Family Piano
These graphic black-and-white blankets deserve a place on your sofa, hanging in your living room — wherever. They’re the brainchild of Merchantville artist, designer and musician Joe Kusy, who wanted to share his art in a functional way. “Everyone can use them,” he says. “There’s no sizing like with apparel.” Each 100 percent jacquard cotton woven piece is inspired by abstract natural landscapes and makes a statement, whether as your summer picnic blanket or a new foyer rug. Familypiano.myshopify.com.
Carmen Miskel
Some of us spent the pandemic honing our talents; others spent it learning the best times to access the state liquor-store website to place booze orders. (Hey, it’s a skill, too!) Miskel falls into the former category. After the New York Times announced an art contest — theme: “Coming of Age in 2021” — the teen from Bryn Mawr submitted a striking cartoon panel about loneliness during COVID that was one of just 25 winners selected from more than 4,000 submissions.
Illata
Illata is small, scrappy and weird. It is BYO, 20 seats, white walls, warm light and a DIY pass-through window hacked into an old doorway. It is a menu as short as a poem, dishes that come and go like the tides, citrus salad with homemade XO, ricotta gnudi with crushed hazelnut, and sourdough smeared with butter. It is absolutely delicious and completely indefinable except to say that it might be the most perfectly Philadelphian restaurant we’ve seen in some time — speaking to the way we eat right now, the way we’ve eaten forever, and the way we all hope to eat on our best nights out. 2241 Grays Ferry Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19146, illataphl.com.
Herman's
There’s something to be said about a tiny cafe and micro-roastery that can look a seething global pandemic right in the eye and not so much as flinch at the idea of going toe-to-toe with it. There’s even more to be said about the creativity it takes to completely transform, to wholly rebrand, to expand in ways nobody expects, at a time when fear and tragedy can be so debilitating. Herman’s did both. Owners Matt Falco and Amy Strauss were able to turn their converted-auto-repair-shop cafe into a pop-up hub for aspiring chefs and business owners in need of a home, a retail pop-up outlet for vintage brands and plant shops, and a boutique market with an enviable collection of imported pastas, tinned seafood, chocolates, and more food-things you never knew you ever wanted, let alone needed. When the pandemic forced so much of Philly to become less, Herman’s became more, for the neighborhood it’s in and for all of us who needed some inspiration, hope and delicious things in especially trying times. 1313 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, hermanscoffee.com.
Gen3
By now you’ve probably heard all about energy-efficiency incentives — the credits and rebates the feds, local governments and even utility companies are giving out to people willing to modify their homes. The folks at Gen3 make this a piece of cake, doing a whole-home walk-through to determine just what array of heat pumps, mini-splits and other tech you need to green your house. And on your invoice they’ll lay out just what rebates and credits you’ll be eligible for, making that bill look just a little lighter. Grays Ferry, Glenolden and Melrose Park, PA generation3electric.com.
Stadler-Kahn
Shop in this quirky, crazily eclectic subterranean emporium of vintage curiosities and accessories, and youre guaranteed to run into most of Phillys creative class. That pretty much sums it up. 1724 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, stadler-kahn.com.
The Modern Republic
Sometimes it can feel like there’s too much art, both vintage and new, with which to decorate your house. How to decide? The Modern Republic, a mid-century modern retailer in Fairmount, is a great place to start: With vintage Alexander Calder and Herman Miller prints at reasonable prices, there’s something for every kind of house (plus great vintage furniture, to boot). If your walls could talk, they’d be thanking you. 1600 West Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130, etsy.com/shop/TheModernRepublic.
Retrodelphia
Appointment-only Retrodelphia has all the pieces you could ever want on display in its colossal showroom. 190 Timberlane Road, building 1, Clarksboro, NJ 08020, instagram.com/retrodelphia.
Three Potato Four
Husband-and-wife team Stu Eli and Janet Morales go out into the world and gather really awesome, unique retro, reclaimed and vintage stuff furniture, accessories, signs, knickknacks and the like and put it all under one roof, so we can lazily go and pick out what we like. Which is how we like it. 376 Shurs Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19128, threepotatofour.com.
Blue Octagon
Step inside this tiny shop and be immersed in a whirl of color and shine, with heaps of Jonathan Adler whimsy, shiny gilt and lacquer, Deco lines and Palm Beach glamour. (Pucci caftan and martini not included.) 335 East King Street, Malvern, PA 19355, theblueoctagon.com.
Baked Sunless Tanning
They confirm your appointments by email, mix your perfect (read: non-orange and organic) shade, and give detailed maintenance instructions. Prefer to get naked at home? Their mobile service comes to you. In-store spray tans start at $35; at-home treatments start at $55. 815 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, bakedtanning.com.
A Four Foot Prune
An ALF cake pan, a 1950s RCA Victor record player, retro dishes alongside Troll dolls … you never know what you’ll find at this whimsical vintage shop in Old City. We follow their Instagram just to get a daily dose of quirk, whether it’s in the form of mod glass canisters or pop-culture ephemera. As for its name? Savvy Muppet fans already know. 142 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, afourfootprune.com.
Jinxed in Port Richmond
Jinxed’s newest location is also its largest — a giant warehouse stuffed with piles of quirky bric-a-brac that will make those shelvies (selfies of your shelves, duh) worthy of sharing. Just clear your afternoon: It’s easy to spend hours here. 2858 Memphis Street, Philadelphia, PA 19134, jinxedphiladelphia.com.
Retrospect Vintage (@retrospectvintage)
Every day, more than 6,000 followers race to claim the vintage home goods this South Street vintage shop posts on its Instagram feed. The items range from antique treasures to kitschy curiosities (rattan peacock chairs, velvet paintings and Victorian settees have all cropped up), and all are priced to sell, well, instantly 508 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, retrospectvintage215.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.