Duross & Langel

We’ll try not to gush too much — but these guys are everything that’s right with the city. It’s not just the products (though truly, there isn’t a soap, lotion, candle or hair-care product we haven’t nearly tried to eat). It’s what’s in them (preservative-free ingredients derived from botanicals), how they’re made (in small batches, in the in-house soap kitchen or nearby lab), how they’re done up (in 100 percent recyclable packaging), and how they’re sold in a way that totally builds up the community the store is part of (joining with other Midtown Village businesses for sales and events, and employing local services), that make this a model for how to run an independent shop in Philadelphia. So, the gushing thing? Yeah, we take it back.