Jalen Hurts
Listen, it’s really busy being a beloved Super Bowl–winning quarterback. The workouts, the gauntlet of adoring fans everywhere you go, the meticulous facial hair to maintain … there just aren’t enough hours in the day. So when the Eagles headed to the White House to celebrate their big win, Hurts politely bowed out, due to “scheduling conflicts.” A classic explanation. Simple. Unimpeachable. No one has skipped a presidential photo op with more poise or plausible deniability.
Du Soleil Photographie
Vietnamese-born Minh Cao didn’t learn professional photography until after she’d started her business as a side hustle in 2015. “My parents never deemed photography fit for a profession, so studying it never crossed my mind,” says the Ridley Park resident. She self-trained online, took some in-person classes, and today is known for snapping weddings through a dreamy, tender — almost wistful — lens that makes you never want to leave that moment. dusoleilphoto.com.
Family Piano
These graphic black-and-white blankets deserve a place on your sofa, hanging in your living room — wherever. They’re the brainchild of Merchantville artist, designer and musician Joe Kusy, who wanted to share his art in a functional way. “Everyone can use them,” he says. “There’s no sizing like with apparel.” Each 100 percent jacquard cotton woven piece is inspired by abstract natural landscapes and makes a statement, whether as your summer picnic blanket or a new foyer rug. Familypiano.myshopify.com.
Loyalty Leather
Talk about fancy footwork: This Black-and-LGBTQIA-owned South Philly business dresses up full-grain leather loafers and Chelsea boots with a few well-placed strokes of colorful paint, creating one-of-a-kind pieces of walking art. Cheryl Ellzysmith and wife Kyra started the brand with bags in 2018, then expanded to shoes when a Spanish cobbler reached out after seeing their pieces on Instagram. A potential new addition? Hand-painted heels, for next-level style. loyaltyleather.com.
Delaware River Trail
You can’t beat a waterfront view, and this new trail stretching from Penn Treaty Park in Fishtown to Pier 70 in Pennsport is 3.3 miles of just that. Besides connecting attractions like Cherry Street Pier and Spruce Street Harbor Park, it adds eco-friendly touches, including solar-powered lights and garden beds to help with stormwater management. Two miles of the trail have a separate dedicated bike path so you’re not busy jockeying with two-wheelers. delawareriverwaterfront.com.
Primavera Fund
This arts org, named for former longtime Philadelphia Youth Orchestra music director Joseph Primavera, provides mentorship, instruction, instruments and more to promising young, local classical musicians who otherwise lack means. “If you told me years ago that I would be traveling to Vancouver, Canada, and being a guest performer at a TED Talk conference, I wouldn’t believe you,” says violinist Akili Farrow, who in 2018 toured with the National Youth Orchestra of the USA. primaverafund.org.
Feng Shui Naturals
Last year, Abenaa Timazee, owner of eco-conscious hair- and skin-care brand Feng Shui Naturals, took her business mobile with an electric tricycle truck, bringing us the joy of shopping even when shops were verboten. This year, Timazee is expanding her mobile services and hosting beauty demos around town. You can also pick up her zero-waste natural products at Whole Foods, the Fresh Grocer and ShopRite. fengshuinaturals.com.
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.
The "Leave Philly Alone" T-Shirt
The “Leave Philly Alone” T-Shirt. Photograph by Ian Shiver Is it a message to the coronavirus? A silk-screened missive from our collective id? Our answer to “Don’t Mess With Texas”? Whatever it is, the “Leave Philly Alone” t-shirt from the tattoo-and-design outfit True Hand Society — purchasers of which have the option of donating $10 to one of numerous local businesses hamstrung by the shutdown — is the perfect fusion of cause and mantra. It’s struck a chord, raising more than $40,000. And we look pretty damned good in it, if we say so ourselves. leavephillyalone.com.
Michael Gagliardi
Ultra-runner Michael Gagliardi. Photograph by Jeff Fusco When Somerton’s Michael “Gagz” Gagliardi set out to run the perimeter of Philadelphia, he was just looking to keep himself busy during stay-at-home orders. But he mapped his route turn by turn, then released those directions publicly (find ’em at phillymag.com/fourcornersrun), thereby setting a new, extremely hype running goal for every Philly runner out there, the likes of which Philly’s fitness community hasn’t seen since the Rocky 50K Fat Ass Run. phillymag.com/be-well-philly/2020/04/27/perimeter-of-philadelphia-run.
The Home Hero
Pete Rose (not that Pete Rose) started his business as a second career, because he really loves the work. So you get reliability, fair prices, expert craftsmanship, and a contractor whos actually responsive, even via email. Hes built his rep on things like creative baby-proofing, home theater installation, and the prettier parts of remodeling tile, lighting, fixtures and paint. Perfect for the jobs too big for you, but too small for impossible-to-nail-down G.C.s. Call or see website for consultation, 00000, thehomehero.com.
Whipped Bakeshop
We were so busy admiring Whipped Bakeshop's pretty little cupcakes in luscious flavors like lemon curd and banana chocolate chip peanut butter that we almost didn't notice the Fishtown bakery's younger, more modern child, the cakecup. It's confectionery genius, really, and thrifty, too: Leftover cake trimmings (mmm, burnt edges) come naked or blasted with icing, ganache or whipped cream, in a grande-size plastic cup. Retail hours on Saturdays only. 636 Belgrade Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125, whippedbakeshop.com.
Beon Esthetics
You’d be hard-pressed to find a lash artist who works harder than Thaya Edmond. When she’s not formulating products, teaching other artists how to build their own businesses, or doing lashes for Philly’s own Jazmine Sullivan for the Met Gala, Edmond applies sets that fit your face and eyelash curl pattern at her West Philly studio. Gingers, blondes, and brunettes, rejoice — her salon even does color matching to give you lashes that pair seamlessly with your locks. beonesthetics.com.
Adam Tuttle
We've seen lots of guys turn buckets and cans into drum kits, but this Settlement Music School-trained Lower Merion grad makes the metal frames and plastic windows of newspaper honor boxes sound like a full percussion section. You can find him knocking out beats on Chestnut and Walnut streets between 10th and 20th. Tuttle, 20, says his goal is to land a job making Hollywood soundtracks -- crowdfund him the old-school way and toss him a few bills.