Superior Shoe Repair
A daunting thing, handing over your fussiest footwear to this decidedly un-fussy shop. But you neednt worry: Theyll fix whatever the Philly pavement ruined (screw you, cobblestone!) and return your precious pumps (or what have you) the same day, with new heels and new soles, and polished to perfection. 138 South 15th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, .
Bus Stop Shoe Boutique
Not going to lie: We snapped up a pair of the bright green Peridot mules as soon as they launched this summer as part of designer and boutique owner Elena Brennan’s new 15th anniversary Bus Stop X Loud collection. The collab with All Black includes Brennan’s first toe-baring creations in fresh colors and styles that sing of summer — like a kicky pink topaz sandal with suede, gold recycled fish skin, and a pearl metallic patent heel. We painted our nails a magenta hue and sported them around Portugal and Spain in June. 727 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, busstopboutique.com.
Shop Sixty Five
If Barbie were a local girl, her Malibu beach house would be a Margate mansion, she’d drive a Range Rover instead of a convertible, and she’d scoop up Barbiecore staples like Paris Texas peep-toe mules, frilly Bronx and Banco frocks, and baby-pink Liselle Kiss metallic leather handbags from Linda LaRosa’s outpost down the Shore. 8411 Ventnor Avenue, Margate, NJ 08402, shopsixtyfive.com.
Capa Shoe and Leather
They’ll fix your downtrodden soles and broken straps with the artisanship that has kept them in business since 1936. 1015 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, philadelphiacustomleather.com.
Tinys Bottle Shop
Your go-to source for cloudy California pet-nats, wild-fermented pinot noirs and glou-glou bottles is located in a former garage in Port Richmond. We never thought we’d be writing these words either, but hey — that’s 2019 for you. 3124 Richmond Street, Philadelphia, PA 19134, lunarinn.com/tinys-bottle-shop.
Butcher’s Sew Shop
Wide-leg jumpsuits, flower pillows, messenger bags … The classes here teach kids and teens they can make anything they dream up. Additional location in Grad Hospital. 800 South 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, .
Charles Shoe Repair
Yes, yes, we’re all still mourning the loss of Superior Shoe Repair. But Charles is the perfect rebound: Reliably good repairs and a speedy turnaround time. Penn Center, 1800 JFK Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19103, .
Rossi Shoe Service Inc.
Since the shuttering last winter of former mainstay (and longtime Best of Philly champ) Superior Shoe Repair, Philadelphians have been desperately searching for a new place to take their tired soles. The answer, everyone, is this Ardmore shop, where brothers Rick and Joe Rossi take exquisite care of your designer shoes and bags (new or vintage), make expert improvements, and use high-quality products. 20 Rittenhouse Place, Ardmore, PA 19003, rossishoeservice.net.
Ambler Skate Shop
Skate shops can be intimidating for parents and groms (that's young beginners, dude) unschooled in "SK8R" culture. But this Ambler outpost is about more than just selling sweet new decks. It sponsors events ranging from canned-food drives to instructionals for kids with special needs -- something anyone can roll with. 33 East Butler Avenue, Ambler, PA 19002, amblerskateshop.com.
Shop Sixty Five
Sidle up to the bar yes, an actual bar and take in what lies before you: a floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall matrix of drool-worthy designer denim from Hudson, Diesel, True Religion and more. Try on as many styles as youd like, but default to the staff their specialty is eyeing you up and down (in the nicest way possible, of course) and finding the perfect fit. 53 West State Street, Doylestown, PA 18901, shopsixtyfive.com.
Hibernian Coffee Shop
It’s owned by a Mexican family, it serves Scrapple, a full Irish breakfast, burritos and chicken curry – and there’s always a line out the door. God bless America. 3711 Garrett Road, Drexel Hill, PA 19026, facebook.com/Hibernian-Coffee-SHOP-142157512516498.
Amelie’s Bark Shop
At Amelie’s Bark Shop, the customizable coconut flour birthday cakes are almost too pretty to eat, but that didn’t stop our taste-tester from diving face-first into the icing. (Bonus: They deliver!) 1544 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19147, barkshopbakery.com.
Omoi Zakka Shop
The supplies here are often ingenious (pen holders that clip onto notebooks, an ergonomic package cutter), clearly high-quality (Blackwing pencils, a goat-leather all-purpose carrying sleeve), and always display-worthy (brass rulers, soft leather journals). But mostly, they’re fun (see: cat-shaped paper clips, Pac-Man sticky notes). Because if you haven’t embraced the fact that your home office is possibly your permanent office, it’s time. 41 South 3rd Street; 1608 Pine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106; 19103, omoionline.com.
Bottle Shop at Local 44
The expertly curated bottle list includes everything from the newest local seasonals in the wall-length coolers to $60 Belgian rarities upstairs on the "balcony." Plus you can drink a cask ale as you browse. 4333 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, local44beerbar.com/bottleshop.htm.
Poi Dog Snack Shop
Even if you close your eyes and try really hard, a Philly street corner will never be a Hawaiian beach, not even for a second. And yet somehow, the Big Island flavors coming from Poi Dog are transformative. Crispy chicken tacos with guava katsu sauce, tofu poke, Kona coffee mochi, ahh. poidogphilly.com.