Uncle Dave’s Ice Cream
There’s a reason the best ice-cream shops are always located on farms. Peak strawberry season? Mix ’em into ice cream. Blueberries are plump and ripe? Blueberry ice cream it is. Pumpkins ready to be picked? Well, in Bucks County, the entire month of October is basically dedicated to Uncle Dave’s pumpkin ice cream. 931 Stony Hill Road, Yardley, PA 19067, uncledavesicecream.com.
Textile
The vintage goods in this Kennett Square shop form a well-curated collection — a Wynona Rider ’90s flowered dress, a Working Girl ’80s white blouse, a Michelle Pfeiffer puff-sleeve jumpsuit from the ’70s — that says, “I’m cultured and deep but never over-the-top.” 210 South Mill Road, suite 103, Kennett Square, PA 19348, shop-textile.com.
Four Seasons Total Landscaping
Their time in the sun may have only lasted five minutes. But the memory of Donald Trump promising an election-theft press conference at the Four Seasons only to end up instead with henchman and Madame Tussauds figure Rudy Giuliani standing next to a porn shop and a crematorium in Northeast Philly will last a lifetime. 7339 State Road, Philadelphia, PA 19136, fstl1992.com.
Emily Burtner Clocks
Artist Emily Burtner is a jack of all trades — a musician, a designer, an artist, a creator — so a visit to Thousand Island, her online shop, will provide you with enough inspiration to adorn every part of your home and body. Her multicolor clocks make any time of day exciting — even the morning. thousandisland.shop.
Biederman's
A dozen kinds of smoked fish (including pastrami, vodka dill and Darjeeling and ginger varieties), plus a raft of caviar, pickles, French butter, and NYC-imported halvah, make this new Italian Market shop a veritable candy store for anyone who loves Jewish delicacies. 824 Christian Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, biedermansphilly.com.
PucciManuli
This shop feels like the set of The Nutcracker, where items like heirloom rocking horses, model boats and life-size stuffed animals (some of which cost thousands of dollars) share space with sweet wooden puzzles, floppy teddies, and goods made by old-school crafters. 35 Cricket Avenue, Ardmore, PA 19003, puccimanuli.com.
UBIQ
A sneakerhead's heaven looks a whole lot like this modern, industrial shop, where kicks are mounted in gold-and-glass cases like works of art, elevated street wear hangs at the ready, and cult-followed sneaker launches see crowds lining up around the block. 1509 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, ubiqlife.com.
RareCo Vintage
At first glance, this surprisingly palatial vintage shop appears to stock an anything-goes assortment, but look more closely: Nearly everything—velvet swivel seats, hexagonal end tables, the constellation of look-at-me chandeliers dangling from the ceiling—is a real treasure. 410 Fitzwater Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, rarecovintage.com.
Gentry + Rose
Helmed by a Commonwealth Proper veteran, this Fishtown-based made-to-order denim line (mainly online, but now with a showroom inside men’s shop Franklin & Poe) boasts the same attention to detail—custom fabric, thread and hardware—as your favorite three-piece suit. Gentryandrose.com.
Style Camp
This beloved boutique known for its effortless-chic aesthetic is doubling down on the effortless bit: Now you can book a personal shopping session to revamp your look, have customized boxes of clothes delivered to your house, or go all-in on an in-home whole-closet consult with stylish owners Bitsy and Natalie Rhoda. 9 West Highland Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118, style-camp.com.
Sing Your Life Karaoke at W/N W/N Coffee Bar
Sara Sherr has been ruling the local karaoke scene for a while now, but her newest series—in this unexpected coffee shop/bar/co-working space mashup—is the freshest one yet. The themed Thursday nights include Queer, Feminist, Big Gay Country and, our personal favorite, Protest. 931 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123, winwincoffeebar.com.
Tired Hands Fermentaria
That cheer you heard this spring was beer geeks everywhere celebrating the opening of Tired Hands' brewpub. It's understandable: This trolley repair shop-turned-bar has room for you and all your friends to sample its latest drafts in one spot -- a big step in the evolution from local favorite to big-deal brewer. 35 Cricket Terrace, Ardmore, PA 19003, tiredhands.com/fermentaria.
Vagabond
Vagabond is all about variety: Vintage clothes share racks with indie labels; super-affordable blouses hang next to investment-piece dresses; shoes line up next to skeins of yarn and cross-body bags. The one thing all this stuff has in common? It'll make your look instantly cooler. 37 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, vagabondboutique.com.
Erdon
South Jersey's mecca of boundary-pushing fashion set up shop in Old City this spring, so those who fear crossing into the Garden State can score Acne and Maison Kitsune this side of the river. (Take note: The original Marlton location is moving to the Moorestown Mall this fall.) 162 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, erdon.co.
Lululemon
It's a chain, yes, but our Lululemons sure don't act like it, with free yoga classes led by local instructors. And the clothes? Well, let's just say we regularly drop as much here on running tanks and yoga pants as we do in the shoe departments at Neiman's and Saks See website for locations, 00000, lululemon.com.