15 Best Places to Shop in East Passyunk, Queen Village, Bella Vista, and South Philadelphia, Philadelphia

Stunningly simple earrings, bracelets, and necklaces are designed and handcrafted locally at this store-workshop by two women (Anna Bario and Page Neal) who create environmentally friendly jewelry. All materials are reclaimed, ethically sourced, or retrieved using low-impact practices. Even the packaging—reclaimed glass bottles with cork stoppers—is green.

The charming, worn-in feel of this store lined with wooden shelves befits the merchandise for sale: the focus is on rare, small-press used and new books, although it's not unheard-of to find a $4 Hardy Boys paperback next to a first-edition Edward Gorey. The store also acts as a venue for fringe musicians from near and far.

Owned by a British expat, this shop sells fashion-forward, cutting-edge shoes by European labels like Fluevog, Coclico, United Nude and Fly London that are hard to find on this side of the pond.

This is the original location of the famed cheese shop; the other, larger stores are in Rittenhouse Square and Washington Square West. The major difference among them really is size. Its uptown siblings are enormous and can be overwhelming. This shop is tiny—long, narrow, and cave-like, with salamis hanging from the ceiling like stalactites. Still, it's jam-packed with all the specialties you expect from the Di Brunos—cheeses, olive oils, prepared foods—plus a sandwich counter and the usual über-knowledgeable staffers.

The three floors of this unique store feel like a folk-art museum with Peruvian alpaca sweaters, Day of the Dead art, and instruments, jewelry, and decorative items from all over Mexico and South America for sale. From basement to skylight, the store's interior is filled with mosaics by famed local artist Isaiah Zagar, who owns the shop with his wife.

In the early 1900s, 4th Street, today's Fabric Row, was teeming with pushcarts selling calico, notions, and trimming, and was known as "der Ferder" or "the Fourth" in Yiddish. Today several century-old fabric stores still stand, like stalwarts Maxie's Daughter and Fleishman Fabrics and Supplies, but many of the storefronts are home to locals selling wares from European-label shoes to fair-trade coffee. There's also a resurgent restaurant scene.

One of the nation's oldest gourmet supply stores has the largest selection of coffeemakers and cooking equipment in the United States. Family owned since 1906, Fante's is famous for oddball kitchen gadgets such as truffle shavers and pineapple peelers; restaurants and bakeries all over the country and overseas order from the store. It's in the Italian Market, so you can combine a visit here with other food shopping.

This is the original New Age bookstore that hails from the days when hippies arrived on South Street in 1972 and turned it into an arts enclave. Follow the smell of incense and step inside to find books on astrology, tarot, shamanism, and world religions and cultures, plus a large selection of jewelry, crystals, and candles.

Sunlight streams into the front windows of this well-curated indie bookshop. It's the kind of place that attracts regulars who sit sipping tea and reading for hours with a dog curled at their feet. This inviting shop has become a meeting place for the local literary community—both the readers and the writers.

If you want local color, nothing compares with South Philadelphia's Italian Market. On both sides of 9th Street from Christian Street to Washington Avenue and spilling out onto the surrounding blocks, hundreds of outdoor stalls and indoor stores sell spices, cheeses, pastas, fruits, vegetables, and freshly slaughtered poultry and beef, not to mention household items, clothing, shoes, and other goods. It's crowded and filled with the aromas of everything from fresh garlic to imported salami. The vendors can be less than hospitable, but the food is fresh and the prices are reasonable. Food shops include Grassia's Spice Company, Di Bruno Brothers House of Cheese, Claudio's, and Talluto's Authentic Italian Foods. Fante's is well known for cookware. The market's hours are Tuesday–Saturday 9–5:30; some vendors open earlier, and others close around 3:30. Some shops are open Sundays and even Mondays as new vendors expand the markets. It's best to call ahead to specific shops and check.

Only the adventurous dare enter this shop where a blue-haired saleswoman will fit you for your very own luxurious handcrafted corset. The work on these custom steel-boned pieces is beautiful and unique. The high-end wares sold here are the real deal as compared to the many of its neighbors on South Street that specialize in fishnets and Sexy Nurse costumes. You'll also find leather and bondage gear here.

For some of the most entertaining people-watching in the city, head to South Street, just south of Society Hill. Pierced and tattooed teens vie for space with moms wheeling strollers on this bustling strip from Front Street near the Delaware River to 9th Street. More than 300 unusual stores—high-fashion clothing, New Age books, music and health food, avant-garde art galleries, and 100 restaurants—line the area. Most shops are open in the evening. You can find a few of the national chains, but 95% of the stores are locally owned, selling things you won't find in the mall back home.