In recent years, the area in and around this three-block strip of West Girard Avenue, from 2700 to 2900, has been inching from dismal to trendy. Abandoned houses, shuttered factories, and the saturation of neon-lit, greasy take-out joints have given way to promise.
Soon, instead of dark storefronts, the Jacksons' Rita's water-ice franchise will be book-ended by a coffeehouse and an Italian restaurant. A block north, near 29th Street, there is renewed talk among neighborhood and business types of turning a barren lot into a supermarket. Fliers advertise a spring concert to celebrate the avenue's "art, soul food and life."
Living here allows the Jacksons to balance running a business with their family life. "We don't live far from here," says Kenny Jackson, 36, "so it was important to stay in the neighborhood."
Married seven years, they are investing in their community in more ways than one. They volunteer at schools. They hire and mentor youth. And on Friday, they will open a series of fund-raisers to help keep the neighborhood pool at Athletic Recreation Center open this summer. As much as the area changes, the rec center remains.
That evening, 20 percent of the proceeds from their water ice (mango and Swedish fish are big sellers), gelati, and shakes will go to the city's Splash and Summer Fund, created to fill budget gaps to keep more pools open.
Last year, after launching the effort, the city opened 45 of its 72 outdoor pools, and in some neighborhoods raised questions of why one pool opened while another pool remained closed. This season, communities can target their fund-raising dollars toward their neighborhood pool.
