected time to restore water to the canal is about one year from now."

Annette Rosenberg, 137 S. Main St., keenly observed that "the canal is an eyesore without the water. Something should be done to clean up the canal."

Loretta Johnson, 16 West Bridge, "suggested taking water from the Primrose watershed."

Ed Duffy stated "that someone should organize a fund raising effort to pump water into the canal this year."

Perhaps Mr. Duffy, who is running for re-election to Burro membership next month, should consider taking the $7,500 from the burgeoning budget he helps administer -- one which is spending millions to buy a church for he and his fellow politicos, a path through the woods to a faraway parking lot, and a neighborhood park where kids and pets and trees aren't welcome.

Mayor Keller wished Doro Kerr a happy birthday.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Sunday, 4:05 p.m.: Traffic gate gets stuck again in down position at New Hope & Ivyland Railroad crossing, Stockton Ave. and W. Ferry St. after train passes.

Auto traffic backs up until a few more daring drivers move around the obstacle. Recent repairs to the track a few hundred feet down involved?

New Hope PA Store Owner Feels the Heat for Being Honest

The owner of a God Save the Qweens, a punk themed clothing emporium on West Mechanic Street in New Hope PA, had the courage to speak the truth and is taking some heat from local bigwigs who accused her of the apparently unforgivable sin of "being negative."

What store owner Michelle, who has a local reputation for candor (along with a penchant for frequently-changing hair color themes) has been chastised for is having the nerve to poke fun at New Hope's parking problem by creating a humorous t-shirt that is selling at an apparently brisk pace.

It is rumored that complainers include a member of New Hope's Borough Council and another individual associated with the local Chamber of Commerce. Never mind that some of these critics voted recently to spend a rumored $45,000 for a "study" of the very parking problem whose existence they might like to deny.

Meanwhile, Michelle seems above it all, happy to have created something that visitors to New Hope are identifying with, and buying, in a big way.

God Save the Qweens is located at 13 West Mechanic Street in downtown New Hope PA, 215-862-2696.

Upsurge in Bucks County UFO Sightings

A UFO sighting this past Saturday night in Buckingham was the latest in a purported upsurge in recent sightings in Bucks County PA.

A Buckingham man and his wife were walking their dogs in the area around Upper Mountain Road and Forest Grove Road at around 8:00 p.m. when "they looked up and saw a bright light in the sky. The light itself was emitting a conical-shaped beam of light toward the ground," reports the Bucks County Courier Times.

"This thing was stunning. It was scary. My wife wanted to get right in the house," said the Buckingham man.

Full Courier Times story: http://bit.ly/35pufn

Other UFO sources recently have said that the reported Saturday sighting in Buckingham was part of a luminary phenomenon witnessed by numerous individuals on the Eastern seaboard and was caused by a U.S. military missile test.

Another local rumor is that 5 individuals were recently smoking outside in Doylestown and witnessed a glowing rectangular object in the night sky.

Whatever the ultimate truth might be, one fact cannot be denied: reported sightings of UFOs are on the rise these days in Bucks County, PA.

Who's Your Sugar Daddy?

A smiley, bristly Jim mans the counter for a spell at Sugar Daddy's, a candy and ice cream emporium in the Four Seasons Mall, Main Street, New Hope PA.

On his breaks, Jim also runs the Affordable Art gallery just across way. This guy knows how to keep busy and has somehow managed to stay in business over many years....a rarity, especially these days!

Things Not to Do in Lenape ("The Quarry") Park in New Hope PA

An expensive-looking sign tells visitors what not to do in controversial Lenape Park on Ferry Street in New Hope PA.

Along with no pets, smoking, or evening strolls, the treeless, virtually grassless rock pile of a park provides little in the way of family fun. No swings for kids; this is a park made for speeches at the gazebo by local politicos, not recreation or communing with nature.

Estimated cost of this taxpayer-paid boondoggle? Rumor has it in excess of $600,000, but who knows? One local who saw the initial plans said the goldfish pond alone cost more than $32,000.

Money that could have been spent on strengthening the local economy, creating jobs, and helping support local art.

Any guesses on what that overbuilt, tax-wasting sign cost?

Is this Dragon Super Kind? Let's Hope So!

The Dead Live On In New Hope PA

Hippie Don recently parked his awesome Deadmobile (quite appropriately) in front of New Hope PA tie dye studio "type b". Pictures speak louder than words.

type b is located at 110A South Main Street in New Hope PA, 215-693-1446, or www.typebnewhope.com.

Road to Nowhere? New Hope PA Spending $468,000 to Guide Visitors Away From Downtown

The Times of Trenton recently reported that Pennsylvania taxpayers will largely be paying for New Hope's $468,000 "Cultural Canal Walk."

According to the Times, "the new walkway would guide visitors from the borough's new parking lot, which accommodates motorists arriving via Route 202, away from the borough's heavily trafficked downtown, where even metered parking is scarce." Full story. http://bit.ly/2YpN0

Several recent trips down New Hope PA's Main Street, however, revealed a multitude of vacant parking spaces and shops as the Borough's economy erodes through non-benign neglect.

"Theoretically, the tourists would park their cars and follow the proposed landscaped 800-foot pathway on the western bank of the Delaware Canal," The Times continued. "It will conclude at the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad Station."

As is widely known, however, New Hope visitors mostly desire to be downtown, because that's where the "action" is. Developer George Michael's non-central, troubled Union Square corporate park does not seem of as much interest to tourists these days with the flight of key attractions Michener Museum, 5th Season, Blue Raccoon, and others.

Why are Borough officials so interested in sending tourists to the local version of Siberia?

The Times reports that "Borough Manager John Burke said, "We are overjoyed at receiving this additional grant. We had a project that was "shovel ready' (in qualifying for funding.)"

That rings true; the Borough seems to be shoveling it on pretty thick with this solution in search of a problem, in this author's opinion.

Maybe it's time Borough officials, three of whom are running for re-election this fall, to focus on bringing visitors back to New Hope's downtown, instead of pushing them away.

Supersize This....

Country Fair Chocolates on Main Street in New Hope PA is famous for its chocolate-covered strawberries, but these new offerings are getting mixed reviews, at least from pedestrians viewing the sign.

Delicious, gross, or simply coronary-inducing, everyone has an opinion. That's New Hope!

Has Third Federal Bank Woken Up & Smelled the Liability? Maybe.

Despite Third Federal Bank's denial of safety issues surrounding unfenced 12-15 foot deep foundations at George Michael's struggling Canal Street housing development in downtown New Hope PA, new fencing has miraculously appeared.

Guess Third Federal Bank finally figured out that the possibility of children plunging to their deaths might be bad for their corporate image, or maybe it was the sagging, shabby look it gave to their already cheesy sign. Could it be George Michael or the Borough realizing that deep unfenced foundations and drops around the site are a hazard to citizens and workers alike?

Meanwhile, despite claims to the contrary, work activity continues at the site. Below, two workers today on a moving platform two storeys up seem to say, "Look, ma! No hands or hardhats!"

Another One Bites the Dust: Bye Bye, Bois

Today's Times of Trenton asserts that "Lambertville [is] overtaking New Hope as an art center."

Says the Times: "Today, while New Hope has branded itself an entertainment and restaurant center for tourists, it is Lambertville -- with more than 35 galleries and art dealers -- that has become a destination for art collectors and patrons while the number of galleries in New Hope has dwindled. Twelve years ago, New Hope had 13; today, there are seven with two scheduled to close by fall."

Full story: http://bit.ly/yk3Wd

In reality, if one is only looking at the total number of galleries, Lambertville might "win" the contest. But usually "art center" implies more than that; it is a place where artists live and produce work.

So, the true art center will be the first town that builds affordable artists' studio spaces, encourages artists to live and work there, and offers classes and education in the arts.

Not just tired oil paintings of covered red bridges and barns, and winter impressionist landscapes in hues of lavender and mango. Fact is, New Hope has the edge when it comes to crafts, live music, tattoo art, and sculpture.

Bottom line, New Hope PA and Lambertville NJ don't need to compete, they need to cooperate.

New Hope and Lambertville: A River Runs Through It.

Think Ill trademark that.

Paul's Pretty Flowers on W. Mechanic St., New Hope PA

New Hope PA to Crack Down on Hordes of Terrifying Motorcycle Riders

Is cracking down on New Hope, PA visitors that ride motorcycles such a great idea?

Tourist traffic in the Borough is down more than 50%, and discriminating against all bikers, instead of the selfish few, does not seem helpful at first glance to visitors, merchants, or residents.

Many residents moved to New Hope knowing that it's a noisy place. Having more than 25 liquor licensed establishments, live music nearly every night, numerous street events, and summer tourist traffic is a plus to some people, a negative to others, and often a mixed experience for residents.

It's easy to sympathize with residents' noise sensitivities. Citizens certainly have the right to pursue their lives in peace. But so do those who choose to travel on a two-wheeled vehicle rather than a four-wheeled one.

And, frankly, the construction noise in recent years from unfettered real estate development in New Hope has easily exceeded the noise level from any motorcycle-related activities.

New Hope Borough Council has done enough already to harm the underlying economic base of the town. They tax businesses, employees, and residents at a high rate and in recent years went on a spending spree fueled by aggressive ticketing practices and parking meter revenue.

In fact, many parking meters do not appear to function well, and complaints of overcharging are rampant. Police have been known for ticketing vehicles for being merely an inch too far from a curb or over a fading line.

New Hope Borough Council might consider focusing on creating jobs and tolerance, instead of "cracking down" on anyone but themselves for not properly managing New Hope's economy and for making visitors feel unwelcome.

And if you're in New Hope PA and see a car, bike or truck making too much noise idling in traffic, snap a photo with their license plate and we'll post it on the Web and help you complain.

Running Uphill in 90-Degree Weather & Loving It!

Coach keeps a watchful eye on members of the New Hope - Solebury High School Soccer Team taking a break after a few sprints up steep Oscar Hammerstein Way in New Hope PA this morning.

Even by 11:00 a.m., temperatures and humidity were soaring in the Borough, but these spirited teens were undaunted, laughing, cheering and totally uber-stoked.

If I were playing for another soccer team, think I might take up another sport this fall.

Hussah!

Shopping: Only in New Hope

A typical display at Love Saves the Day on the corner of Main and Bridge streets in New Hope PA.

The store, one of two founded by now deceased retail genius Leslie Herson, still survives and flourishes with help from her husband and staff.

The shop continues Leslie's focus on ironic vintage clothing, games, toys and lunchboxes primarily from the 70s and some 80s and 60s. She was one of the first to see the marketing potential of diverse kitschy items like the Kojak board game, Pez dispensers, Elvis lamps, GI Joe, and Partridge Family lunchboxes.

Leslie also had an eye for vintage clothing, and later adopted much of the humorous Accoutrements novelty line, including the Albert Einstein action figure and the incredible Boxing Rabbi.

She was also influential in the evolution of the East Village/New York City retro idiom, and was an original, trippy, eccentric woman, probably 4'8" in heels, and kind to her workers, many of whom she helped to form their own spin-offs, like the popular "13" 80s-inspired fashion store on W. Mechanic Street, and new-comer God Save the Queens and its passion for punk. She was generous in sharing store fixtures, merchandise and connections, even with competitors, whom she also wouldn't hesitate to imitate.

A lot of us here in town and in the Village miss her.

Leslie Herson and Love Saves the Day. New Hope PA originals.

Rodney Miller Headlines Group Show at J&W Gallery

One of my favorite photographers, Rodney Miller, is part of a group show currently on display at New Hope PA art institution J&W Gallery. His work is quite unique, using vibrant, psychedelic colors and almost kaleidoscopic shapes to describe a rich, somewhat trippy worldview.

Original stuff, reasonably priced. Show runs through the end of the month.

J&W Gallery is located at 20 W. Bridge Street in the heart of downtown New Hope PA.