January is National Soup Month and Camden County is home to Campbell's Soup Company... a name that's synonymous with soup. Explore other local soup places in our area as we connect our community with you.

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Philadelphia is the 2nd largest city on the East Coast and has the 3rd most populous downtown in the country. Although there are many different neighborhoods in Philadelphia, the median home price in Center City is $515,000. It’s easy to get around - PATCO and SEPTA take you throughout the city, as well to NJ and the suburbs of Philadelphia. The AMTRAK station is also easily accessible and can take you to NYC and Washington DC within an hour and a half. If you’re looking to venture farther, the Philadelphia International Airport is a short drive or SEPTA ride away. There are many public and private schools across the city, as well as many colleges and universities. Did you know that 1 out of 6 doctors in the US was trained in Philadelphia? Philadelphia is home to the first women’s medical school in the world, the first children’s hospital in the US, the first college of pharmacy in the US, the first medical school in the US and, the first hospital in the Western Hemisphere devoted to the eye (that’s a lot of medical firsts!). Besides medical history, Philadelphia has a lot of US history; The Declaration of Independence was written and signed here, it was the first capital of the United States and the liberty bell can be viewed here. Philadelphia is very diverse; it was ranked the best city in America for diversity in science, tech, engineering, and math by Smart Asset. It was also rated as one of the world’s best cities for parks, according to Frommer’s. It has the 2nd largest Chinatown on the East Coast and the oldest continually running theater in the English speaking world (The Walnut Street Theater).

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Located in Camden County, the town of Haddonfield was founded in 1713 and is a quick 15 minute drive into Philadelphia. Approximately 11,000 people live here, many of whom love the small town feel and walkability of Haddonfield. Others have moved here for the school districts, as Haddonfield School District is ranked 16th in the state of New Jersey. Haddonfield is also a great location for people who commute to work; the PATCO line brings you into Philadelphia in about 10 minutes, and the Interstate is easily accessible for those who want to drive to NYC, the shore, or Delaware. Median home prices are $600,000. Fun fact: the first complete dinosaur skeleton was found in Haddonfield – it was named the Hadrosaurus and you can find it among the many sculptures that dot the downtown.

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Prior to WWII, Cherry Hill was made up of many small towns and was known as Delaware Township. After the war, people left the cities and settled in the area. In 1961, after a population surge, the township decided to change its name to Cherry Hill. The name was chosen for a local farm that later had a prosperous Inn. Cherry Hill is among the top 75 school districts in the state of NJ, and top 2 of Camden County. 71,000 people live in the sprawling town with access to PATCO, Amtrak and Interstates. Median home prices are $365,000. Cherry Hill Library is one of the largest in NJ and it also has 51 public parks as well as 3 that are owned by Camden County.

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Moorestown is located in Burlington County and is home to approximately 20,000 people. The current Main Street follows a ridge that was occupied by the Lenni Lenape Native Americans and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. The first English Speaking residents moved here in 1682 and in 1785 the Quaker residents built 2 schools, one being the highly rated Moorestown Friends School. Moorestown is well known for its schools; the public school system there is in the top 10 for New Jersey. Residents can easily access the highways for their commute as Philadelphia is only 25 minutes away. Median home prices are $570,000.

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Conveniently located in Collingswood, NJ, UpCycle was opened in May 2015 by a husband and wife duo, Kim and Jake Goodman. The UpCycle studio is in a beautifully renovated historic building and offers a variety of classes including cycling, barre, strength training, yoga, and even some meditation classes. Classes are scheduled between 5:30 am and 7:00 pm weekdays to meet the demand of their students' busy schedules. On the weekends, classes are offered in the mornings, before noon. Their classes range from beginner to advanced and they also offer an entire library of on-demand cycling, barre, yoga, strength, and even a handful of meditations for members to enjoy at home or on the go.

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Tara Mangold founded the unique HIIT style studio, Toning Up With T, in Cherry Hill, NJ. Tara offers six classes per day during the workweek; from 5:00 am to 5:30 pm, and three Saturday classes from 7:00-9:00am. Classes last 55 minutes and range from High-Intensity Interval Training to Strength Training.

Since re-opening her doors post-shutdown, Tara has offered both indoor and outdoor classes, taking precautions to wipe down all surfaces, limiting class sizes, and using a fogger machine to disinfect the room after each session. Her studio is also deep
cleaned weekly to keep her clients safe.

Toning Up With T's new location just opened at 5 Esterbrook Lane in Cherry Hill.

Who doesn’t love a good Before and After?! This month on Colleen’s Community Connections: It's Home Makeover March! Throughout the month we will highlight local businesses that design and create changes in your home.

✨ Featuring ✨
@meant_to_bee_home
@stanislowwoodworks
@snydergroupremodeling and @improvementrkh

They have all transformed spaces in different ways and we can't wait to share them all with you! Be sure to follow them all on social media, and reach out to them for your next home project!

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It's Transformation Tuesday with Jill Bonawitz of @meant_to_bee_home!

On this week's episode, get an in depth look at this amazing kitchen transformation! Jill updated a kitchen with the goal of maximizing the flow and giving the space a more modern look. Wallpaper was the jumping off point that inspired the whole design. There were some delays with installing the countertop, but the project was completed in 5 weeks. Kitchen makeover costs vary according to the scope of the porject, but typically fall within the $30-50,000 range.

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Four years ago, Greg Stanislow left a career as a math teacher to follow his passion for woodworking. After working in a wood and metal shop and watching many hours of carpentry videos on YouTube, Greg started Stanislow Woodworks LLC, which specializes in handcrafted, built-in cabinetry. He and his partner Matt create custom pieces to meet their client’s needs, including entertainment units, mudroom benches, fireplace surrounds, closets, and pantries. Check out this video to see how his custom cabinetry transforms this home office.

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Husband and wife duo, Ryan and Gina Kelly are the force behind RK Home Improvement. Six years ago, while planning for Ryan’s eventual retirement from his job as a police officer, Gina and Ryan decided to make a business out of their love of home improvement. RK Home Improvement is happy to help with basic handyman work to completing a home remodel. They also love to help the client design the space and select finishes.

After RK Home Improvement finished their client's basement, the owners decided to update an adjacent bathroom to help complete the overall look of the space. Updating the bathroom took about one week to complete. RK Home Improvement was able to prep, paint, and refresh the grout which completely changed and updated the look of the space in a short period of time.

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The Snyder Group was founded in 2014 by Spencer S. Tait with a primary focus on kitchen and bath remodeling. Built around the concept of honest quality work, an eye for perfection, and the knowledge to tackle projects of any size without overlooking small details. Their keen eye for details allow them to deliver perfectly balanced design and execution of even the most difficult areas of your home. Started in Moorestown and as they have grown and expanded over the years, they kept their office and shop in town. Their expansion includes a fully operational woodworking shop to custom build and finish cabinets as well as bring all of our materials in ahead of our projects to ensure we are ready in these challenging times. They continue to grow and are now a full-service remodeling firm with the ability to handle the largest of projects and smaller handyman services with the same great communication and customer service.

The Snyder Group does amazing custom work, and we particularly loved how they transformed an outdated, 1960’s bathroom into a timeless spa-like space. Taking design elements from different aspects of their clients' inspiration pictures, they formulate a cohesive and well balanced design. The Snyder Group keeps an eye on the budget to make sure the finishes don’t push it over, but says bathroom remodels can cost around $40,000 and usually take 3-4 weeks. The team at The Snyder Group works together seamlessly and pulls from their varied backgrounds to plan their projects and keep delivery schedules on time.


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Because it's more than connecting you to the right home, it's connecting you to the right community.

Earth Day is on April 22nd this year. There are so many businesses in our area that focus on sustainability, zero waste and earth friendly practices, that we wanted to spend the month spotlighting them. We are focusing on professional gardeners, sustainable stores, compost companies and builders of raised beds, as well as a community spotlight to discuss CSAs.

To quote Tina Solak of The Refill Market, "Making small environmental changes to your daily routine or your purchasing habits may not seem like a big deal, but taken in aggregate across a community, they can make a huge impact.”

I hope this series inspires you to make a small change.

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NJ natives, Catie Doherty and Ian Urquhart met in college 6 years ago while in college. Catie transferred to the University of New Hampshire to study Environmental Conservation and Sustainability and Ian moved with her. During the height of the COVID pandemic, Catie and Ian moved back to New Jersey. They searched the area to find a composting service for their home, but couldn't find one. They decided to fill a need in the community and created Garden State Composting.

Garden State Composting serves as a link between the community and the compost pile. Many of their customers don't want to have a compost pile in their backyard, or do not have the space or time for one. Clients get a 5-gallon bin that they fill with food scraps. The bins are collected weekly or biweekly - depending on the plan they choose. Once the food scraps have been collected they are taken to a partnering farm that turns the scraps into compost. The compost created is used at the farm and also sold to Garden State Composting customers.

Catie says that by joining a grassroots community effort to compost, you not only help the earth and soil, but work together with other people to help the earth. Composting is a small way that we can be more earth conscious, but also something that is easy to improve on.

Garden State Composting currently serves Haddon Heights, Haddonfield, Haddon Township, Collingswood, Audubon, Oaklyn, Cherry Hill, Barrington, Mt. Ephram, Marlton, Mount Laurel, Voorhees, Merchantville, and Moorestown.


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Haddonfield resident, Stephanie Smith, provides a local pick up location for the Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op. The CSA (community supported agriculture) is based out of Lancaster, PA and is an organic farmer's co-op with over 100 farms. Participants can get things like fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, cheese, flowers, and even meats.

CSA's directly connect consumers to farms, giving them seasonally fresh food with very little transit time between harvesting and arriving at your door. By participating in a CSA, people pay for their share before the season starts which directly helps farmers.

We are so fortunate to live in this area and have many CSA's to choose from. Check out these other options to help you figure out which is the best fit for you: Johnsons Farm, Free Haven Farms, Cecil Creek Farm, Savoie Organic Farm.

If you are unable to join a CSA, make sure to check out your local farmer's market!

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Toni Farmer is a professor at Rowan University in the school of Earth and Environmental Science where she teaches The Future of Food. She holds a Masters of Environmental Sustainability from the University of Pennsylvania and is almost finished with her Master Gardener certification. She has been a passionate backyard gardener for almost 30 years and if you can grow it in South Jersey soil, she has grown it! She runs Toni Farmer's Garden, a website and social media based business that teaches citizens to grow their own food organically, sustainably, and abundantly.

Toni is also a supporter and educator for school gardens. In 2012 she built a city-wide public school garden program in Moorestown, NJ and also helps run or consults with school gardens around the country. Toni speaks frequently to garden and horticulture clubs and in the summer she provides the garden video content for SJ Magazine, winning “best of” for 2021. From 2012 - 2016 she was the Garden Coordinator for Live Civilly, a South Jersey non-profit. She has also served as a council member of the Sustainable Moorestown Committee.

Her hope is to teach as many people as possible how to grow their own food: in community gardens, school yards, and backyards. Climate change is an increasing threat to agriculture and our food supply. Learning to grow food is a critical tool for healthy food access.

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Childhood best friends, Brian Pearsall and Alex Seidel, are the brains behind Backyard Gardens LLC. The idea for their business formed after noticing that people with various health issues were unable to garden. They saw an easier solution with raised beds.

Gardening is a hobby that provides movement, as well as providing a healthier diet with organically grown fruits and vegetables. Gardening is also a gateway to embracing connection, to food, the earth, and each other which are the driving principles for the company.

Backyard Gardens is experienced in sustainable and organic farming practices and also in Inclusive garden design. They create custom raised beds all over South Jersey; parts of central Jersey; Philadelphia, and some surrounding suburbs in Pennsylvania. All of their raised beds are constructed on site with untreated lumber.

Backyard Gardens hopes that people get their hands in the dirt and care for their plants as plants communicate with us and let us know how they’re doing. They believe, “Home gardening in its essence is an active counter to the current highly unsustainable global food distribution system. So gardening as a whole is a conscious act towards a more sustainable future.”

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Life long environmentalist, Tina Solak started The Refill Market after noting the large quantity of plastic she tossed into her recycling bin each week. After spending a year researching products, which involved buying and testing products in her home, she opened The Refill Market, a place where people can buy household basics like dish soap and laundry detergent in bulk and refill the containers when they are empty.

Customers can also find non refill products that are environmentally friendly; toothpaste, shampoo bars, reusable paper towels, sandwich bags, makeup pads, etc. Tina strives to have her products meet most of the following criteria; plastic free, minimal or no packaging, small business and/or locally made.

The Refill Market offers the ability for people to recycle things like crayons, toothbrushes, writing utensils, razors, Brita products, plastic bags and packing bubbles. Check out their website for a complete list.

Tina believes that, “Making small environmental changes to your daily routine or your purchasing habits may not seem like a big deal, but taken in aggregate across a community, they can make a huge impact.” Her hope is that by bringing this store to Haddon Township, that she will help others make small changes in their routine too.

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