Spring Has Sprung: School Field Trips at The Bourse
The winter frost has given way to the blossoms of spring, encouraging local schools and tour groups from all over the world to take their students and groups on outings to local businesses and merchants, including The Bourse Mall. Located directly across from such historic Independence Mall and the National Constitution Center, the mixed-use building offers an entertaining environment for young, savvy shoppers. The giggles and grins of young consumers bring vibrant energy to the building as they explore the shops and restaurants for souvenirs and snacks, enabling their chaperones to sit down and relax.
Groups can order $10 vouchers to be used at any retail or food shop at The Bourse Mall. To learn more, contact Aldine Young at 215-625-0300 ext. 210 during regular business hours 9 am – 5 pm.
Tenant Profile – ChargeItSpot
Have you ever been out shopping and had your smart phone die? The inconveniences of a powerless phone are endless. Not only can’t you keep track of your meandering children in the mall, you might need to tweet your friends before you purchase that cute new shirt or pair of boots.
ChargeItSpot, a recent addition to the tenant lineup of The Bourse, makes dead smart phone problems a thing of the past. The opportune charging stations keep the nightmare of dead or dying phones at bay by providing a location where you can safely and swiftly gain battery life.
Robert Kay, SVP, Operations, visited The Bourse to scout out a new location for the startup. He remembers coming to the mall on school field trips. As it happened, Kay’s nephew was on a field trip at The Bourse when Robert was inspecting the building.
The guys at ChargeItSpot are no strangers to Philly. The company’s founder and CEO, Douglas Baldasare, was a second-year MBA student at the University of Pennsylvania when he came up with the concept. Four years later, ChargeItSpot stations can be found all over, including in popular retail stores such as Urban Outfitters, Whole Foods, Belt, and Five Below.
Last month, the company celebrated its one-millionth charge. With everyone glued to their phones, it’s no wonder that ChargeItSpot reached this impressive milestone so quickly.
For more information on how you can keep your phone charged while on the go, visit www.chargeitspot.com.
The Marino Brothers are at it again with Lots of Lix
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream this summer at The Bourse Mall! With constantly increasing temperatures and many more school trips at the mall, customers are visiting Lots of Lix Ice Cream Shoppe, literally, by the bus load.
Lix has long been a favorite with both tenants and tourists at The Bourse. Now under new management, the ice cream shop is headed by Michael Marino and his brothers, Augustino, Fabrizio, and Walter, and has undergone a recent facelift. The quartet are no strangers to the mall, already operating the USA Sportswear, Grand Olde Cheesesteak, I Love Philly, Bourse Newsstand, Bourse Gift Shop, and the Travel Shop. They even own and operate Philadelphia Sightseeing Tours that leaves every 30 minutes from the front entrance of The Bourse on 5th Street.
Lots of Lix is also now dishing out an old Philly favorite by proudly offering Bassetts Ice Cream. According to its website, Bassetts was sold from a location at 5th and Market in 1885. A decade later, The Bourse was completed and opened to the public. Is it fair to assume that workers building The Bourse took breaks to enjoy Bassetts Ice Cream?
For more information on The Bourse’s history, check out http://bourse-pa.com/history/.
Barclay Farms in the Cooking Channel spotlight
Pho Barclay, located in Kaiserman’s Barclay Farms Shopping Center in Cherry Hill, N.J., recently got a makeover — on national television.
This fall, the Vietnamese eatery was the subject of the Cooking Channel’s “Restaurant Redemption,” a show in which renowned chef Ching He Huang rehabs struggling Asian restaurants across the country.
Pho Barclay is the brainchild of brother-sister team Jim Ong and Anita Te. The duo opened the restaurant in July 2009 but, despite the bustling traffic of the shopping center, five years later, sales weren’t adding up.
“There are other restaurants, plenty of cars. It’s a large strip mall,” Huang observed as she pulled into the shopping center. “Foot traffic and exposure isn’t a problem. They’re in a great location.”
But, while the parking lot was full, the restaurant itself was more than half-empty.
At Huang’s visit, she learned that Te was doing most of the day-to-day work, sometimes putting in up to 13 hours in the restaurant, while her brother focused more on his other ventures. Huang helped the siblings come together to talk about the shared responsibility of the business. And then she got to work on giving Pho Barclay a facelift.
The menu initially contained more than 90 items, which Huang worked with the owners to diversify and pare down. She introduced them to some new spices, techniques and trends, including using grilled instead of broiled, meats. And, she overhauled the space: changing the wall color, bringing in more modern lighting and rearranging the layout.
“It’s really going to stand out,” Huang promised.
Because of the large commuter population around the shopping center — which Huang estimated to be about 50,000 cars daily — she suggested a “grab-and-go” option for diners on the move.
And, the evolution paid off: The line was out the door at the official re-open, with guests raving.
“I love this place,” one effused.
Check out the full episode at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExlcVpvfP34.
And make sure to stop by and see the newly refurbished Pho Barclay for yourself at 65 Barclay Farms Shopping Center, Cherry Hill, N.J. Or, check them out online at phobarclay.com.
Coming soon: A new look for LIX
The Marino Brothers are at it again. They are the proud new owners of LIX ice cream store at The Bourse.
The Marinos recently took over ownership of the shop and are gearing up for a remodel. The family is planning a whole new look for the store, and are planning to reopen in March.
LIX is not the Marinos’ first Bourse venture: They currently own Grand Olde Cheesesteak, Bourse Gift Shop, The Travel Shop, Bourse Newsstand, I Love Philly, and USA Sportswear.
LIX is not the Marinos’ first Bourse venture: They currently own Grand Olde Cheesesteak, Bourse Gift Shop, The Travel Shop, Bourse Newsstand, I Love Philly, and USA Sportswear.
Ball to Fundraise for kidney-disease prevention
Friends and colleagues of The Bourse, Constitution Place and 400 Market are invited to the 31st annual Kidney Ball, a fundraising gala for the National Kidney Foundation, which has been a tenant at The Bourse since 2006. The black-tie ball – which will be held March 14 at Vie, 600 N. Broad St. – attracts more than 400 physicians, industry leaders, and community decision-makers to raises funds for NKF’s efforts to advancement awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease.
The ball will honor NKF board members Dr. Jeffrey Berns of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Arthur Pasquarella of Equus Capital Partners, as well as William Feggins of Divine Insurance Group, the event’s presenting corporate sponsor.
Last year’s event raised more than $380,000, so make sure to purchase your tickets, buy an ad in the program or become a sponsor to make the 2015 gala just as successful!
Purchase tickets at www.nkfdv.org and contact Anna Kotopoulos at anna.kotopoulos@kidney.org for more information.
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