Ya Fav Trashman
Electeds may talk about cleaning up the city, but Terrill “Ya Fav Trashman” Haigler is out there doing it. (See: the 325 tons of trash he’s taken off Philly streets.) In two years, he’s gone from rogue sanitation worker to full-blown activist, business owner, nonprofit founder, writer (he authored a children’s book on environmental justice) and, yes, Philly favorite. Wanna fix Filthadelphia? Put this man in charge already!
Megan Boni
We admit that there are things about TikTok that still confound us. For instance, how a young woman from the Main Line can post a 19-second video of herself singing “I’m looking for a man in finance,” caption it “Did I just write the song of the summer?” and then have that become the actual song of the summer. It all happened to Boni, a.k.a. Girl on Couch, who tells us she’s signed a music deal with Universal. Modern living! instagram.com/megan_boni.
Philadelphia Fashion Incubator
Seventy percent of the brands run by former designers-in-residence at this program are still in business, with notable names like Printfresh and Prajjé Oscar among them. The 13-year-old nonprofit (which executive director Elissa Bloom calls more of an accelerator) gives burgeoning talents the real-life skills they need to become successful and sustainable. And PFI’s first shoppable storefront on Fabric Row seems like a fashion-forward move for future designers, too. 706 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, philadelphiafashionincubator.com.
Style Box by Skirt
Skirt the fashionable Main Line mainstay has answered our busy-women prayers with its new service: Log onto the site, answer a bunch of style questions, and within a day you'll get the most exciting delivery of your week a pretty printed box packed with complete outfits pulled together just for you, plus an accompanying custom booklet explaining how to build each look. Pay only for what you keep. styleboxbyskirt.com.
Bundy
As an authorized Apple dealer, Bundy -- in business for nearly a century -- does vigorous in-house testing on the rehabbed iPads it gets from a reliable source, and each purchase comes with a free 90-day warranty. But the "open box" items, which have only been used for demo or floor-model purposes, are the real steal: On a recent trip, we spotted a 13-inch MacBook Pro from 2014 priced $400 below nearly identical newer models. 1809 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, bundycomputer.com.
The Wall Cycling Studio
Don't let the name fool you: What started as a small cycling spot in Manayunk has become a full-blown fitness studio. In the past year, it relocated to a larger, shinier space and added barre classes — including BYO Baby Barre, in which parents wear their little ones, Bjorn-style — and combo workouts that mix yoga with barre and cycling. And that's on top of unveiling a new Phoenixville location. Yep, they've been busy. (Manayunk and Phoenixville.) 107 Cotton Street, Manayunk, PA 19127, thewallcycling.com/index.html.
The Center on Central
The curricula are vast and eclectic-everything from Spanish tutoring to fashion design to theater arts to wheel pottery to fitness to cartooning to glass bead-making-at this kid-cademy founded by bubbly owner Katie Opher and her husband Ron. The lively instructors also oversee summer camps and "date nights" at which parents can drop off their offspring. There are classes for special-needs kids, too, including art and music therapy and social-skill building. 24 West Central Avenue, Paoli, PA 19301, thecenteroncentral.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.
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.