From Finicky Eater to Gourmand

Celebrate Craft Beer at Haddon Pub Fest June 2

Haddon Pub Fest is a time for craft brew lovers to come together and raise their glasses to beer.

Beer lovers, mark your calendars: June 2 brings merry tidings, as a piece of Philly Beer Week saunters over the Walt Whitman Bridge and nestles itself right into the heart of Restaurant Row. That's the day the glorious, soaking-wet stretch of Haddon Avenue between the dry communities of Collingswood and Haddonfield is playing host to Haddon Pub Fest from noon until 6 p.m. Each participating location will spotlight a particular craft beer and host its brewer or distributor. For $10, you can purchase a Pub Fest T-shirt (on sale now at any Pub Fest-participating establishment), which gets you access to special deals, door prizes and other perks. If you like a particular featured brewery and want to bypass the mystery and allure of finding out…

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New Collingswood Retailer Offers an Extraordinary Experience

Rusty McCarty thinks he's got a million-dollar idea in Extraordinary Ed, a new, a la carte learning center opening next week on Haddon Avenue.

“It’s never been done before,” says Rusty McCarty of his new business, Extraordinary Ed, which cuts its ribbon May 23. “I’ve lived in Collingswood for a while,” McCarty says, “and I looked around and thought, ‘What’s the thing that’s most frustrating about education?’ It’s inconvenient.” When a guy like McCarty says that, it makes sense; he’s seen a bit of the world. Originally from Lubbock, TX, McCarty taught in El Salvador and Rio de Janeiro, where he was the director of curriculum and instruction at the American School, before becoming the president, COO and creative director of a large, education-focused nonprofit headquartered in nearby Cherry Hill. But McCarty’s still never seen anyone else attempt what he’s trying to do with his new…

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Maley on Moody's

"Greece has a better rating than we do." Collingswood's mayor dishes about what the credit agency got wrong in its assessment of the LumberYard financing.

As a community, Collingswood “has been lucky enough over the past 10 years to be getting all kinds of nice press,” says Mayor James Maley. “A few years ago, the American Planning Association named Haddon Avenue one of the great places in America, the only place they’ve given that designation to in New Jersey,” he says. “The New York Times has written that we’ve done great public partnerships.” Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal praised the LumberYard project as the kind of transit-oriented development that “is now one of the fastest-growing areas of the housing market…as developers regroup after the housing and financial crises.” Yet one voice rises consistently in opposition, Maley says. “There’s only one incorrect message, and …

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Anne Carroll

7:28 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012

Agreed, Joanna.   more ›

After 25 Years, Houshiarnejad Is Going Out of Business

Real estate costs kept driving rents up at the local landmark.

Mahmaud Houshiarnejad said his head was spinning. He stood near the center of his upscale, Persian rug store, Houshiarnejad's Collection, on Kings Highway East on a recent weekday and admitted he didn't have a clue what he would do next, when his doors closed for the last time and the creditors came to collect what was left. "My whole, entire life is this business," he said, quietly, as opera played softly in the background. "I worked to grow this business. I don't have a stomach for what to do next. I need to put my brain at rest." Houshiarnejad, 58, an Iranian-born U.S. citizen, said he doesn't blame anyone for his business closing. The economy has not been kind to him recently—a plight in which he is not alone in Haddonfield. He pointed…

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Collingswood Loyalty Cards in the Mail TODAY

Check your Town Crier for the Blue and Gold card, which unlocks special shopping discounts for residents.

Collingswood residents should expect a passport to savings in the latest borough mailer today, as the town rolls out resident shopper discount cards. Each copy of the Town Crier's May 2012 edition will include a Blue & Gold card that provides incentives for Collingswood households to support their local businesses. Select vendors will be providing discounts on their services that will rotate on an individual basis. A full list of the current promotions is available on the borough website. The timing of the mailing is meant to rally foot traffic at Second Saturday tonight, says Community Development Director Cass Duffey. "We're hoping people take [the cards] right up to the avenue for Second Saturday," she says. The Blue & Gold cards are …

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Matt Skoufalos

10:29 am on Monday, May 14, 2012

Hi Jen, I'd call Cass Duffey over at the borough hall: 856-854-0720. I'm sure she can help you.   more ›

Can an Employer Force You to Reveal Your Facebook Password?

A state legislative committee approved a bill this week that would bar the practice.

  Can an employer force you to reveal your Facebook or other social media password as a condition for getting hired or keeping your job? That issue began to get some attention in March after a statistician in New York reported that during an interview with a potential employer, the woman interviewing him had searched for his Facebook and, upon discovering that it was private, asked him for the password. The statistician, Justin Bassett, refused and left the interview according to the Associated Press. But the story brought to light other instances where employers have sought similar access to social media accounts, and have led several states to consider legislation to ban the practice. California's assembly voted Thursday to approve such …

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Dig This: Bringing Retro Back to Haddon Ave.

Here's a throwback: a Collingswood storefront that's being used for retail space.

In searching for a name that would encapsulate the business model of his Haddon Avenue furniture storefront, Reed Orem knew he’d struck gold when a friend came up with Dig This. It’s a moniker that perfectly captures his selection of vintage Danish modern and mid-century furniture as well as the way in which he acquired it; the reclamation of retro-cool. “If you see the furniture on Mad Men, that’s the kind of stuff that’s driving renewed interest,” Orem says. “It’s a lot different from hard lines and dark furniture, which seems to be popular.” Orem says he prefers a coffee-stained coffee table to one with a flawless finish because it’s a detail that demonstrates use. “You’re going to use it for the same purpose,” he says. “I like the idea…

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Handcrafted: Perkins Fundraiser Celebrates Local Brewers, Artists, Community

Tickets are still available for the annual fundraiser at Perkins Center for the Arts, held Saturday, May 12.

Whether you enjoy the arts, craft beer or both, Perkins Center for the Arts has just what you’re looking for this weekend. The nonprofit community arts foundation will host its largest annual fundraiser this Saturday, May 12, with craft beers from local breweries, an all-you-can-eat gourmet menu and a silent auction with some luxe prizes up for grabs. Lee Bennett, Perkins Center projects and special events manager, said the group raised $15,000 at its 2011 beer-tasting, making the event its most lucrative fundraiser of the year. Proceeds from the beer tasting will benefit Perkins’ many programs and support its operational expenses. “As a small organization, that’s very significant,” Bennett said, adding, "we’re hoping to do even better …

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Diverted from the Dump: Extending the Shelf Life of the Jersey Peach

Can peach salsa stop hunger, save money, and aid the environment? Jersey farmers say yes.

Thousands go hungry each day in New Jersey, unable to afford food, unable to qualify for food stamps.  And still, every season, 90-year-old peach farmer Lewis DeEugenio scales the beds of pickup trucks, shaking his head at countless pounds of unwanted peaches headed for the trash. A new collaboration between six farms and the Food Bank of South Jersey will go a long way toward addressing both problems. A new plan they're calling "Just Peachy" would transform the excess peaches into a shelf-stable peach salsa, reclaiming cast-off fruits from South Jersey farms that use Glassboro’s Eastern ProPak packing facility. After prepping, the peaches will be transported to Camden, where Campbell's Soup will produce the salsa for free. The soupmaker …

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TODAY is Free Comic Book Day!

Celebrate from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Collingswood Public Library, or at any area shop.

For the tenth year running, comic book publishers the world over will be providing free samples of their products at area stores today. Free Comic Book Day, which began as a trade promotion, has expanded into a vehicle for literacy—and that's why the Collingswood Public Library is welcoming guests from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today to celebrate. Visitors can select from a number of free titles from publishers like Marvel, DC, Bongo and Dark Horse. Still unconvinced? Listen to this video from Hugh Jackman!

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