🚫 No-Buy 2025 | Morning Newsletter

Welcome to a new week, Philly.

Some consumers are responding to economic uncertainty by limiting their spending on nonessential items, or cutting out shopping altogether. Meet the Philly-area residents doing No-Buy 2025.

And Nicetown developed a tight-knit culture to survive decades of disasters. Read on to learn how highway construction, a drug epidemic, and gentrifying efforts threatened to destroy a community that soldiers on despite the odds.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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No-buy and low-buy challenges have risen in popularity as consumer pessimism rises, too. For some Philly-area residents who aim to reduce waste, be more mindful about the types of businesses they’re supporting, or just save cash, buying few or zero nonessential items is already paying off — with some surprises.

🚫 What they cut: Streaming services, online shopping, fast food, and date nights have all been sacrificed in the name of No-Buy 2025.

🚫 Tangible and intangible benefits: One person who swore off clothing purchases estimates she’s saved more than $1,000 so far; another no-buyer, $5,000. Some report having more free time and less screen time as their spending habits change.

🚫 Expecting the unexpected: “For me, it’s about being more intentional about how I spend my money and recognizing I need to save more of it,” a Voorhees resident told The Inquirer. “Who knows what’s going to happen with the economy?”

Consumer reporter Erin McCarthy asked local folks how the challenges are going — and rounded up tips for those considering the lifestyle change.

In other money news: Despite egg prices dropping somewhat in time for Easter, some left the oval-shaped food out of Sunday’s celebrations, as they told us at South Philly’s 92nd annual Easter Promenade.

In the past few decades, Nicetown has seen “disaster after disaster,” as one longtime resident put it.

There was the controversial Roosevelt Boulevard Extension, which cut through the North Philadelphia neighborhood. The collapse of the manufacturing job base in a former industrial hub. The rise of drug trafficking amid the crack cocaine epidemic.

Nowadays, there are signs of restoration, such as community- and transit-oriented development projects. Yet neighbors are wary after years of experiencing the effect of plans created by outsiders.

Reporter Lynette Hazelton takes a look at Nicetown’s past, present, and future through the eyes of its residents.

Which former Phillies star called his first regular-season game Sunday at Citizens Bank Park?

A) Cole Hamels

B) Chase Utley

C) Jimmy Rollins

D) Shane Victorino

Think you know? Check your answer.

🐎 Watching: The Smarty Jones doc about the racehorse from Philly and/or Bensalem.

🩺 Asking: A South Philly nurse if medical drama The Pitt is accurate.

🥞 Making: Reservations to celebrate Mother’s Day brunch in Philadelphia and the ‘burbs.

🍅 Shopping: These suburban farmers markets, from the Main Line to the Shore.

🖥️ Considering: What parents can actually do to keep their kids safe online.

Hint: Includes Gloucester and Salem Counties

HERESY JOUST

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.

Cheers to Judi Reiss, who solved Sunday’s anagram: Based on a True Story. West Philly rapper and actor Will Smith’s first album in 20 years taps into his anger and soul-searching struggles after the infamous Oscars slap.

Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.

This “only in Philly” story comes from reader Joe Morris, who shared memories of the old Electric Factory:

You might think that the Electric Factory got its name because it featured hard-rock electronic bands. The real reason was that it was a former electric supply building, purchased by the Spivak brothers, two bar owners-turned-concert promoters. It was not a typical concert venue — a wide-open space with black painted walls and ceiling with hanging psychedelic lights. Everyone stood on the floor in front of the performance stage, waiting to be crushed by the other concert fanatics. The floor was covered with low-grade industrial carpet.

The concert experience of my brother, Dan (a.k.a. Fishhead), might evoke some of your own memories of the iconic Electric Factory in the ’60s.

I developed a taste for the blues and got to see legend Muddy Waters play at the Electric Factory in October 1968. It was an amazing concert — Muddy Waters played his top hits, including “Walkin’ Blues” and “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man.” When he launched into “Got My Mojo Working,” the crowd went berserk.

However, Fishhead’s Electric Factory experience was vastly different. Because he was on a college student’s budget, he could not afford a concert with a big-name band. But finally, he learned of a concert happening there with an admission price he could afford, and bought a ticket.

Noticing the absence of a waiting line to enter, Fishhead quickly realized why the ticket was so cheap: The lineup was all unknown performers. Turns out a big-name band had canceled and the Spivak brothers quickly booked a couple of garage bands who should have stayed in their garage.

The second act started as an acoustic set. After their second song, a woman who had been sitting on the side pranced to the center of the stage. She compensated for a poor singing voice by screaming into the mic. Well, it only took two songs for the audience to start grumbling at her. She stopped mid-lyric to yell back at the audience. The crowd began shouting her down with a consensus that she should shut up and just let the band play. It got heated as she rained obscenities on the audience, which ignited pandemonium involving the rhythmic stomping of feet by the crowd. This continued for about 10 minutes until the vocalist left the stage.

That experience caused me to avoid any future trips to the Electric Factory. From then on I spent my live music money at the Main Point in Bryn Mawr, where my first outing was seeing Bruce Springsteen.

May your Monday be easy and your concert experiences all you hope they’ll be. See you tomorrow.

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