Narberth's 2026 Openings Moved Into Old Addresses and Stretched the Downtown Day

In mid-September, Jen Kurland stood among paint cans and plywood inside 102 Forrest Avenue and talked about what people in Narberth were missing. "People want a place to hang out," she told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "They want just a different energy and something to do."

The storefront she was describing had sold guitars and taught lessons for 17 years. Next weekend it becomes Jeneral Store. In 2026 that has been the pattern downtown. None of the year's notable arrivals built anything new. A Yemeni restaurant, an Indian BYOB and a craft-and-flower shop each moved into an address residents already knew. What changed is what those addresses are for, and the hours of the day they now cover.

A Guitar Shop Becomes a Craft Counter

Danny's Guitar Shop closed at the end of May. Owner Dan Gold retired after 17 years of selling guitars and teaching lessons on Forrest Avenue, as the Inquirer reported in July. Kurland grew up in Havertown, half a block from Gold's childhood home. She spent 30 years in New York working in events and brand strategy, then moved to Narberth. When Gold announced he was closing, she saw her opening.

Danny's was a shop people visited for a purpose. You came for strings, a repair or a lesson. Kurland's plan is closer to a living room with a register. The store will sell fresh flowers, art supplies, curated vintage and new household goods, and penny candy. Its centerpiece is a craft counter set up like a deli counter, where shoppers order supplies à la carte. Patch reports drop-in crafts, workshops and DIY projects you can make in the store or take home. The business calls itself a "third place" for people to create and connect.

"Stop in to build a fresh bouquet at the floral bar, browse our curated and vintage goods, and experience your new neighborhood gathering space."

That invitation, quoted by Patch from the store's social media, announces a grand opening on Friday, Oct. 16 and an opening weekend that runs through Oct. 18. The address in coverage varies. The Inquirer says 102 Forrest Avenue and Patch says 104. Either way, it is the former Danny's on the 100 block. When last checked, Jeneral Store's own site still said "Opening Fall 2026" and had not posted hours. Its workshop series is listed as "coming soon." Kurland says all net proceeds will go to organizations that support LGBTQ+ individuals, and she was still finalizing the list of recipients in September.

Morning Coffee on Haverford Avenue

Kurland is building for afternoons and evenings. On Haverford Avenue, Malooga has spent its first half-year filling the morning.

Chef Mohammed Aqlan and CEO Omar Alkahily have served Yemeni and Saudi food in Old City since 2021. In March they opened their second restaurant, and their first in the suburbs, at 203 Haverford Avenue. The Narberth location serves the hummus, baba ghanoush, grilled meats and Yemeni desserts known from Old City. It also adds something the original doesn't have, a full bakery and coffee bar.

The café opens at 9 a.m. with pistachio lattes, Adani chai and manakish, a flatbread topped with cheeses, meats or spice blends like za'atar. In April, Alkahily told the Inquirer that manakish was one of the most popular items and that the kitchen was working on a larger manakish menu. Morning demand for pastries and coffee was strong enough that Malooga was considering a full breakfast menu. The restaurant's Main Line page now advertises breakfast and manakish. It doesn't say whether a full breakfast menu has launched. The restaurant's site lists daily hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., but its online ordering page lists shorter ones. Check before planning a late dinner around it.

The numbers from spring explain the menu additions. Alkahily said the restaurant had been packed nearly every day and was running about four months ahead of projections, which pushed the team to keep hiring. Malooga is a dinner restaurant that found a morning business in Narberth it never needed in Old City.

The Woodbine Avenue Address With a Long Résumé

The third arrival moved into the address with the most history. Lassan Indian Traditional opened at 232 Woodbine Avenue in April. According to the Inquirer, that space has been home to Margot, Gemelli, Aperto, Carmine's Creole Act II and New Habana in the last decade.

How Lassan got there is what makes it a Narberth story. Co-owners Pema Lama and Shyam Dimdung, who are originally from Nepal, opened the first Lassan in Lafayette Hill in 2024. Many of their regulars there came from in and around Narberth, and those customers persuaded them to open a second location here. The building's owner had also eaten at the Lafayette Hill restaurant and encouraged them to take the Woodbine space. The menu includes pani puri and samosas, curries, roasted meats and vegetables, pistachio kulfi and orange rice pudding. The owners say they hope to add Nepalese dishes over time.

Mayor Dana Edwards described the Malooga and Lassan openings to the Inquirer as "a real sign of momentum for our downtown." The three addresses tell that story in a specific way. A guitar shop is becoming a place to sit and make something. A dinner restaurant now serves coffee at 9 a.m. A space that has turned over again and again is now run by owners whose Narberth customers asked them to come.

October Walks Right Past All Three

This month, the borough's own calendar sends residents downtown several times, close to all three doors. Here is what remains on the downtown calendar as of Oct. 10.

Witches of Narberth starts at the corner where Forrest meets Haverford. That puts it a short walk from both Malooga and the new Jeneral Store. The Narberth Business Association's Dickens page still lists last year's program details, so only the Dec. 6 date is confirmed for 2026. The fall Music & Arts Festival has already happened, on Sept. 13. The Narberth Business Association lists the next one for June 2027, with an Artist's Alley along Forrest Avenue, live music on Haverford Avenue and the NarBark Dog Parade, which is held during the June festival.

Getting Downtown Across the Tracks

For anyone walking downtown from the other side of the Amtrak line, the North Narberth Avenue bridge is part of the trip. The borough's bridge project page notes that the bridge has been closed to cars since 2019. Since Jan. 19, 2026, portions of Elmwood Avenue and S. Narberth Avenue have also been closed to vehicle through-traffic for the reconstruction. Contractor Road-Con's required completion date is July 24, 2029.

Pedestrian access is the part still being decided. Borough Council recommended a design change that would temporarily close the bridge to pedestrians during construction. The borough projects the change would save about eleven months and reduce costs, but PennDOT and Amtrak still have to review it. To understand who uses the crossing and when, the borough recorded a pedestrian count on video from Sept. 21 to Sept. 28. A summary of the September infrastructure committee meeting says any pedestrian closure would come no sooner than January, depending on approvals. It also says staff were evaluating the Wynwood tunnel and Bowman Avenue as alternatives. For the rest of this fall's market Thursdays and the Halloween Parade, the borough's posted plan keeps a walking route across the tracks open. The borough page carries the latest updates.

Downtown changes like these, from a long-running shop handing over its lease to a restaurant adding morning hours, show what a block is turning into before any sales data does. If you're thinking about what the next few years on Forrest, Haverford or Woodbine might mean for your own Narberth home, Arielle Roemer would be glad to walk through it with you. Schedule a Consultation.