Carlino’s has your back following Di Bruno’s closure | Inquirer Lower Merion
Plus, gluten-free bakery Flakely is now open in Bryn Mawr.
Hi, Lower Merion! 👋
Missing Di Bruno’s? Don’t worry — we’ve still got Carlino’s Market. Also this week, a popular gluten-free bakery has opened in Bryn Mawr, a Narberth artist used the recent snow to craft Swedish-inspired sculptures, plus a new hotel with a tavern and rooftop terrace is opening this spring.
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While Di Bruno’s recent downsizing left a hole in the Ardmore Farmers Market — and in some shoppers’ hearts — a longtime staple continues to serve Main Liners in search of Italian goods.
Founded in 1983 in Ardmore by husband and wife Nicola and Angela Carlino, who immigrated from Italy, Carlino’s Market has grown over the years and expanded into wholesale.
In the past two decades, the family-operated market, now led by their son Pat Carlino, has added a location in West Chester but continues to serve its core customers, some of whom Pat grew up with.
The Inquirer’s Denali Sagner checked in with the family on its measured growth plans.
Main Liners can get fresh gluten-free pastries closer to home now that Flakely has opened in Bryn Mawr.
The popular bakery held a soft opening for its new storefront this past weekend at the former Grand Middle East hookah lounge. The new space means more offerings than were possible at its previous home in Manayunk, including fresh gluten-free croissants.
“It’s a totally different experience,” said owner Lila Colello, an Ardmore native and Shipley School alum.
Read more about what you can find at the new bakery.
💡 Community News
The Montgomery County District Attorney and the Police Chiefs Association of Montgomery County recently released a joint statement underscoring that they don’t enforce immigration action. Earlier this month, the LMPD released its own statement, reiterating that it doesn’t enforce or participate in immigration enforcement. The joint statement comes after recent ICE action in the area, including an arrest in Norristown that some local officials condemned.
Montgomery County commissioners covered a wide range of topics during their annual State of the County address last week, from potential federal funding cuts to immigration concerns. While the top officials remain divided by party lines, they did underscore some bipartisan achievements, like the 2026 budget, as well as upcoming goals like opening more shelters for those experiencing homelessness. The Inquirer’s Fallon Roth recaps the key takeaways.
The Ardmore Avenue Pool won’t be reopening in time for Memorial Day weekend this year. The township’s parks and recreation department said at a meeting that it expects the pool, which was closed last summer for construction of the Ardmore Avenue Community Center, to not open until late June or early July. The good news: Membership fees won’t be going up for the township’s pools this year, despite a proposal from the finance committee to increase rates at Belmont Hills by 4.25% for residents and 6.5% for non-residents. Commissioners decided against the increase for 2026, albeit not unanimously.
Narberth artist Emily Stewart used the lingering effects of last month’s snowstorm to craft icy sculptures in her yard, where three Swedish lanterns glowed. More than looking cool, these pieces of public art provide a “little communal social interaction” among neighbors.
A new hotel is coming to the Main Line. Brandywine Realty Trust plans to open a 121-room Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotel at 165 King of Prussia Rd. that will be called The Brandywine. The $60 million Radnor hotel is expected to open in time for college graduations this spring and will have a ground floor tavern and a rooftop terrace.
A Lower Merion High School alum has thrown his hat into the ring to represent the 148th district after State Rep. Mary Jo Daley announced she will not seek reelection. Leo Solga, who graduated LMHS in 2022 and the University of Pennsylvania in December, is a criminal justice researcher at Penn’s Carey School of Law, and served on LMHS student council and Model UN. He will face Jason Landau Goodman, Andrea Deutsch, and Megan Griffin-Shelley in the May Democratic primary. (The Merionite)
Tuesday is the last day to submit responses to the township’s Montgomery Avenue safety study survey, which you can find here.
A note about last week’s newsletter: We’ve updated the photo accompanying details on the Montgomery Avenue safety study to better reflect the story.
🏫 Schools Briefing
Black Rock’s home-school association is hosting an ice cream social tonight and tomorrow Penn Wynne has a fourth grade social. Tomorrow is also “Panther Pride” day at Penn Valley and Tuesday is STEM Night at Black Rock. Next Thursday, the Lower Merion High School Black Student Union is hosting its fourth annual “Shades of Black” showcase, featuring dancing, singing, and spoken word performances. See the district’s full calendar here.
The 2026 Prom Boutique kicks off tomorrow at Lower Merion High School, where students attending prom can browse free dresses and accessories. It’ll be open tomorrow from 3:30 to 6 p.m. and again on Monday from 3:30 to 7 p.m. See all the upcoming dates here.
The deadline to submit applications for the Lower Merion Township Scholarship Fund has been extended one week to Feb. 27. To be eligible, recipients must graduate from a Lower Merion School District high school, have attended one of the district’s high schools for at least two years, have been a student in the district for at least four years, and be a full-time student at an accredited post-secondary education institution.
🍽️ On our Plate
Middle Eastern restaurant Malooga opened its Narberth outpost this week at 203 Haverford Ave. This is the second location for the Old City Philadelphia restaurant that specializes in traditional Yemeni dishes like lamb fahsah, made with potatoes, okra, and herb fenugreek; and saltah, a potato and okra dish.
🎳 Things to Do
🧊 Bryn Mawr on Ice: Ice sculptures will dot Lancaster Avenue between Roberts Road and Bryn Mawr Avenue. ⏰ Friday, Feb. 20, 4-7 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Downtown Bryn Mawr
🔍 Best-Laid Plans: A Murder Mystery: Try your hand at sleuthing in this immersive whodunit at Stoneleigh’s main house. There will also be light food and drinks available. ⏰ Saturday, Feb. 21, 4:30-7:30 p.m. 💵 $75-$85 for standard tickets 📍 Stoneleigh
📽️ Ordinary People: Catch a screening of the 1980 Robert Redford-directed film starring Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, and Timothy Hutton in 4K. ⏰ Monday, Feb. 23, 7:15 p.m. 💵 $11.75-$16.25 📍 Bryn Mawr Film Institute
☪️ Ramadan Crafternoon: Celebrate the holiday with themed crafts at this drop-in event. ⏰ Wednesday, Feb. 25, 3-5 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Gladwyne Library
🏡 On the Market
Built in 1952, this four-bedroom Wynnewood home blends past and present thanks to its classic stone exterior. The home’s first floor features a living room with a fireplace, a dining room, a home office with an exterior entrance, a family room with vaulted ceilings and built-ins, and an eat-in kitchen with an island and double ovens. The bedrooms are all on the second floor, including the primary suite, which has two closets and a bathroom with marble floors and a steam shower. Other features include a screened-in porch, a flagstone patio, and a finished walk-out basement.
See more photos of the home here.
Price: $1.6M | Size: 3,724 SF | Acreage: 0.52
🗞️ What other Lower Merion residents are reading this week:
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