October 18, 2007 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Local Life

Only Hill-area movie theater yet to find audience
by JOEL HOFFMANN

Owners Betty Ann and David Fellner sit in the “Little Theater,”  a 25-seat theater in the Mt. Airy Video Library, 7157 Germantown Ave. They hope they’ll soon have a lot more company in the theater for their “art-house” films. (Photo by Joel Hoffmann)

The “Little Theater” is empty, but sounds like it’s packed. The opening act plays with panache. Bruce Springsteen’s gritty voice saws through the speakers as his E-Street Band sways in staggered formation.

They look so real, but they’re not. They’re pixels and bytes; they’re sound and light. They’re portable, transferable clusters of information, and for all we know, they could be playing for a fragmented audience of thousands all over the U.S. — on iPods and laptops and plasma TVs.

Betty Ann and David Fellner are aware of this, yet they insist on anchoring the data stream to a real commercial setting, a 25-seat theater appropriately called “Little Theater” in the Mount Airy Video Library, 7157 Germantown Ave. They bought the video store three years ago from the original owner, Whit Schilling.

Trunk show Oct. 21
Three Wyndmoor generations all skilled craftswomen
by PAULA M. RILEY

Granddaughters, Hadlui Hall, 13, Amanda Fleming, 13, and Cooper Hall, 12, all of Wyndmoor, will be selling their handmade colored ribbon headbands at the trunk sale on Sunday. The girls handle every aspect of production from design to sale.

Some things are genetic; others are learned. For the extended Otter family in Wyndmoor, it is a little bit of both. Three sisters — Betsy Otter Thompson, 71, Lynn Otter Fleming, 73, and Nonnie Otter Barnes, 68 — all of whom attended Spingside School, along with Betsy’s daughter, Liz Dehaven Glass, 46, and Lynn’s five young granddaughters, are all accomplished craftswomen.

Though they each have chosen a different medium, they share an artistic energy and passion to create. Together they are hosting the “3 Sisters Open House Trunk Show” on Sunday, Oct. 21, from 12 – 5 p.m. at Betsy’s home on 7800 Linden Ave. in Wyndmoor. The three generations of craftswomen will be selling their original works. The eldest sister, Lynn Fleming of Chestnut Hill, will be featuring children’s clothing with matching dolls’ clothes. Betsy is displaying her KEO Handknit Originals that include hand-knit sweaters for adults and children, many with original stitches. Her daughter, Liz Dehaven Glass of upstate New York, plans to sell her crafts. Offering watercolors and hand-painted tiles is the youngest sister, Nonnie Barnes of Berks County. In addition, Lynn’s daughter, Cynthia, a professional musician who operates a local music studio, will play classical music on the piano.

Make a clean break; wash your best friend at new phillydogspot
by JIMMY J. PACK JR.

Kelsey Rush and her fiancé, James Turner, not only live in Chestnut Hill, but also have opened one of the hottest businesses on the Hill. (Photos by Jimmy J. Pack Jr.)

This is what movies used to be made of: girl meets boy, girl and boy start a business, girl and boy become engaged, and wedding plans to be made.

This is what the last six years have been like for two Dartmouth College English majors who now call Chestnut Hill their home. Kelsey Rush and her fiancé, James Turner, not only live in Chestnut Hill, but also have opened one of the hottest businesses on the Hill — phillydogspot — a “dog-centric” business that offers do-it-yourself dog washing, organic treats, toys and drop-off dog care service.

“We basically do everything here but cut the dog’s hair,” says Rush, washing Carter (aka The Puppins), a Boston Terrier, in her raised wash tub. “We have professional dog grooming equipment for your use. You can use the tub, which is raised high enough so you don’t have to bend down and strain your back, and you have your choice of many professional-grade dog shampoos and conditioners. Once you’re done, you can use our towels and doggy dryer to dry off your dog, and that’s it. You leave the mess with us.”

Very good, very expensive Nuevo Latino cuisine
by LEN LEAR

The interior at Alma de Cuba is eye-catching. It’s typical Stephen Starr, as are the noise, the prices and the quality.

When we walked up to the front door of Alma de Cuba (“the Soul of Cuba”), 1623 Walnut St., at 6:35 on a recent Wednesday evening, we truly thought they must have been giving food away. There was a stadium-sized, beehive-thick crowd both out front and inside, consisting of yuppie-types intent on getting close to the bar. Regarding the noise level, let’s just say that a jet plane taking off would have seemed quiet by comparison.

We thought maybe the mob that descended on Alma de Cuba had been held hostage by terrorists for months, and this was their first opportunity to taste liquid refreshment since being liberated. As a result, they were willing to put up with the deafening noise level and inability to move or decipher any sound softer than the roar of a lion in return for a draft beer.

When will computer quizzes tell you something useful?
By JENNIFER NAGEL

I was goofing around on the internet, and I stumbled across — literally — thousands of kitschy little quizzes to take that would tell me everything there is to know about myself. I can find out which Desperate Housewife I am, which historical lunatic I am, which dictator I am most like, which Golden Girl I am and which song performed by Poison best defines my personality. I found out I am whatever Desperate Housewife mows the lawn in a gown and high heels, I am Attila the Hun, I am Dorothy Zbornak, and I am “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” These are all things I was desperate to know about myself.