Recently two residents have taken to social media to share their home renovations. Realtor, Andrew Mascieri, offers a wonderful diary on Instagram chock full of images, reels and stories under the House of Andrew Tyler that memorialize renovations on his 152 year old Victorian at 33 East Chestnut Avenue. Enjoy a great pictorial stroll with Andrew through the ups and downs of project managing a home restoration including some great before and after shots of updates to his foyer, bathrooms and kitchen. His background in design and passion for his home shine through. You'll also want to take a peek at 1 East Chestnut Avenue, a glorious 1888 Queen Anne victorian and new home to Adrian Rowan Photography and a women’s boutique named House of Rowan - both opening soon. Adrian, an Air Force veteran, former government photographer and, current photography entrepreneur with a new baby, bought her dream home in town this summer and undertook a hectic two-month renovation before reopening her studio in September. Adrian chronicled the progress of her restoration on her Instagram story and will be posting a full blog soon, including details about setbacks she faced and the challenges of getting materials in a COVID-19 world on her business website arowanphoto.com. Merchantville truly appreciates every effort that residents endeavor to rescue, restore and care for our diverse stock of historic and modern era homes. Send your story to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Candy apples have been around for a long time. This vibrant red apple confection usually hits the shelves in the month before Halloween and you can find them every fall at Aunt Charlotte's. According to some sources, in 1908, a candy maker named William W. Kolb was looking for ways to draw customers into his little shop in Newark, New Jersey during Christmastime. To do so, he experimented with a red cinnamon candy, melted it down, and dipped apples on sticks into the sweet yet spicy coating. Delicious Red Candy apples and yummy Caramel Apples are being made now in Aunt Charlotte Candies factory so, stop by and get yourself a nice treat today!

In the past few weeks parents and kids have come upon some delightful, little wooden carvings hidden in the trees while traveling the bike path. These clever sprites are are Koroks from  a race in "The Legend of Zelda" series. They are small, wooden people who wear leaf masks over their faces. Their personalities may differ greatly, and are often reflected in their masks. They are spirits and protectors of the forest they live in. The Koroks are very shy, and do not normally appear to humans - so if you find one you're very lucky! The key to finding Koroks is to look for something out of place. Look for things like a rock that's sitting on top of a pillar, or a balloon with a target painted on it, or an unnatural arrangement of stones. If you listen very carefully, you may also hear a wooden wind chime sound when you're close. Enjoy the hunt!

We were looking forward to the town-wide yard sale, but totally understand it being cancelled. We are going ahead with our sale on Saturday, September 26th at 308 Somerset Avenue. Every penny raised in this multi-family sale will be donated to help the homeless animals at the Animal Welfare Association where we are volunteers. Come shop or donate! We'll be wearing masks and social distancing and ask that you do, too. Hope to see you there!  State of New Jersey information on yard sales, garage sales, estate sales, and similar private sales. Municipalities may impose additional restrictions on these sales.

On Sunday, July 26th, Mike Billig and his wife Kerri were involved in a tragic accident. Kerri sustained many injuries, impeding her ability to walk. Mike did not survive the crash. Kerri is one the stylist at The Clip Joint in Merchantville and is in need of help. Kerri is not only trying to heal physically and emotionally but, suddenly finds herself a widow, unable to work, with two children to care for and a home she can not afford on her own. Please consider making a contribution the Billig Family Go Fund Me campaign. Any monies donated will go directly to the Billig family to help them during these unexpected and difficult times. Let’s show some town love and support, big or small anything would help.

The Camden County Library System invites adults and teens ages 12 and up in our community to contribute to our online Quaranzine, a special publication documenting this monumental and unique moment in time we now find ourselves in. Share your experience with COVID-19 and social distancing using the art medium of your choice. Each issue of the CCLS Quaranzine will be featured on the library’s website. Submissions must be original art. Use the form below to submit your artwork, but be sure to read through the guidelines first.