Colonial Gardens
Photograph by Jeff Fusco This vast family-owned Phoenixville treasure, founded in 1967, has an in-house florist and offers craveable collections of annuals, perennials, trees, herbs, veggies, and houseplants. For a (very reasonable!) price, they’ll even send an expert gardener to survey your acreage and lay out ideas and plans. (In-store consults are free.) What’s more, they’ve got blogs and videos on everything from crape myrtles to deer-resistant plants to staff-fave annuals for at-home research. 745 Schuylkill Road, Phoenixville, PA 19460
Collingswood Cleaners & Tuxedo
Ever wear an expensive white silk top to a swanky party and spill wine on it? We did. We then took it to numerous dry cleaners who either ignored it for a week or “treated” it and made it worse. The savior? Collingswood Cleaners and Tuxedo, whose staff examine clothing with the precision of surgeons and excise stains like the demons they are, in half the time and for half the price of the other guys. (And they rescued the top!) We’ll never go elsewhere, and neither should you. 646 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood, NJ 08108
Handy Dandy Home Services
Since 2021, Mads Glasco has built a loyal following by offering fair pricing, straightforward communication, and a collaborative approach to everything from hanging shelves and patching drywall to larger home-improvement projects. Originally created to serve Philadelphia’s queer community, Handy Dandy has become the go-to for hundreds of clients who trust Glasco to explain the work, dissect the process, and offer some DIY tips so they can become handy-dandier themselves.
— and Anything Else You Might Need
Benito’s Ace Hardware
Photograph by Jeff Fusco It can take years for a new business to become a neighborhood anchor. Benito’s did it within months of opening in November. Sure, you can buy all your hardware staples at this family-owned shop. But you can also pick up locally made goodies, get your knives sharpened, browse a pop-up holiday market, and grab a bag of free hot popcorn while admiring the grill section. No wonder the place already feels indispensable. 2525 East York Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125
Jonathan Dichter
When Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, and the pope come to town, this is the guy who gets the call to tune all the pianos involved. And if he can handle Babs, the Boss, and the supreme pontiff, we’re pretty sure he can fix that upright that’s been sitting neglected in your living room for years.
Swimhappy
If you’re mortified that you have a 401(k) but still don’t know how to swim, schedule a session with Red Cross–certified lifeguard Karissa Patberg of Swimhappy. She’ll travel to your favorite Philly-area pool or meet with you at The Logan Hotel for lessons. Because dog-paddling through adulthood is no way to live.
Driven2Drive
Navigating Philly streets is treacherous on even the best of days. Driven2Drive — with locations in Philly and the ’burbs — offers everything from the basic road test (so you can avoid the lines at PennDOT) to customized instruction. Bonus: You can do it all from behind the wheel of a cute Mini Cooper.
Cut and Sew PHL
Have you always wanted to learn to hem a dress? Replace a broken zipper? Make a coat that’s truly your own? This quilting and sewing shop in Mount Airy has classes for kids, adults, and entire families that will suit you to a T-shirt — and summer camps for kids too. 7051 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19119
Wild Hand
Photograph by Kira Luxon A chill is finally in the air, so you pull out your coziest cable-knit. But what’s that? A hole? Panic not. The makers at Mount Airy’s Wild Hand craft/fiber collective can show you how to mend it — or find someone to fix it for you. Come for the knitting supplies, weaving workshops, and weekly fiber-craft gatherings. Leave with a new skill and the joy of restoring a cherished thing to fine use. 606 Carpenter Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19119
AMDG Exteriors
Want your living room painted? A kitchen reno? A bathroom tub installed? Call somebody else. This Delco mainstay does only exterior contracting, and by not trying to be everything to everyone they’ve grown to be the best at their specialty. A leaking roof can be an incredibly stressful experience, and the trustworthy AMDG crew will get you fixed up right quick, whether you need just a $399 visit for snow removal and a patch or (gulp) a $10,000 re-do. 2060 Sproul Road, Broomall, PA 19008
True Hand
Photograph by Jeff Fusco You might have seen their clean, timeless work in murals, signage, and branding for Philly businesses like Franklin Music Hall, Machine Shop, and Flying Sowth Coffee — or on your friends. (Need a script tattoo? True Hand should be your first stop). They even collaborated with Lansdale rock band the Wonder Years at a tattoo flash event last fall. All their work comes together at True Hand’s Fishtown studio, run out of a 150-year-old, sublimely renovated church. 2345 East Susquehanna Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125
Guy’s Upholstering
Inside Guy’s modest East Passyunk storefront, bolts of fabric burst from every corner and stacks of furniture parts await refinishing: some chair legs here, a chaise arm there, all anticipating new life. The shop has the gloriously chaotic energy of a workshop where people are too busy creating beauty to worry about appearances. Bring them a sagging sofa, battered armchair, or heirloom tufted stool on its last legs, and they’ll return it masterfully rebuilt, exquisitely tailored, and ready for its second (or third) act. 1645 Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148
Holzman Iron Studio
Headed by forging and fabrication artist Warren Holzman (creator of George Bush’s 2001 inaugural podium and Philadelphia’s historic Bicentennial Bell), Holzman Iron Studio is the go-to for custom metalworking and repair. The team tackles custom architectural projects, like statement steel staircases, quirky hand railings, and custom mirrors. Hit them up if you’re looking to add some character to your home — or just to upgrade a broken gate. 1333 North Mascher Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122
Staack Moore Woodworking
This region’s old housing stock has gorgeous woodwork loaded with character — and a century’s worth of dents, scratches, paint layers, and questionable repairs. Enter Staack Moore. The Port Richmond shop gets raves for high-end custom projects; historic restorations; and bespoke furniture commissioned for luxury homes, grand churches, and even the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Whether re-creating a lost architectural detail, building a dream kitchen, or saving battered mahogany pocket doors, the craftsmanship is the same: meticulous. 2810-28 East Victoria Street, Philadelphia, PA 19134
Matriarchy Build
Hiring contractors is a leap of faith — one you’ll feel comfortable taking with Matriarchy Build. Founded by friends Gabriella Ainslie and Lacey Soslow (the latter of whom spent years rehabbing South Philly houses with her mom), the company connects homeowners with expert advice, remodeling help, and a carefully vetted network of female and nonbinary tradespeople — an added layer of comfort for some homeowners. Need a new vanity, tile overhaul, or complete gut job? They’ll match you with the right contractor — and help you ask smarter questions, negotiate wisely, and avoid costly mistakes.
Coblrshop
Scuffed heels are one of the more obscure drawbacks of living in a historic city with plenty of cobblestone streets. But there’s no need to send your Gucci horsebit sandals to the secondhand shop because of a little wear and tear. Fairmount’s Emily Watts co-founded mail-in leather goods repair service Coblrshop to make the process easier and more accessible. The new AI tool — dubbed Sal — even diagnoses and quotes a repair from a photo.
Philly Area Book Recyclers
Okay, so there are a lot of caveats. They don’t want just any old tome — the website lays out what they will take and won’t take (no Time-Life series or mass-market fiction, thanks!). They want stuff in decent condition. And they’re a for-profit, not a charity. But! Philly Area Book Recyclers donates what they can’t resell to good causes — children’s hospitals, schools, local libraries — and they recycle what they can’t sell or donate. And if you have enough of what they want (including CDs and DVDs), they’ll come to your place and haul it away for free.
Appliance Doctor
You know the physician’s vow to do no harm? Appliance Doctor follows the same dictum after examining your sick apparatus: If a repair makes no financial sense, they’ll say as much. But if the patient is salvageable, they’ll subtract the visit fee from the final repair cost. (And though they’re based in Bensalem, these doctors do house calls all over the region.) One happy customer appreciated being told that only one of his three wonky appliances was worth fixing. The honest diagnosis, he says, “saved me a lot of trouble.” 925 Woodbine Avenue, Bensalem, PA 19020
Jake Strong Magic
It’s an hour into your party. The appetizers have been demolished, the small talk has petered out, and your bored guests are checking Uber avails. What your dud of an evening needs is a little magic — literally. Magician Jake Strong’s close-up illusions, comedy, and easy charm transform disconnected strangers into a delighted “How did he do that?!” hive mind. He mingles with the attendees, MacGyvers mind-bending tricks with their own belongings, and is the funnest party crasher ever.
Jefferson Water Damage & Restoration
This Girard Ave company makes the miserable experience of drying out a flooded basement feel remarkably … manageable? Owner Ben Schoenfeld’s team handles everything from water extraction and mold remediation to reconstruction and remodeling. What really sets them apart, though, is transparency: up-front estimates, clear communication, and coordination of claims coverage with your insurance adjuster (because a sodden basement is only part of this unholy mess). 443 West Girard Avenue, Unit 3G, Philadelphia, PA 19123