Vittles Food Hall
Everybody Eats — started during the pandemic as a nonprofit by Black chefs focusing on local food security — debuted a food hall in 2022 that serves everything from seafood (try the snapper and grits at Perfect Catch) to diner-style comforts and soul food. They’re also using the space as a home base for job training, industry mentorship, and their community fridge project. 801 Sproul Street, Chester, PA 19013, instagram.com/vittlesfoodhall.
Buddha Babe
Kids’ clothes can often look so, well, childish. Tina Dixon Spence’s Buddha Babe appeals to style-conscious moms like NBC 10 meteorologist Brittney Shipp with deliciously soft baby essentials that pack plenty of personality, from the newly redesigned “Philly LOVE” theme to anything splashed with “Lil Jawn.” The store’s new sewing classes are some of the hottest tickets in town, with summer camp for kids and Sip and Sew sessions for parents quickly selling out. 7101 Emlen Street, Philadelphia, PA 19119, buddhababe.com.
Prajjé Oscar Jean-Baptiste
The Haitian-born, Fishtown-based women’s fashion designer — who stole the TV world’s most stylish hearts on Season 19 of Project Runway — produces gorgeously intricate, brilliantly colorful ready-to-wear and custom gowns, dresses and matching sets influenced by his former home. Don one for your next gala or wedding or simply for going to the grocery store — any way you wear it, you’ll demand attention. prajjeoscar.com.
Rue Landau and Nina Ahmad
Cherelle Parker wasn’t the only ground-breaking “first” to emerge from our primaries. Landau and Ahmad made some hard-to-believe history with their victories in the City Council at-large race. Landau will become, shockingly, the first openly LGBTQ candidate to win a City Council seat. And Ahmad will become the first South Asian and immigrant elected. Both communities have fought for decades to be represented within City Hall — we’re excited to see how they’ll impact change now that they’re finally there.
Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve
The name is fairly self-explanatory: acres upon acres of positively gorgeous wildflowers. Plus, fun nature activities like the Shinrin-yoku nature therapy walk on August 11th and a family-friendly look at spiders on August 25th. Like what you see growing in the beds? Visit Bowman’s Native Plant Nursery to buy some for yours. 1635 River Road, New Hope, PA 18938, bhwp.org.
Rittenhouse Sports Specialties
The running world is rife with high-tech gear, logos and marketing flash, but sometimes, don't you just want to focus on the basics of your feet hitting the pavement? That's why buying shoes (and browsing through a manageable selection of accessories like water bottles, and some shorts and tees) is so refreshing at this low-key shop, where the owner is a runner herself and totally gets it. 1729 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, rittenhousesports.com.
Nordstrom
Guys can get fitted actually fitted, like man-on-the-stool-with-a-shoehorn for new pairs of Nikes, Toms and Cole Haans. We didnt get the hard (read: annoying) sell after browsing, either. Our salesman encouraged us to weigh our options and order later online, where free shipping and returns are standard. King of Prussia and Cherry Hill malls, 00000, shop.nordstrom.com.
Black Landlord
Funk meets hip-hop meets punk in this Philly octet composed of time-tested veterans of the local music scene, most prominently pimped-out-large-and-in-charge front man Maxx Stoyanoff-Williams, who leads his tight entourage through edgy, fierce horn stacks and beat breakdowns like James Brown on steroids. Buy the band's first full-length album, Addicted to Distraction, which came out earlier this year, or better yet, check out one of its energetic live performances. 00000, blacklandlord.com.
Phileo
For years, New York and L.A. had Pinkberry and Red Mango and Yolato, while we had, well, Rita's custard. Then last summer came Phileo, the shiny green-and-pink fro-yo mecca on South Street, with 16 creamy and often tangy pay-by-the-ounce flavors, and a do-it-yourself toppings bar that houses everything from Cap'n Crunch and Oreo pieces to fresh-cut kiwi and mango. Take that, L.A. 416 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, .
Fishtown Shadfest
It turns out that shad used to be hugely important to the Delaware River economy, a fact our quirky friends in Fishtown (where else?) exploit with their annual Alosa sapidissima-feteing festival at Penn Treaty Park. It's true that Lambertville has been doing a shad festival for decades, but the city's is cooler: We've got shad la Johnny Brenda's and some of the best bands around, lots of local crafts (love the bottle-cap cuff links!) and craft beers, and perhaps our favorite part valet bike parking. Penn Treaty Park, Delaware Avenue and Columbia Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125, fishtownshadfest.net.
All Around This World
Parents rave about dad Jay Sand's internationally themed music classes, taught weekly from his West Philadelphia home. Kids eight and under are a captive audience for what one mom describes as Sand's "wonderful songs, great singing and guitar playing, ridiculous wit, crazy dance moves, and understanding of what it means to be a child." 00000, allaroundthisworld.com.
Treehouse Coffee Shop
Tongue-in-cheek Treehouse claims to grow all its produce and coffee and espresso beans on its roof and milk its own cows up there! It also includes this warning on its website: "Caution, we have lost a couple cows over the edge of the building. So heads up when you park out front." The most laid-back, kid-friendly, Bible-studying, guitar-picking mom-and-pop place to nurse a cuppa joe with some homemade pastry in the entire Philly 'burbs. 120 West Merchant Street, Audubon, NJ 08106, treehousecoffee.net.
Arch Enemy Arts
When the folks at this Old City space claim that their gallery is Philadelphias freshest new venue for the new contemporary art scene, theyre really not lying. The one-year-old gallery exhibits some wonderful works in genres from realism to figurative to pop surrealism, and the art is priced to sell. This month, check out the newest show, Semiotic Weapons, featuring works by 11 local artists. 109 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, archenemyarts.com.
InMovement Gymnastics Education
If being at home with your kids 24/7 has changed your attitude toward screen time, it’s okay. Allay your guilt (if you still have any) by registering for one of the many local kids’ classes that have popped up on YouTube and across social media. See the full write up at Virtual Classes. phillyinmovement.com/virtual-summer-camp-2.
Delco Quarantine Open Mic
Musicians love to play for other people, but once bars and music venues closed, that wasn’t exactly possible. Enter the Facebook group Delco Quarantine Open Mic, which quickly grew to more than 14,800 members — many from Delco, but plenty from other areas, too. The page hosts several shows a week and features some seriously talented people who might make you think about pulling that old guitar of yours out of the attic. facebook.com/groups/524677775121227.