Blair Vanacore hopes to share a taste of Italy with his customers in Hatboro. Vanacore, 52, of Jamison, a sausage-maker since his teen years when his grandmother passed on the family's tradition, plans to open Old World Sausage Factory in a few weeks at the former Second Fiddle consignment shop at 37 S. York Road in Hatboro.  "My sausage is made the way it’s made in Italy," Vanacore told Patch. "It's a totally different product than you’ll find in a grocery store or Altomonte’s. It has a very unique texture to it." In a matter of weeks, following the building's ongoing renovations, customers …

Mandy Jesse describes herself as a "lumberjack" from eons ago. Her perpetually painted hands can no longer wear rings. And she loves it. "This is me," Jesse said with a smile. "Women have lipsticks in their handbags. I've got tape measures." The small-framed Jesse, 49, drives a cargo van, a pickup truck or a big box truck while scouting unwanted furniture, bric a brac and other random items that others view as garbage. "I trash pick. Dumpster dive is what I call it," she said. "I see something and I know I can make something into it." Early beginnings A native of England, Jesse has been …

Calling it a "leap of faith," Rina's Rocks owner Rina Elyce is planning to close her current store later this month and open a new one twice its size. The new, 2,200-square-foot space formerly housed by Salon on Main offers more than additional room to house Elyce's 23-year collection of thousands of rocks, crystals, gems and unique jewelry.   The bigger store, which Elyce is planning to open on May 1, will double as a "wellness center," according to her mother and assistant, Marcia Sklaroff. Besides expanding upon her current, but limited offerings of reiki, meditation, healing classes and …

What comes to mind when you think about a a loved one–or yourself–planning a wedding? Gown. Wedding/reception venue. Food. Guests. Photographer. Videographer. But, would lighting, table settings, centerpieces, color and style coordination on everything from decor to invitations and overall wedding design rank high on your list? It would for Hatboro-based Trilogy Event Design, a brand-new, all-encompassing wedding and special event planning and design business set to open at the former Lacey Lady, 124 N. York Road next month. "That's what you get from a planner," General Manager Michael Magro …

In her 11 years waitressing at the restaurant most recently dubbed Parkside Cafe and Catering, Joy Bader has worked for a handful of owners, including her father and great uncle. When the most recent owner decided he no longer wanted to run what was previously known as Country Sampler, Bader was at a crossroads. "We didn't want to go through another owner," Bader said of herself and fellow waitress Judy Newcomb. So, the waitresses took the plunge, bought and remodeled the 92-seat eatery in September and renamed it Parkside Cafe and Catering. A collaborative business venture, Newcomb said her …

When she realized that her son Stefan's developmental disability prevented him from speaking, Karen Velocci set out to give him a voice. That was 10 years ago. Today, Stefan, now 16, uses applications on his iPad to communicate, or to make requests for a glass of iced tea, Velocci, formerly of Hatboro, told Patch. The lure of games, music, and Youtube videos–with the proper parental controls and supervision–has also encouraged an otherwise unsociable Stefan to roller skate, ice skate and to feel "comfortable in social situations."  "It's a great way to give him a voice," Velocci, of Newtown, …

When Charles and Jeanne Stamets first opened their antiques and collectibles store, it was out of necessity. Jeanne, two years ago, had been out of work and the Roslyn couple needed the extra income that a store could bring in. Fast forward two years and both are employed full-time. Yet, the need to have a store still persists.  “When we travel, we stop at all the antiques stores,” Charles said from the family’s 1-week-old shop, Taylor’s Treasure Chest, at 216 S. York Road in Hatboro. “That got us into it.” Their collections hang from the ceiling, line bookshelves and fill glass cases at the …

Michael Forget is learning to play guitar to a popular Adele song that has no guitar instrumentation. No matter for 9-year-old Michael, or his instructor, Jordan Strauss, director of Lesson Advantage, a systemized, interactive method of teaching kids ages 7 to 12 to play their favorite songs on guitar. Using an iPad and a Mac computer, Strauss, 30, of Hatboro, slows down and simplifies popular songs, like Adele’s “Set Fire to Rain,” claps out the beats, has his students play along, one riff at a time and adds plenty of positive reinforcement throughout. “I’m trying to completely break the …

Karen Hluchan meets new people—both living and dead—constantly through her profession.  A full-time marketing manager whose long-held gift for channeling spirits was recently reawakened, Hluchan never knows who she will come in contact with from one day to the next. "I've had a spirit come eight hours before a reading," Hluchan, a 1991 Hatboro-Horsham High School graduate said during an interview in her Horsham home. "They were eager people in life." And Hluchan, who has began doing tarot card readings in 1993, said that even in death, people stay the same. "Your spirit, who you are, never …

Before there was Famous Footwear or the Men's Wearhouse, Chris Gowen recalls when Len's Shoe Box and Jules Pilch were the go-to shops in Hatboro.  Gowen, 52, a lifelong Hatboro resident - except for his first year of life in Ambler - remembers when Victorian houses dotted the borough, Jack's Clothing, and Woolworth were situated where current borough mainstays like Cafe La Fontana currently reside. "That's when those guys ruled the roost," Gowen said, adding that he remembers decades ago when traffic cops were stationed at Williams and York roads on Friday nights helping to direct traffic. "…

Upon visiting the massive, 40-acre Station Park office complex in Hatboro, visitors are greeted by countless doors leading into the eight different businesses anchoring the site. A main entrance is missing, meaning those unfamiliar with the site are likely to circle about the sprawling parking lot, unsure of where to go. Creating a “focal entrance” is one of many items on a somewhat lengthy to-do list for Alliance Partners, a private real estate investment firm that purchased Station Park for $9 million last month. Prior to the land transfer, Station Park had been in foreclosure and faced an …

Dan Mulhern was tired of throwing away his time, money - and useable furniture and household goods. Mulhern, who owns A & D Mulhern's Moving, last month opened the 2,000-square-foot Alice's Moving and Thrift on South York Road, where the Greater Hatboro Chamber of Commerce had most recently been housed. Inside, the store is stocked with moving supplies like boxes and bubble wrap, as well as dressers, knick knacks and other unwanted items that Mulhern clears from homes during moves. "It was more about us throwing so much stuff out," said Mulhern, of Warminster. "We felt so bad because all the …

With the exception of deep dish pizza, Peter Lin savors the tastes of Chicago when he has a chance to visit the Windy City. Lin, who last month took the reins of the 40-year-old Village Pretzels, is planning to incorporate some of Chicago's tastes - in particular Vienna beef hot dogs, sausages and roast beef sandwiches - into the eatery's menu in the coming months. "We’re going to get hot dogs imported from Chicago," Lin said. "We'll be assembling the premium hot dogs to order." But, Berks dog-lovers need not worry, Lin said that popular variety will be sticking around.  "People seem to like …

Alencon Systems, an immigrant-founded company that produces solar and other alternative energy sources, set up shop on Warmisnter Road in Hatboro in August. Alencon is a business to business provider that serves large engineering and construction firms and developers. The company of eight employees hopes to take advantage of the worldwide market due to strong economics in the global solar industry. “Three years from now, I expect to be exporting a major fraction of what we produce because … the United States is only about 25 percent of the worldwide market,” Alencon Systems CEO John Bunce …

When Julie Marsella and her husband Tony lost their jobs in the fall of 2011, bouncing back with a business of sorts that had grown from "personal interest" was a no-brainer. It was not uncommon for one or both of the Marsellas to frequent cemeteries in Springfield, Bensalem, Warminster or Warrington to pay tribute to their loved ones at their final resting places.  But, getting the Marsellas' Beloved Guardians off the ground has proven to be a bit challenging. The beneficiaries of the couple's work can not thank them, recommend their services, or book them for additional work. "You don’t …

Horsham resident Eric Boyer did not think he would end up in the construction business much less owning a business specializing in finishing basements. The owner of EBCON Services had interests in athletic training in his college years. He landed a sales job in joint replacement after he finished school, but it left him unfulfilled. In 1996, the Hatboro-Horsham High School grad started a construction business that covered everything. Around the time he and his wife, Amy —a 1986 Hatboro-Horsham graduate — moved back to Horsham from East Norriton in 2004, Boyer decided choosing a specialty was …

When David Bradford and Laura Brennan were given a rocky start to their beginnings as an engaged couple, the duo took those rocks and made jewelry: Lots of it. Brennan, 28, a customer care representative by day, had been looking for an outlet for her creativity. She found it in a how-to beading book that she picked up in a craft store.  "In December of 2010, my new and most loved craft was born," Brennan told Patch in an e-mail interview.  About a year later as the couple, who was in the process of moving to Horsham, readied for holiday break, Bradford was laid off from his job. "Shock, …

Business owner Bruce Levine is laser focused on building. Levine, of Huntingdon Valley, chose to stay and build anew in Hatboro instead of staying with his former employer, Spa Escape in Hatboro, or relocating to Horsham as part of a new salon run by the same owner as Spa Escape. "I looked at 50 places in Hatboro," he said, adding that 101 E. Moreland Ave., suite 3, home of his business, In Good Hands Salon and Spa, "lent itself very well." But, a building would be nothing without people to provide services. Levine, a massage therapist of 17 years, brought with him four fellow colleagues of …

Luigi Romano kneads and tosses pizza dough like he's been doing it all his life.  Probably because he has been. Romano, who moved from Italy to Pennsylvania at age 12, opened his first pizza shop in Doylestown at 16 years old. "This is all I know how to do," Romano tells Patch in his unmistakable accent. "I love to cook." But, much has changed since the then budding restaurateur made his first pizza pie. He's owned his share of casual fare pizza shops and fine dining Italian eateries in Philadelphia, Maryland and New Jersey. So many in fact, that Romano said he has lost track of how many …

Michael Badial likens dog training to martial arts. “There’s another being you’re trying to control,” said Badial, co-owner along with girlfriend Jamie Rhoads of Horsham-based Best Paw Forward Inc. “We’re here to show you what you’re doing that’s causing problems.” The 2,000-square-foot Maple Avenue business opened on Oct. 1 as an outgrowth of five years of dog training that Badial and Rhoads had been doing primarily in client’s homes. Rhoads, of Hatboro, said the second-floor former construction space that the couple has partially equipped with rubber matting for agility training and other …