Unleashed by Petco
This chain offshoot ticks off all your urban-pet-owner essentials: a $10 self-serve dog wash, vaccinations and dog training. And if you just can’t resist spoiling your pup, they offer a bevy of fancy additive-free eats, too. Multiple locations, petco.com/unleashed.
Rival Bros.
Rival Bros. coffee (and its snacks) was already a cut above. But this second location, with its high ceilings, gilded flourishes and retro-chic aesthetic, makes it the Le Bec-Fin of coffee shops. 1528 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, rivalbros.com/coffeebar.
La Colombe in Fishtown
The new La Colombe flagship is basically the Rolls-Royce of coffee shops, with two kitchens, a distillery, beer, wine, rum, the best La Colombe coffee you've ever tasted (with lattes on draft!), and a full menu of things like tartines and shrimp-and-grits. Sorry, regular coffee shops. 1335 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125, lacolombe.com/cafes?city=0.
TREATMiNT Box
It's quite possibly the best idea we've seen this year: a subscription-based gift-box service for people dealing with cancer. The Philly-based brand, brainchild of cancer survivor Kimberly Fink and her childhood friend Wendy Nichols, curates thoughtful gift boxes (full of uplifting and pampering products like journals and organic lotions) that you can order on a onetime or monthly basis. treatmintbox.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.
Menagerie Coffee
Whitewashed wood, soft lighting, morning-appropriate tunes, potted greenery, and espressos pulled by expert but unpretentious baristas this is the kind of place that can turn a Monday into a good day. 18 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, menageriecoffee.com.
ToBox
Boyds expat Tung To only stocks options with quality and style (handmade-in-Paris loafers by La Cordonnerie Anglaise, Scarpe di Bianco monk straps, John Lobb oxfords) and offers $6 on-site shoe shines. 25 South 19th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, toboxshoes.com.
Salt & Vinegar
The next time you’re looking for a gift for someone who loves food, beeline to Salt and Vinegar for small-batch coconut jam, local cheese CSA pickups, locally made masala spice packets, gluten-free pop-tarts and more. Jen Honovic Herczeg’s newly opened provisions shop has a mission to stock its shelves with products from women- and minority-owned businesses. This is exactly the kind of happy place where you can spend $50 without even realizing it. 905 Christian Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, salt-and-vinegar.com.
Thank You Thank You
At this Washington Square West coffee shop, a mundane morning ritual is exalted to a serene experience. Owner Cody McGregor will ask about your taste — you want classic, or something a little weird? — before digging into a treasure chest of cool beans he sources from places that include Copenhagen and Duluth, Minnesota. It feels more like an omakase dinner than a coffee run but is about $140 less expensive — deluxe but understated, the accessible luxury we all deserve. 700 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, thankyoutwice.com.
Wild Birds Unlimited
The Philadelphia area has hundreds of species of birds, from huge predatory hawks to those fascinating little hummingbirds. This store, with seven locations in the five-county area and South Jersey, has everything you need to attract your favorites, including specialty bird foods, feeders, nesting boxes and baths. Bat boxes, too. wbu.com.
Kinfolk Bride
Photograph courtesy of Mayana Carter The beauty of this appointment-only salon at the Bok Building is the care with which founder Mayana Carter curates her collection of independent labels and non-traditional looks. Each designer adds a layer to the fabric of her shop — whether it’s because the brand is run by a woman of color or made of recycled materials, whether it’s gender-and-size-inclusive (up to size 24 in-store and 32-plus via special order) or pays its workers a living wage. 821 Dudley Street, studio 513, Philadelphia, PA 19148, kinfolkbride.com.
Funny Monk Emporium
Don’t let the museum-worthy glass bongs and handblown pipes intimidate you. The staff at Funny Monk welcomes newbies and hard-core stoners alike. 4369 Cresson Street, Philadelphia, PA 19127, funnymonk.com.
Private School by Bela Shehu
You could find rainbow art installations, bleacher seating, DJs, chef tastings, and dozens of local vendors selling everything from jewelry (Forge + Finish) to clothing (the founder’s own NINOBrand) to design-forward furniture (Minima) at this tastemaker’s ticketed month-long pop-up last spring. Missed it? Don’t fret: More, at different locations, are coming soon.
Clothes Mentor
Step one: Arrive with armfuls of clothes from your “get rid of” pile — no appointment needed. Step two: Wait for the cash offer they make you. Step three: Reject cash offer and take credit, because right behind you are racks of like-new shift dresses from Kate Spade, wallets from Louis Vuitton, and cool Giuseppe Zanotti kicks. Step four: Repeat every six months. Multiple locations. clothesmentor.com/springfield-pa.
Hefty Hounds
If your labradoodle, mastiff or greyhound is jealous of all those tiny teacup Yorkies wearing precious outfits, she’ll freak over clear raincoats, fleecy jackets and Eagles jerseys at this local e-shop. heftyhounds.com.