Bloom Bold Co.

There’s nothing like a hand-tied bouquet to say “I’m thinking about you,” and the iterations by West Philly florist Rashawn Scarbo express that sentiment and more. Her non-traditional arrangements appeal to the more daring eye — they’re resplendent with flowers in spirit-lifting hues (she loves garden roses and dahlias) and interesting foliage. Stop by her regularly scheduled drops around the city to pick up a pre-arranged creation for anyone in your life who needs a burst of color in the day. instagram.com/bloomboldco.

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.

Sonny's Cocktail Joint

When Sonny’s replaced confused eatery the Cambridge, it quickly became one of our favorite cocktail, well, joints in the city, in part because of its utter lack of pretension, its fun spirit, and one of the better back yards of any bar around. It closed in 2022 after a fire but reopened earlier this year magically better than ever, and not just because they serve a hot dog tower (!) next to classy but never fussy drinks. (Editor's Note: After Best of Philly went to print, Sonny's was forced to close again due to flooding. Please hurry back!) 1508 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146, sonnyscocktailjoint.com.

Kampar

When Ange Branca’s Saté Kampar shut down in May 2020, it was only partly due to the pandemic. (Despite, you know, everything, Branca’s landlord refused to budge on a 15 percent rent hike.) So we all kinda knew that she’d be back. And after a few years of pop-ups, Branca returned bigger than ever, taking over the two-story Nomad Pizza location in Bella Vista. The building is perfect for our Best Second Act winner: Pair an achat martini with the beef rendang and nasi lemak upstairs, or try dishes from two rising resident chefs downstairs. 611 South 7th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, kamparphilly.com.

Lancaster

You may think Lancaster is all shoo-fly pie. Not so. Take the family to the new Cork Factory, a boutique hotel downtown in, well, a converted cork factory. The adjacent hands-on Science Factory museum has plenty to kill an afternoon. Visit on a First Friday, and check out cool shops and art galleries, making sure to hit Central Market, the country's oldest farmers' market. Eat at Iron Hill Brewery for a taste of something familiar, or seek out On Orange, Lancaster's funkiest brunch spot. And by all means, if the nearby Buck Motorsports is having a demolition derby, go. The kids will go nuts. 501 Greenfield Road, Lancaster, PA 17601, padutchcountry.com.

Kylie Kelce

From the moment Delco’s own Kylie Kelce (née McDevitt) came on screen in the Kelce documentary, describing her and Jason’s first Tinder date without an air of pretension, we knew we had a legend on our hands. Kylie’s rise has been meteoric, but the mother of three keeps it refreshingly real, with laid-back game-day outfits (black athleisure, jean shorts) and a makeup routine that can even be accomplished on the edge of a hotel bed (IYKYK). Of course, she can also glam it up at Milan Fashion Week and help sell out a vintage-style Eagles jacket (yes, the same kind Princess Di wore, naturally) — and raise $100k for the Eagles Autism Foundation in the process simply by signing and modeling it. But she doesn’t have to. And that kind of confidence never goes out of style. instagram.com/kykelce.

We Found a Way to Work Around the PLCB

While COVID-19 decimated the city’s restaurant scene, it also helped push Philly’s antiquated liquor laws just a bit into the 21st century. Here’s how.

The Lawsuit | The PLCB always acted as the middleman between wine dealers who sold specialty bottles (you know, the natural, biodynamic wine made by small producers) and places where you’d normally buy those bottles (restaurants and bottle shops). So when COVID-19 shut down all Pennsylvania state stores back in March, dealers in Philly were no longer able to sell their product, and independent wine retailers couldn’t restock their shelves. Two dealers, MFW Wine Co. LLC and A6 Wine Co., said “Enough!” and sued the motherfriggin’ PLCB.

While the suit is still moving slowly through the system — the PLCB appealed the ruling of the Commonwealth Court — the implications of PLCB-free wine commerce in the Philly restaurant industry are huge. Because even right now, in 2020, wine delivery is still nonexistent for retailers and restaurants. Right now, there’s still essentially no wholesale discount. Right now, retailers are paying gratuitous fees (and passing the cost on to us). And a lawsuit like this — which, mind you, has a good chance of succeeding — might very well change all of that.

To-Go Cocktails | The problems inherent in working within the PLCB’s convoluted systems were only exacerbated when coronavirus came along and shut down our nightlife scene entirely. Something had to give.

On May 21st, Governor Tom Wolf signed into law a piece of legislation that allowed restaurants and bars that had lost at least 25 percent of their average monthly sales due to the pandemic to sell cocktails to-go. Which means that for the first time since Prohibition, you can walk up to a bar in Philadelphia and order some martinis for the road, and nobody — not even a PLCB officer — can stop you from living your life. The to-go-martini kind of life.

Wine Shops! Finally! | When the PLCB temporarily closed all its stores, these shops stayed open and kept us drinking and drunk during the apocalypse. And they deserve all the attention in the world.

• Vernick Wine, 2029 Walnut Street, Rittenhouse

• Tinys Bottle Shop, 3124 Richmond Street, Port Richmond

• Di Bruno Bros., 9th Street Bottle Shop, 920 South 9th Street, Bella Vista

• Fancy Wine Club at Bloomsday, 414 South 2nd Street, Society Hill

• Le Caveau, 614 South 7th Street, Bella Vista

• Fishtown Social, 1525 Frankford Avenue, Fishtown

• Wine Dive, 1506 South Street, Grad Hospital

• Jet Wine Bar, 1525 South Street, Grad Hospital