Thinking about a purchase in Elkins Park (homes, restaurants)

[drbrew3]

Originally Posted by FindingZen

You can use the quote button at the bottom of any post and respond just as I’ve done here.

Welcome!

Thanks for this and the welcome!

[FindingZen]

Wanted to add that Wadsworth Avenue, across from Cedarbrook Plaza, offers a number of small local businesses that you may want to patronize.

[drbrew3]

Originally Posted by FindingZen

Wanted to add that Wadsworth Avenue, across from Cedarbrook Plaza, offers a number of small local businesses that you may want to patronize.

I appreciate you letting me know. I will go there. Thanks for your recommendation!

[persianninja]

H-Mart is a cool Korean grocery store nearby Elkins Park that might be closer than Whole Foods in Jenkintown (so can get regular eggs/milk and have some interesting international things as well).
Alot of cool Korean restaurant places around there too (Dubu, and my fav Korean Fried Wings from Cafe Soho on Cheltenham Ave).

PS I have looked myself and you can find a really cool beautiful place in Elkins Park but the taxes are pretty high for the places I've looked at... like $14-18k!!!
Here is an example of a mansion-looking place listed for $299k that sold above for $356k:
[url]https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1401-Beech-Ave-Elkins-Park-PA-19027/2067983385_zpid/[/url]

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by AshbyQuin

Cheltenham Mall and Cedarbrook Plaza.

I usually head up to Jenkintown for shopping though; you'll have more options. Check out the Pavillion. There's also a Trader Joes and Whole Foods off Red Lion RD.

Regardiing grocery shopping:

In addition to the supermarkets in those two de-malled shopping centers (a Fresh Grocer in Cedarbrook Plaza and a ShopRite in Greenleaf at Cheltenham — the two chains are siblings, both part of the same wholesale cooperative, and both are owned and operated by Jeff Brown, the best supermarket operator in the region), there is a cooperative grocer, the Creekside Co-Op, in the small shopping district right down the hill from Elkins Park Regional Rail station. The co-op was established about 10 years ago with assistance from Weavers Way, an upscale co-op grocery store based in Mount Airy.

There are two H Marts close to Elkins Park. The closest one is at Cheltenham Avenue and Old York Road, on the Cheltenham Township side of the street, so it's actually in Elkins Park. (Edited to add: Dubu, mentioned above, is in the same strip mall, which sits at or near the west end of a string of Korean-owned and -oriented businesses along Cheltenham Avenue in Elkins Park.) The other one is at Front Street and Godfrey Avenue in Olney; it's newer and larger than the Elkins Park location. If you love Asian cuisines and flavors, there is no better place to go for them than H Mart, the "Korean Culinary Embassy in America." They also carry a selection of products geared to American tastes, but you're better off going to the other stores for those.

Regarding the Cedarbrook Walmart: I don't quite understand why people warn others away from this store; granted, like most of the city Walmarts, it's a little chaotic, but it doesn't strike me as all that badly run (in the city, the Wheatsheaf Lane Walmart in Port Richmond is an exception to this rule and the Pier 70 store in South Philadelphia is the rule on steroids). However, there's a Target in Greenleaf, and Target stores are uniformly nicer, better run and have (what I perceive as) comparable or better merchandise at prices as good as Walmart's. (Target's private-label brands have it over Walmart's when it comes to design, and they also have several eco-friendly product lines, something Walmart lacks.)

Should you buy in Elkins Park and venture up to Cedarbrook, you might run into me on occasion at either the Walmart or the Fresh Grocer.

Originally Posted by FindingZen

Looking at your other non-Philadelphia-related post, I see that you are part of a Black middle-class family.

Elkins Park is split between Abington and Cheltenham Townships. Cheltenham, which has long had a considerable African-American population by Philly suburb standards, has seen a significant influx of Black newcomers in recent years. Abington is relatively diverse but has a smaller Black population.

It's true that Cheltenham schools don't have quite the reputation that can be found in nearby Abington and Jenkintown. I haven't done enough research to know whether it's because the quality of teachers has slipped or the emergence of a high Black student population has affected the perception of the school district. Anecdotally speaking, I know one Black family who lives in the Cheltenham side of Elkins Park and has a kid who is in their second year at Ursinus College. The smallest of samples, yes...but it goes to show that motivated kids with involved parents will succeed in a school district that is inarguably superior to Philadelphia public schools as a whole.

I've found that the same applies for parents with kids in city public schools. It's in high school that real differences emerge.

But since you're childless, drbrew3, this school talk is beside the point.

However: I would second the recommendation that you consider Mount Airy if property taxes are a concern. You will have access to more food shopping options, actual pubs and restaurants where you can get wine with your meal, and a livelier neighborhood business district. And it's as close Cedarbrook (Mt. Airy Avenue shifts over to Wadsworth Avenue in the neighborhood outsiders call Cedarbrook and residents hate it when they do — they'll tell you they live in Mount Airy too) and Greenleaf at Cheltenham as Elkins Park is (EP is closer to Greenleaf, Mt. Airy to Cedarbrook).

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Regarding the Cedarbrook Walmart: I don't quite understand why people warn others away from this store; granted, like most of the city Walmarts, it's a little chaotic, but it doesn't strike me as all that badly run (in the city, the Wheatsheaf Lane Walmart in Port Richmond is an exception to this rule and the Pier 70 store in South Philadelphia is the rule on steroids). However, there's a Target in Greenleaf, and Target stores are uniformly nicer, better run and have (what I perceive as) comparable or better merchandise at prices as good as Walmart's. (Target's private-label brands have it over Walmart's when it comes to design, and they also have several eco-friendly product lines, something Walmart lacks.)

My advice on the Walmart was based on a family member, an African-American woman who has been around the block. In her opinion, the store was not only "chaotic" but also had too many incidents for her tolerance of people acting up in the store to the point of getting arrested. Granted, those anecdotes are a few years old and the store is still open.

FWIW, I've been in the Pier 70 location a few times and while it wasn't my favorite Walmart of all time, my biggest gripe was the long lines and/or lack of cashiers.

I do like Target for the reasons that you mention although some products can come at a slight premium relative to Walmart. I'm glad there is a Target at Greenleaf.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

But since you're childless, drbrew3, this school talk is beside the point.

I looked on their other posts early on to see if I could glean more info and they are indeed raising a family.

However: I would second the recommendation that you consider Mount Airy if property taxes are a concern. You will have access to more food shopping options, actual pubs and restaurants where you can get wine with your meal, and a livelier neighborhood business district. And it's as close Cedarbrook (Mt. Airy Avenue shifts over to Wadsworth Avenue in the neighborhood outsiders call Cedarbrook and residents hate it when they do — they'll tell you they live in Mount Airy too) and Greenleaf at Cheltenham as Elkins Park is (EP is closer to Greenleaf, Mt. Airy to Cedarbrook).

I like Mt. Airy and I think it could work in many ways for an African-American family coming from West Philly. I know you've been a proponent of up-and-coming Lingelbach Elementary. I would just be concerned about options beyond that, especially if their kids don't qualify for or aren't interested in any of the magnet schools. Sure, charters are an option even though I have off-topic thoughts about that. For what nearby Germantown Friends charges for tuition, they may as well absorb Cheltenham Township property taxes.

[ilovephilly79]

Originally Posted by FindingZen

I looked on their other posts early on to see if I could glean more info and they are indeed raising a family.



I like Mt. Airy and I think it could work in many ways for an African-American family coming from West Philly. I know you've been a proponent of up-and-coming Lingelbach Elementary. I would just be concerned about options beyond that, especially if their kids don't qualify for or aren't interested in any of the magnet schools. Sure, charters are an option even though I have off-topic thoughts about that. For what nearby Germantown Friends charges for tuition, they may as well absorb Cheltenham Township property taxes.

Germantown Friends is a lot more expensive than higher property taxes, especially if you have multiple children.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by ilovephilly79

Germantown Friends is a lot more expensive than higher property taxes, especially if you have multiple children.

My point exactly.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by FindingZen

I looked on their other posts early on to see if I could glean more info and they are indeed raising a family.



I like Mt. Airy and I think it could work in many ways for an African-American family coming from West Philly. I know you've been a proponent of up-and-coming Lingelbach Elementary. I would just be concerned about options beyond that, especially if their kids don't qualify for or aren't interested in any of the magnet schools. Sure, charters are an option even though I have off-topic thoughts about that. For what nearby Germantown Friends charges for tuition, they may as well absorb Cheltenham Township property taxes.

I think that even I said upthread that the story's different once you get to high school. Or even sixth grade, in many cases. That's when puberty starts to kick in and exacerbate whatever differences in environment and parenting the students may have.

Since this isn't supposed to be a discussion on education, I'll hold my opinions on charters to myself as well except to note that, like regular public schools, they run the gamut. Most, however, take students from all over the city, so they could be an option for parents who don't want to take a chance on a neighborhood high school and can't get their kids into one of the magnets.