Get PUMPED
I want to give a special shout-out to my friend, Dwayne Wimmer, owner of Vertex Fitness Personal Training Studio who’s hosting an open house/fundraiser on April 27 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The new charitable arm of his business is called Vertex Fitness PUMPED (People United Making Progress Through Education and Donations).
Dwayne is a consistent supporter of countless charities and organizations on the Main Line, so it’s not surprising that he’s taken the initiative to help raise funds for special charities referred to him by his clients. This year’s beneficiaries include Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance, Kids and Hope, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, and the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Steve Morrison from 93.3 WMMR’s Preston and Steve Show and Mike Jerrick from Fox 29 News are the special guests for the event, which will include a sampling of local food and drinks along with area retailers selling their wares. I know that the outstanding trainers at Vertex will be there, too, so if you have any fitness-related questions you’re dying to get answered, come on out and bend their ears!
Vertex Fitness, 24 N. Merion Ave., Bryn Mawr; (610) 525-6604, vertexfit.com.
Kitchen Tour
I’m a sucker for a great house tour. Yesterday, I attended the Episcopal Academy House Tour, which is definitely one of my favorites of the year. The EA House Tour committee outdid themselves this year with finding truly exceptional houses. Although it’s not a complete house tour, I’ll be satisfied this weekend with Ardmore Library’s Fifth Annual Kitchen Tour on April 25 from 1 to 4 p.m. The “Recipe for Renovation” tour is self-guided and showcases eight recently renovated kitchens in the lower Main Line area, including an elegant kitchen created from a former doctor’s office in a 1920s Tudor, a contemporary kitchen that uses color for dramatic effect, and a meticulously planned kitchen in the French country style with many handcrafted elements. Cost: $25/first ticket, $20/each additional ticket that’s simultaneously purchased. Walk-up registration welcome beginning at 11 a.m. at the Ardmore Library. Proceeds benefit library programs and collections. Visit lmls.org.
And while I’m in Ardmore, I plan to stop by the Main Line’s first open-air market, Clover Market, which debuted two weeks ago to resounding acclaim. (And we heard the Main Line’s biggest celebrity, Ms. Patti LaBelle, was in attendance.) Visit clovermarket.blogspot.com.
Fashion Fundraising
This Thursday, April 29, Skirt Boutique is hosting a night of shopping to benefit HelpUsAdopt.org. This nonprofit, founded by Main Line natives Becky and Kipp Fawcett provides grants to qualified couples and individuals to help with the expense of adoption. The evening includes cocktails, a Denise Cox Jewelry Design trunk show, and, for every $50 donation, a $50 gift card to Skirt, good off your purchase of $200 or more (for every $100 donation, you’ll receive a $100 gift card, good off your purchase of $400 or more). Sounds to me like a great excuse to shop! Visit helpusadopt.org.
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Three Cheers for ‘3 by Three’
And last, but certainly not least, check out the latest fashions from three of Philadelphia’s cutting-edge textile and fashion designers, Melissa D’Agostino, Rachel Sherman and Janell Wysock at the highly anticipated cocktail and runway show, 3 by three, on April 30 from 7 to 9 p.m. The exceptional Philadelphia home furnishings warehouse, Material Culture, is the unique venue for the event. For a sneak preview of their spring collection, tune into NBC’s 10! Show on April 26. Cost: $10 at the door, $5 with R.S.V.P. via e-mail at threeby3three@gmail.com or online at 3bythree.com by April 25.
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Final Statement
In between all these fundraisers and fashion shows, I’m going to visit State of Grace Boutique in Bryn Mawr before it closes its doors for the final time on May 8. From now until then, everything in the store is an astounding 60 to 80 percent off. Some of the unbelievable deals include marked down prices to as low as $50 for Jeans from Joe’s, Rich and Skinny, and Habitual; dresses from Max and Cleo, Bailey 44 and Sweetees marked down to as low as $30; and Bobi T-shirts for only $10. State of Grace, 1029 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr, (610) 525-0100.
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