Flower Show chandelier (Instagram/@twistedphilly)

These 10 entrepreneurs could open inside Philly rec centers

By the end of this year, you could walk into a Philadelphia rec center and find a barber school, a comic book store, or a community seafood program.

More than 600 small biz owners applied, Asha Prihar reports, way more than anticipated. She chatted with the 10 finalists announced last week.

→ Four winners get up to $75k 

Ariell Johnson of Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse (Asha Prihar/Billy Penn)

Philadelphia Flower Show returns indoors, with a new spark

The Philadelphia Flower Show, the nation’s oldest and largest horticultural event, runs now through March 12 — and it’s gloriously colorful as ever.

  • Back at the Convention Center after two years at FDR Park, the event has some changes. There’s a clear winding path through the exhibition, and many installations are larger, and more interactive.

The “Garden Electric” theme is a nod to the spark of joy in giving or receiving flowers, reports Erin Blewett, who took dozens of pics from the show floor.

→ Florals in neon and cotton candy  

Life sized blooms that look like something out of a Dr. Seuss novel stand tall along the promenade at the 2023 Philadelphia Flower Show in the Pa. Convention Center. (Erin Blewett for Billy Penn)

RECAP: What else happened?

$ = paywalled

MAYOR WATCH

Nothing on Mayor Kenney’s schedule today. City & State has a look back at five times he clashed with outgoing Council President Darrell Clarke on policy.

ON THE CALENDAR

🥃 Last minute option for lovers of rye whiskey and fine fashion: the Suits & Sazeracs fundraiser to benefit nonprofit The Wardrobe. Tickets are $75. (6 to 9 p.m. Monday, March 6)

🎵 World Cafe Live and PAFA teamed up for a multimedia music, poetry, and art exhibition celebrating African American artists, with multiple shows this month. (8 p.m. Wednesday, March 8)

💘 Punch Buggy Brewing’s next “Pitch A Friend” event — which our reporters tested out — invites singles to show off their pals at the Kensington taproom. (8 p.m. Thursday, March 9)