Weavers Way Mercantile
The Weavers Way Co-Op has long been a part of the Mount Airy community (48 years and counting!), but the mercantile shop across the street opened in 2016. The space itself — a former garage — makes for a highly pleasant browsing experience, and the home goods and vintage clothes on offer will add retro personality to any home or closet. It’s not just limited to secondhand goods, though: Ceramics, candles, jewelry and more from local makers serve as reminders of the area’s rich artistic history. 559 Carpenter Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19119, etsy.com/shop/WeaversWayMerc.
Massage Bella Vista
First you'll choose your scented oil and your music, and then you'll be ushered into a dark, quiet treatment room where you'll meet your therapist. With any luck, you'll get Blue Simmons, whose expert hands will home in on your sorest parts like a missile on its target. After your 75-minute rubdown, she'll walk you through an at-home regimen to keep you loose between visits. 750 Fitzwater Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, massagephilly.com/bella-vista.html.
Bibou
Pierre Calmels doesnt just do right by the classics (escargots, terrines, veal sweetbreads); he shows how fresh contemporary French cooking can be. (Think shellfish bisque with pomegranate seeds, or seared foie gras with a lime-tanged plum chutney.) Meanwhile, his lovely wife, Charlotte, turns the dining room into a home away from home for Phillys French expats. 1009 South 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, biboubyob.com.
Carlos Rogers at Hush Salon Philadelphia
Show us a dude who says he's not obsessed with his dome's sprouts, and we'll show you a fibber. Hush co-owner Carlos Rogers understands. From his salon tucked in the back of Old City's Sweat gym, Rogers makes the most of man's sole groom-able God-given gift, working with volume and texture, face shape and style needs, gently breaking inconvenient truths about thinning tops, and sending fellows back into the cold, hard world with the best of all possible looks. 45 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, hushsalon.com.
Boricua #2
The original shop in Northern Liberties is more of a takeout place, but with his new spot in Port Richmond, owner Hector Serrano encourages customers to sit in the dining room. Order the Boricua platter, with arroz con gandules (yellow rice and beans), pollo guisado with potato salad, and some pastelillos and relleno de papas, too. Before you leave, get some kola champagne from the fridge. It’s the soda you find around the way at the papi store. 3843 Aramingo Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19137, .
Leeward Furniture's Popsicle Mirror
Last year was the year of the at-home workout gadget, from sleek Pelotons to personal workout mirrors that reflect your sweating image back at you. Now that we can all go outside again, turn your space back into an actual home with beautiful objects that don’t bully you into exercise. No better place to start than with Leeward’s beautiful popsicle mirror, made in Kensington by husband-and-wife duo John Geating and Gina Kim. It’s just the right amount of playful while serving a necessary purpose: You can check yourself out while also using its top shelf to store small tchotchkes and books. 3237 Amber Street 4-3-C, Philadelphia, PA 19134, leewardfurniture.com.
Todd Young
Whether you’re trying to restore your grandmother’s Royal Quiet De Luxe or just get the dust-covered Remington that’s been sitting in your attic working well enough to type some letters up old-school-style, this typewriter geek has the tools and know-how to get the job done — and more affordably than some other folks in the biz. Find him through Mount Airy’s W.P.M. Typewriter Shop, just across from Weavers Way. 6819 Greene Street, Philadelphia, PA 19119, wpmtypewritershop.com.
Eastern Airlines
If you were traveling abroad when the coronavirus landed in the U.S., there was good reason to panic. Fear of spreading the virus brought international travel to a sudden halt, making returns to North America nearly impossible. Just when things couldn’t look more bleak or uncertain, there came the tiniest glimmer of hope from the least-expected source. Eastern Airlines, a small Wayne-based carrier (think 10 planes and a staff of about 200), came to the literal rescue. Through careful coordination with the State Department and local officials, Eastern organized rescue flights, and to date, they’ve flown nearly 24,000 once-stranded American citizens from Central and South America back to the States. goeasternair.com.
MainLine Pet Sitting
The choosiest of Main Line dog lovers trust MLPS with their Preciouses, and their homes P.O. Box 115, Gladwyne, PA 19035, mainlinepetsitting.com.
The People Who Run Businesses
They already put themselves on the line. Then came a catastrophe. Read the full write up here. phillymag.com/news/2020/07/16/philadelphia-business-owners-coronavirus.
Sapphira Cristál
An operatic drag queen with a six-octave range and some of the most fabulous costumes around? Hell yeah! instagram.com/sapphiracristal.
Oyster House
With lump Maryland meat and no filler, chef Aaron Gottesman has returned some dignity to this clichéd menu item. 1516 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, oysterhousephilly.com.
Aneu Kitchen + Juicery
Home in on the “healthy shots” part of the menu for straight-to-the-system shocks of goodness like lemon with ginger, turmeric, black pepper and grapeseed oil. Additional location in Paoli. 1225 Montrose Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010, aneucatering.com.
Pinball Gallery
Here, you pay an hourly rate for dozens of machines, including some very cool vintage specimens from the '60s and '70s. 81 Lancaster Avenue (edited), Malvern, PA 19355, pinballgallery.net.
Mango Tree Bistro
No fish head curry here, but the more traditional varieties are well done at this Thai joint in a converted home right on Ridge Pike. 3120 Ridge Pike, Eagleville, PA 19403, mangotreethai.com.