Shopping & Style

Ingredients: 7 boutiques, 3 designers, 1 kitten blog

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Published: Sep 24, 2008

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Best Avenue to Open Up Your Specialty Shop

More and more, Fishtowners are staying put. Reason? Girard Avenue, we're looking at you. In recent years, Girard has made a near-complete turnaround. Additions in '08 include Indian takeout house Ekta, burgerie Sketch and gourmet market Cornerstone. Exit Skateboards, Reverie Vintage, Quince Fine Foods and Tequila Sunrise Records all complete the circuit, with more offbeat spots to come. Who says a yo-yo emporium wouldn't fly here? —Kelly White

Smak Parlour's (219 Market St., 215-625-4551, smakparlour.com) new home and gift section has all of the necessary ingredients for an easy on-the-go gift that can pass as sincere. Take their Sween candles, for example. Just enough glitz and glam to separate them from a Fosters find; hand-poured in Philly to satisfy the enviro-friends; enjoyed by all owners of noses; $22. Sounds like you have time and money for a new party dress. —Monica Weymouth

Awesome Dudes Printing (crucialbrutal.com) took home an award last year for their inspired "Khyber Bathrooms Are For Lovers" T-shirt. But this time, it was their eloquent tribute to another dirty tramp that caught our attention. Their latest design reads, in giant lime green block letters, "Sarah Palin Is a Cunt." My mom taught me better, but come on — total cunt. —Monica Weymouth

No offense, West Philly, but you are far. All the way out there. After we leave you, it's easier to just make it a clean break and pretend those years never happened. VIX Emporium (5009 Baltimore Ave., 215-471-7700, vixemporium.com), however, has us back on the Green Line. Featuring handmade jewelry, housewares, soaps, clothing and more by local artists and crafters, Emily Conroy and Sean Dorn have created a lovely little addition to the 50th and Baltimore scene. —Monica Weymouth

Your inner clothes horse has a very good reason to prance over to Wilbur Vintage (The Antiquarian, 615 S. Sixth St., myspace.com/wilburvintage) for decadent retro wares and the off-chance you might run into an actual celebrity. Every Fri.-Sun., the collection of designer labels (such as Ungaro, YSL and Gucci) are updated and funky flourishes (everything from hats, scarves and bags to eyewear, baubles and original art tees) are added. —Natalie Hope McDonald

Heidi at American Mortals (729 Walnut St., 215-574-1234, americanmortals.com) is the only gal to go to for the best haircut (she'll take off 5 inches and give you a new life), great reading (two words: Everybody Poops) and hilarious conversation about last night. (Yeah, she was totally at the same bar as you; and no, she doesn't remember a damn thing about it.) —Amanda McKenna

Something about Gregory and James Labold (laboldbrothers.com) screams, "We'd say wildly inappropriate things at the Thanksgiving dinner table. It would probably involve your sister." Which is why we very much like to wear their clothes. —Monica Weymouth

Michael T. Regan SPY WEAR: Tracy Lutz of Grasshopper goes undercover for your closet. (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

It's a well-known pop culture factoid that espionage is stylish. The inspiring fashion snaps of bombshells past and present and documented jet-setting of Grasshopper's Tracy Lutz and Regina Mandell keep our eyes on Come Spy with Me (comespywithme.blogspot.com). We'll gladly spy with these blogging mavens on previews of upcoming stock, trends they're sweating and their well-accessorized road trips. —Kelly White

Our girl Pamela Dollak may have grown up in Roosevelt Mall territory (not that there's anything wrong with that), but you won't find a single pair of gray sweats (plenty wrong with those) in TONY (47 N. Third St., 215-592-8669, tonyonthird.com). In fact, her Old City boutique has one of the best little-black-dress selections around. Still, we bet she appreciates some Mayfair Diner pancakes every now and then. —Monica Weymouth

Holy handmade handbags, this scene is bananas. The Art Star Craft Bazaar (artstarcraftbazaar.com), which comes but once a year and parks its overfed self at Penn's Landing, is a labyrinthine mishmash of arts-and-crafters who're looking to sell, sell, sell their original wares. The free-to-enter bazaar hosts everything from hipster onesies to delicate ceramics to endearingly inappropriate stationery to one-of-a-kind jewelry — oh my — holding court at so many tables that your wallet will inevitably pry itself open till it's empty. —Carolyn Huckabay

Step right up, Reward (55 N. Second St., 267-773-8675, rewardproject.com) — your collection of French labels, to-die-for soft knits and jeans we covet from afar earns you the tiara. —Monica Weymouth

Conspiracy Showroom (910 N. Second St., 215-925-2153, conspiracyshowroom.com) doesn't have the biggest or most luxurious dressing room, but it rocks the hell out of the tiny closet it has to work with. With one soft light, an eerie rocking chair and slanted walls covered in dressmaking patterns, it's kind of ... torture chamber chic. —Monica Weymouth

If you sell it, they will come. It: 100 tables filled with granny dresses, pop culture memorabilia, record albums, ironic tees and original art. They: everyone at Sugar Mom's last night. While the vibe isn't quite punk at R5 Productions' biannual Punk Rock Flea Market, you can pick up a Great Space Coaster lunch box and Lionel Ritchie on vinyl. —Natalie Hope McDonald

No matter how late you wake up on our holiest of holy days, take some time to select proper undergarments before running over to the SugarHabit Warehouse Sale. While it has racks upon racks of marked-down treasures from Sugarcube and Third Street Habit, it does not have a dressing room. Not a single one. You'll be stripping down in front of what is essentially a wall of mirrors, so leave the faded Smurf briefs in your top drawer. Skimpy thongs won't work so well here, either. —Monica Weymouth

Syrup belongs on pancakes. Papyrus (211 S. 17th St., 215-545-2680) is for clever people who can appreciate a bitchy birthday card. This stationery shop prides itself on the personal touch, and in this age of Evites, it's nice to know that some folks still appreciate the power and etiquette of the written word, however acerbic. The fun and funky store also offers eco-friendly and hard-to-find cards such as congratulations for gay weddings. —Gary M. Kramer

If you've been single in this city long enough, you've dated your fair share of site-specific weirdos. Anna Goldfarb, editor in chief of Shmitten Kitten (shmittenkitten.com), knows how it goes. Her blog features dating horror stories from around the City of Brotherly Love, as well as the occasional nod to worthy gentlemen. The annotated sketches of gross Philly boys, however, is what keeps us coming back. Rittenhouse Lawyer never called? Whatever — his denim is pre-distressed, and that's sad. —Monica Weymouth

Tony Fisher's Big Green Earth Store (239 Market St., 267-909-8661, biggreenearthstore.com) makes it easy to please Mama Earth. Everything for sale's either recycled, reused or reduced, including compact fluorescent light bulbs; flatware and toothbrushes made from recycled yogurt containers; reusable produce bags; and hybrid rechargeable batteries. Piece of (organic vegan) cake. —Amy Strauss

It's not just the array of golden brown ducks and sneakers in the window of Abakus Takeout (227 N. 10th St., 215-351-7978, abakustakeout.com) that causes drivers in Chinatown to stop in the middle of the street and gawk. It's that Rick Cao, Ky Cao and Jackson Fu designed every bit of their new boutique to look so very culturally authentic, mod and funny. Plus they've got Bathing Ape sneakers — that'll always turn some heads. —A.D. Amorosi

Best Cure for the Gimmes

When five Fishtown ladies, each with exceptional taste in art and fashion, got together in the name of vintage, the result was good for our closets. And kitchens. And coffee tables. The office digs it, too. Reverie (205 W. Girard Ave., 215-769-2302, reverievintage.com) packs an excessive amount of pre-loved wrap dresses, jewelry, goblets, gloves, old matchbooks, records and more into one very rewarding room. Everything you see is for sale, so you can have your earrings and your jewelry box, too. —Amy Strauss

The Philadelphia Independent Craft Market (myspace.com/randomsquirrellab) was a lovely way to get acquainted with the new 941 Theater. But it was only meant to be a summer affair, and so we said our goodbyes in August. But wait — there's more! Founder Julie Raboczi just announced three more dates (Oct. 4, Nov. 8 and Dec. 6) for all of your handmade holiday shopping needs. —Monica Weymouth

IPod dead? MacBook misbehaving? You're in luck, thanks to Springboard Media's (2212 Walnut St., springboardmedia.com) team of tech supporters. These are the folks you turn to when you're in a dire emergency (I lost my files!) or have a high-tech question (I wasn't supposed to hit restore, was I?). The shop's Apple-certified support staff are just as likely to get you plugged back in (You mean I don't need a new laptop after all?) as they are to turn you on to the latest gear (I want that new MacBook anyway!). —Natalie Hope McDonald

We appreciate our boys with a little fuzz on the face. So do local DIY duo Sue Eggen and Nate Eddy of Secret Lovers (secretlovers.etsy.com), makers of the silly but sweet "Beards Not Bombs" tee. Other crafty slogans include "Tough Knitter" and, in honor of Tom Waits, "W.W.T.W.D.?" —Amy Strauss

Even when Arcadia (819 N. Second St., 215-667-8099, arcadiaboutique.com) isn't having an official sale, Ali McCloud keeps a healthy rack of marked-down pieces in her eco-friendly NoLibs boutique. Which helps when you're in the habit of visiting once (or three times) a week. After checking out the new arrivals, pay a visit to the back of the store for breaks on labels from Ben Sherman to Mel en Stel, as well as some vintage pieces. —Monica Weymouth

Carrie Collins' Fabric Horse bags (fabrichorse.com) have room for your U-lock and a spray of sequins. The former R.E.Load designer uses recycled, rescued and repurposed materials in her utility belts and bags of many shapes and sizes, making for plenty of texture, patterns and the occasional flash of leopard print. —Monica Weymouth

Sailor Jerry (116-118 S. 13th St., 215-531-6380, sailorjerry.com) does not approve of the wine-and-cheese shopping party. Instead, he introduces new merch or sales with a proper bash, complete with free rum cocktails, plenty of beer, an unruly band and hot tattooed chickies serving plates of anchor-emblazoned truffles. And yeah, maybe some kid will puke under the sale rack and it's damn near impossible to actually check out the clothes, but that's what tomorrow's for. —Monica Weymouth

Don't have time to take a luxurious bath? Grab an Emotibomb from Lush (1428 Walnut St., 215-546-5874, lush.com) for an invigorating blast in the shower. As these fragrant aromatherapy treats dissolve under the spray, stimulating citrus, peppermint and other aromas circulate and shake you awake. A refreshing, revitalizing shower experience, Emotibombs provide a great reason to get dirty and/or naked. —Gary M. Kramer

National Mechanics' (22 S. Third St., 215-701-4883, nationalmechanics.com) Runway Project contest is the ultimate Project Runway viewing party. Every Wednesday night throughout season five, the Old City bar is hosting design challenges, which end in a dollar-store Barbie runway showdown. Even if you can't sew a stitch, go to yell Tim Gunn-isms at contestants. Honey, that's a lot of look. —Monica Weymouth

We're not about to advocate hitting the gym. (Too many sports bras, and everyone's skin seems kind of moist. Very curious.) So it's a good thing Sheila Frank (sheilafrank.com) is making swimsuits cute enough to draw attention away from the thighs. The local designer's retro-inspired suits are a little bit Marilyn and a little bit Spice Girl, which you just can't achieve on an elliptical. —Monica Weymouth

Elena Brennan didn't come all the way from London so you could shuffle around the city in your tattered ballet flats and ratty flops. Her Fabric Row shoe boutique, Bus Stop (750 S. Fourth St., 215-627-2357, busstopboutique.com) is packed with pumps, boots, sandals and sassy flats by labels you can't get on this side of the Atlantic. Stop on by. Slip your deprived feet into a pair of Irregular Choice or Marcello Toshis. And, um, get a pedicure on the way home — that's gross. —Monica Weymouth

Fire squids. Hot pink elephants. Evil one-eyed carrots. A horror so indescribable and toothy it's named "Big Al." This is Philly crochet queen Angela Davidson (angdavidson.etsy.com) at her ghoulish best. Oh, there're plenty of nice plush one-of-a-kind crocheted toys — even some smiling kitties for PSPCA — but crochet monstrosities are oh so ... AHH! —A.D. Amorosi

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