Graceful Gardens
Grace Wicks daughter of restaurateur and environmentalist Judy Wicks grew up in a household with a true love of nature. But that home was in West Philly with no backyard, so her family did all its gardening in pots and planters, a skill she's perfected as the owner of Center City landscaping company Graceful Gardens. Her roof decks, planters, window boxes and backyards are as artful and lush as any country courtyard. Ask her about her edible works she designed the chef's gardens for the Four Seasons. gracefulgardens.net/.
Spot Gourmet Burgers, Steaks & Pork
Steve, Jim, Pat and Geno pretty much do one thing: steaks. But Josh Kim, from the confines of a food cart the size of a shoebox, whips up everything from burgers to lobster rolls. And yet his cheese-steak is still a cut above, thanks to slices of hand-cut sirloin that are seasoned well and layered with onions that have some bite. facebook.com/spotburgers.
Rittenhouse Sports Specialties
The running world is rife with high-tech gear, logos and marketing flash, but sometimes, don't you just want to focus on the basics of your feet hitting the pavement? That's why buying shoes (and browsing through a manageable selection of accessories like water bottles, and some shorts and tees) is so refreshing at this low-key shop, where the owner is a runner herself and totally gets it. 1729 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, rittenhousesports.com/.
Nordstrom
Guys can get fitted actually fitted, like man-on-the-stool-with-a-shoehorn for new pairs of Nikes, Toms and Cole Haans. We didnt get the hard (read: annoying) sell after browsing, either. Our salesman encouraged us to weigh our options and order later online, where free shipping and returns are standard. King of Prussia and Cherry Hill malls, 00000, shop.nordstrom.com.
Black Landlord
Funk meets hip-hop meets punk in this Philly octet composed of time-tested veterans of the local music scene, most prominently pimped-out-large-and-in-charge front man Maxx Stoyanoff-Williams, who leads his tight entourage through edgy, fierce horn stacks and beat breakdowns like James Brown on steroids. Buy the band's first full-length album, Addicted to Distraction, which came out earlier this year, or better yet, check out one of its energetic live performances. 00000, blacklandlord.com/.
Phileo
For years, New York and L.A. had Pinkberry and Red Mango and Yolato, while we had, well, Rita's custard. Then last summer came Phileo, the shiny green-and-pink fro-yo mecca on South Street, with 16 creamy and often tangy pay-by-the-ounce flavors, and a do-it-yourself toppings bar that houses everything from Cap'n Crunch and Oreo pieces to fresh-cut kiwi and mango. Take that, L.A. 416 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, .
Fishtown Shadfest
It turns out that shad used to be hugely important to the Delaware River economy, a fact our quirky friends in Fishtown (where else?) exploit with their annual Alosa sapidissima-feteing festival at Penn Treaty Park. It's true that Lambertville has been doing a shad festival for decades, but the city's is cooler: We've got shad la Johnny Brenda's and some of the best bands around, lots of local crafts (love the bottle-cap cuff links!) and craft beers, and perhaps our favorite part valet bike parking. Penn Treaty Park, Delaware Avenue and Columbia Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125, fishtownshadfest.net/.
All Around This World
Parents rave about dad Jay Sand's internationally themed music classes, taught weekly from his West Philadelphia home. Kids eight and under are a captive audience for what one mom describes as Sand's "wonderful songs, great singing and guitar playing, ridiculous wit, crazy dance moves, and understanding of what it means to be a child." 00000, allaroundthisworld.com/.
Treehouse Coffee Shop
Tongue-in-cheek Treehouse claims to grow all its produce and coffee and espresso beans on its roof and milk its own cows up there! It also includes this warning on its website: "Caution, we have lost a couple cows over the edge of the building. So heads up when you park out front." The most laid-back, kid-friendly, Bible-studying, guitar-picking mom-and-pop place to nurse a cuppa joe with some homemade pastry in the entire Philly 'burbs. 120 West Merchant Street, Audubon, NJ 08106, treehousecoffee.net.
Arch Enemy Arts
When the folks at this Old City space claim that their gallery is Philadelphias freshest new venue for the new contemporary art scene, theyre really not lying. The one-year-old gallery exhibits some wonderful works in genres from realism to figurative to pop surrealism, and the art is priced to sell. This month, check out the newest show, Semiotic Weapons, featuring works by 11 local artists. 109 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, archenemyarts.com.
M Concept
Shopping here is like taking a crash course in Philly’s design scene. Owner Ethan Nguyen will alert you to colorful local finds like Alexandra Damiano silk slip dresses, Tesoro handcrafted leather bags, and West Oak Design lightweight linen shifts. Then, once you’ve outfitted your closet, he’ll point you across the street to his new home-goods store, Weekend, to do the same for the rest of your house. 1540 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146, mconceptshop.com/.
Design on Demand by Widell + Boschetti
Make your pad Arch Di-worthy without the commitment of a full-service designer with the à la carte e-design option from these Philly up-and-comers. Barette Widell and Christina Boschetti will create a mood board and layout based on your room’s specs (rates start at $1,100) and choose the right products to bring both to life, for an end result that’s more inspired than those seen-that-everywhere looks. widellboschetti.com/.
Party Host Helpers
It’s your party, you can cry if you want to … or you can pay some good people to handle all the laborious stuff that you don’t want to do–setting tables, tending bar, cleaning up, checking coats. This Wayne-based company, now in 30 cities nationwide, is the key to making your next shindig actually enjoyable–for you. partyhosthelper.com/.
Performance Meal Prep
All the menu items from no-commitment meal-delivery service Performance Meal Prep (sweet-and-sour meatballs, jerk chicken tacos, roasted veggies) are fresh, healthy and tasty. Which is precisely why plenty of local trainers–and even some Phillies players–have standing orders. Services Philadelphia, Montgomery and Delaware counties, plus South Jersey and Delaware. eatpmp.com/.
Robbini Bespoke
Rob Fung of Robbini Bespoke. Photograph by Linette and Kyle Kielinski A month after he shows up at your home or office with his measuring tape and look books — plus a massive array of Italian fabric samples (the Super 180s are oh-so-divine) — 38-year-old Rob Fung will return with a blazer, suit or trousers that will make everything else in your closet look sloppy and sad. Just ask his regular customers — a whole bunch of Philadelphia Eagles. robbini.com.