Sunday, February 13, 2011

Favorite Local Businesses: 3/50 Project


As promised, I am continuing my quest of recommending local brick and mortar businesses in which to spend your money. The 350 Project recommends spending a total of $50/month on locally owned businesses in order to support your local economy and keep shop owners in business. The focus this time is on businesses located in Chalfont, a suburb of Philadelphia, PA.


Manhattan Bagel, Chalfont
Although Manhattan Bagel is a chain, I personally recommend the Manhattan Bagel in Chalfont, which is locally owned. My eldest son works at this location and has always been treated with respect by the owner. A few years ago, Eckerd Drug wanted to build a store at this location which would have meant losing the Manhattan Bagel along with several 100 year old Victorian homes. I am happy to say that the residents of Chalfont, through community meetings and picketing, were able to avert having a larger, less personal chain move in.



Salon Salvatore Christian, Chalfont
Salon Salvatore Christian, located on Main St. in Chalfont, is another locally owned business that I highly recommend. The owners, Kelly and Dean Sulimay, transformed a Victorian home into a fresh, high end salon while maintaing the intergrity of the architectural details. Dean and Kelly focus on giving their clients stylish, modern hair cuts. By traveling to specific hair shows in Europe on a regular basis, Dean and Kelly are able to stay abreast of all of the latest trends in hairstyles.


Jeff Reeder Photography!
How could I not support my own husband's business? His work speaks for itself, whether it be event photography, PR, family portraits, or his own personal artwork. This photo is one of my favorites from his portolio.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Chocolate Cupcake Love


As I continue on the quest for the perfect chocolate cupcake, this experimental recipe did come close. The cake was dense and moist, more closely resembling a devil's food cake recipe. The double chocolate frosting was a definite winner, but the two combined were almost too much chocolate for a couple of my taste testers. And, yes, I do have taste testers outside of my own immediate family.