Groom Barbershop
When you need a barber, owner Joe McMenamin and his crew of three give the cleanest, sharpest and most stylish man-cuts in town, in a throwback shop with its own jazzy soundtrack. 1324 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, groomphilly.com.
The Southern Company
They'll make your patio furniture look as cared-for as your living room furniture, even though you've left the former in the sun, snow, sleet and damp for a decade. Also: They pick up and deliver. 2330 Wyandotte Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090, thesouthernco.net.
Brandywine River Antiques Market
There’s a reason NYC dealers flock to this three-floor labyrinth that houses more than 40 vendors: It’s one of the best places in the country to shop for antiques. 878 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, PA 19317, brandywineriverantiques.com.
The Velvet Shoestring
Stunning pieces — cheetah-print ottomans made for tucking under a console table; a mid-century end table; stately leather armchairs — that are all cast-offs from Main Line neighbors populate this eclectic shop. 155 East Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, PA 19087, velvetshoestringmainline.com.
South Philly Barbacoa
What was once a popular sidewalk food cart in the Italian Market is now an even more popular storefront where the slow-cooked meat tacos (which are cut to order right before your eyes at the counter) are the stuff of legend. 1703 South 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148, facebook.com/chefmtz.
Tildie’s Toy Box
Satisfy brainy tots—and their helicopter parents—at this Penn-grad-owned toy shop, which skips Disney and Marvel paraphernalia in favor of a clever, gender-neutral assortment of games, toys and puzzles. 1829 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148, tildiestoybox.com.
Rotisseur
If you wonder whether a hormone-, antibiotic- and cage-free chicken tastes better, the answer is "maybe." If it's had a slow spin on Rotisseur's spit, the answer is "yes" the skin is crisped and the meat is succulent. 102 South 21st Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, rotisseur.net.
Buckminster Green
Green but not too granola, Buckminster is the brains and brawn behind NoLibs' urban-rustic One Shot Coffee. (We'd move in if we could.) Happily, they do residential work, too. 958 North 5th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123, buckminstergreen.com.
Pinocchio's Beer Garden To Go
More than 800 beers by the bottle plus 23 drafts by the growler make this Media shop a great place to stock up. And the reasonable prices and to-go pizzas next door make it worth a trip from downtown and beyond. 131 East Baltimore Pike, Media, PA 19063, pinbeer.com.
Charlie's Pizzeria
Though all the love these days goes to gourmet pies with imported toppings, Charlie's is an archetype for the kind of place we hope never vanishes the classic American neighborhood shop serving crisp, sweet slices. 107 West Germantown Pike, Norristown, PA 19401, pizzacharlies.com.
Rittenhouse Tavern
A patio at the Art Alliance should probably be aesthetically pleasing. The outdoor nook at Rittenhouse Tavern exceeds that expectation, but abjures the pretentious 'tude that often sneaks into such a place. Go for brunch, but wear your drinking shoes. 251 South 18th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, rittenhousetavern.com.
Marks Jewelers
There’s a custom jewelry lab inside this two-year-old shop, so you can work alongside a designer/gemologist to create your dream ring or repurpose a family heirloom. You’ll get to slip on a 3-D preview of your new creation, too. 975 Bethlehem Pike, Montgomeryville, PA 18936, marks-jewelers.com.
Pizza Gutt
Young pizzaiolo Dan Gutter is just out there slinging dope square pepperoni-and-onion pizzas out of the back of a coffee shop, and people who know what’s up are reserving their pies ahead of time via Instagram. We live in a world where this is possible, and that’s a wonderful thing. 931 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123, pizzawhat.com.
Pellegrino Cutlery
Custom knife by Pellegrino Cutlery. Photograph by Ian Shiver Make like the chefs at Hearthside, Liberty Kitchen and Mike’s BBQ and hire Bucks County bladesmith Steve Pellegrino to craft a high-carbon or stainless steel knife to your specifications (warning: they are way too pretty to keep in drawers), or shop his line of soon-to-launch economy carvers. pellegrinocutlery.com.
Via Bicycle
Curtis Anthony of Via Bicycle. Photograph by Jeff Fusco Curtis Anthony’s shop looks like your granddad’s garage, and it has bikes and parts older than your granddad. (Some date back to the 1890s.) And Anthony won’t try to sell you $700 in new gear if a $7 part will do the trick. 622 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146, Bikeville.com.