Pulse: Style: Shop Talk: Afternoon in Ambler
Whether you’re hungry or not, the Flour Pot, the “cookie boutique” on the first floor of a yellow-and-white Victorian, will seduce you with the aromas from its kitchen. Also for sale: dozens of cookbooks, vintage potholders, baking kits for kids, and a wide selection of cake plates, from mid-century yellow ceramic to delicate painted glass (61 North Main Street; 215-540-8885).
Follow the wall of greeting cards back to Open Dialog’s sleek custom stationery studio for a powwow about your custom invites with owner/graphic designer Jay Kadash. Or hang out up front and browse the witty retro knickknacks—garden gnomes for your potted plant, a kitschy Housewives tarot deck (11 East Butler Avenue; 215-628-0200).
Need a housewarming gift? Visit Mojave Moon, where co-owner Stacey Sanni has just the luxe thing, from Caldrea soaps and lotions to sumptuous Seda France candles. For sommeliers-in-training, find food-and-wine pairing charts, wine-rack bookends, or, perfect for the jaunt to a favorite BYOB, Oenophilia totes (95 East Butler Avenue; 215-646-1609).
The motto at tiny, light-filled gift-and-clothing shop Cricket is “Current. Classic.” Yep, it’s preppy here, but with a stylish twist. Check out handpainted monogrammed trays from $55; local designer Marlyn Schiff’s wrap necklaces for $128; and silk-screened My Flat in London tees for $45 (2 West Butler Avenue; 215-643-9190).
If you’ve got it and you love it, Palladio will frame it. On the walls in the former Ambler Trust building hang a hockey jersey, baby clothes and a sewing kit, each handsomely displayed behind glass. Along with mounting your mementos, the shop sells a selection of artful housewares, like Sabre tableware that—who knows?—you may bring back one day to have framed (1 West Butler Avenue; 215-646-1012).
“Everything has a vintage spin or is recycled,” says PS Vintage owner Pamela Simón of the goods in her bright blue shop. (The color was inspired by a piece of 1940s Bauer pottery.) Simón sells textiles from the ’20s through the ’70s, plus hats, pillows and handbags she crafts from the fabrics. Commission her to create your vintage vision, from a damask duvet cover to barkcloth bar stools (101 North Main Street; 215-540-1920).
