Outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is a small suburban town with a population of 6,849 people known as Ambler. Ambler, Pennsylvania perfectly fits the definition of a small town- covering less than one square mile, but despite its petite size, the town is incredibly complete due to the many great aspects that make up the town and the special features it has to offer. Known for its vibrant arts scene, a wide range of cuisine, an abundance of shops and services, and many well-known special events, more and more people are attracted to this town each year making it even more lively and keeping the streets full of energy. Originally known as the Village of Wissahickon, the town was renamed Ambler in 1869 in honor of Mary Johnson Ambler, a Quaker resident who helped to lead rescue efforts during the Great Train Wreck of 1856. In the 19th century, the town served as a large manufacturing hub which gave a leap to a long retail gallery on Butler Pike- still the main street of Ambler that we see all of the restaurants and small businesses on today. Around the town were well-crafted Victorian buildings and row homes, which can still be seen today in the town’s very historical feel. Although the town has still kept many of the buildings that show their rich history, Ambler has very much reinvented itself in the 21st century. 

    Downtown Ambler is a walkable, social, cultural, and business center with terrific curb appeal, friendly area residents, visitors, and the surrounding communities in the Delaware Valley. This captivating, small town setting is also combined with eclectic shopping, award-winning entertainment options, delectable dining, and professional services from local professionals that truly make it worth visiting again and again. Ambler also makes it extremely simple to shop locally and support the community by promoting small businesses. There are a wide variety of restaurants and businesses located in downtown Ambler to check out, including Aloha Smoothie Company, the Ambler Theater, the Act II Playhouse, the Ambler Vegan Company, Backyard Beans Coffee Co., Costa Deli & Gina’s Amazing Gourmet Cupcakes, Dettera Restaurant & Wine Bar, From the Boot Restaurant, Ganar Clothing Company, Gyspy Blu Restaurant, Jackets N’ Things, Jade Organic Salon, the Juice Pod, KC’s Alley, La Provence, The Lucky Well, Main Street Vintage, Pie and Plate Cafe, The Pizza Box, Sweet Briar Cafe, Wake Coffee, and so much more! Each business is super unique and offers its own thing to the town making it so easy for everyone to find something they like and making the town so diverse and interesting to explore.

   This past weekend, I had the opportunity to go to Ambler with my friends and see for myself what this town has to offer. I can say that I, nor my friends, were disappointed. Right when you enter the downtown area, lights are hanging from the trees and so many different businesses line the street with people walking everywhere, making the town feel so alive. For dinner, we decided to go to Gypsy Blu- a restaurant that serves a wide range of American cuisine and craft beer served in a vintage-chic pub with live music and outdoor seating. Gypsy Blu has many options, whether it is for brunch, lunch, dinner, or just desserts or drinks. The exterior of the restaurant has the appearance of a castle, while the inside is contemporary and elegant, making it a super cool atmosphere while you are dining. Gypsy Blu, which was opened in 2015 by the Conshy Girls Restaurant Group, was recently sold to the Ross Restaurant Group in mid-June of 2020. Bob Ross, the executive of the Ross Restaurant Group, reopened the restaurant with a new menu and some minor interior changes with a lot of outdoor seating on both the front patio and upper-level balconies. I was able to briefly talk with Ross, and in that short period of time he stated how excited he is for the restaurant and what is to come for it under his new ownership. Seeing Gypsy Blu’s very well rated reviews, we decided to try meals that were different from one another to truly test out everything that they have to offer to their guests. For an appetizer, the three of us decided to share the Mediterranean Plate, which consists of hummus, cucumbers, black olives, tomatoes, and warm pita. The ingredients were extremely fresh and super flavorful. For our main meals, I ordered the Fig, Prosciutto, Balsamic Onions, and Blu Cheese Flatbread, Kendall ordered the Protein Bowl- quinoa, edamame, chickpeas, roasted tofu with ponzu dressing, and Liz ordered the Grilled Chicken Sammich with prosciutto, arugula, fresh mozzarella, and sundried tomato spread on ciabatta. Everyone really enjoyed their meals and thought they were very unique. When asked about their experience at Gyspy Blu, Kendall Gustovich answered “I really liked the aesthetic inside and the many customers brought more energy to the restaurant overall. I also really enjoyed the food!” We also tried out a local coffee shop called Retrofuture Coffee. The owner creates his own blends and concepts for his coffees and uses some of his favorite movies and music to create products that will not only taste great but bring nostalgia to customers. A quote from their website states, “Good coffee, timeless nostalgic themes, and futuristic concepts. Retrofuture Coffee is the combination of all my passions. Enjoy my special original roast and flavors, which makes a perfect cup.” At Retrofuture Coffee, we all ordered iced drinks- an iced salted caramel latte, iced hazelnut latte with almond milk, and an iced caramel coffee. We all agreed that the coffee was much different than your normal chain coffee shop and the flavors were super strong and delicious!

  Overall, I can say that Ambler has an atmosphere that stands out from other neighboring towns and has something for everyone to enjoy. I would recommend Ambler to anyone who enjoys trying out cool, unique restaurants, supporting local businesses, or to anyone who wants to see somewhere different and create new experiences. When asked about their impression of Ambler, Kendall Gustovich replied, “I thought it was very cute and had a good atmosphere with a lot of restaurants and downtown shops. I enjoyed how everything was lit up at night and how many people were out. I would like to go during the day next time to see the small shops and other businesses in the town that were not open when we went to see what they add to the downtown area.” The town really speaks for itself in terms of diversity in the shops, sense of community, and liveliness in several different ways and is somewhere I am eager to visit again. Even though the town is up and coming, I am extremely excited to see how this town continues to grow. I would 100% recommend for everyone to visit this little, yet mighty town and see all it has to offer!