9 Best Shopping in Old City and Historic Downtown, Philadelphia

This flagship store for a brand launched in 2008 by a local ad man set the stage for an idiosyncratic mix of wares made using pre–Industrial Age methods. On sale are handcrafted blanket rolls, bar tools and accessories, hand-dyed T-shirts, and bottles of spirits inspired by the original recipes for gingersnaps and root beer.

Across the street from the Liberty Bell is the Bourse, an elegantly restored 1895 commodities exchange building. The six-story skylighted atrium contains a few fun shops catering to tourists, such as Destination Philadelphia, as well as a festive international food court.

Gallerist Becker and his wife, Heidi Nivling, display the kind of austere, abstract art that prompts people who don't know any better to say, "Hey, my kid could do that." Look more closely at the conceptual paintings featured in this small gallery and you'll notice the great skill required to make minimalist art with maximal effect.

Established in 1978 by the Muse Foundation for the Visual Arts, Muse Gallery is an artists' cooperative committed to increasing the visibility of local artwork and presenting experimental work in a variety of mediums.

Some know Sugarcube as a vintage boutique; others go for its stock of hard-to-find designers like A.P.C., Dunderdon, Lavender Brown, and Penumbra. The stylish, friendly owner is usually on hand to advise how to match your Williamsburg Garment Company jeans with your Rag and Bone shawl-collar cardi.

This hub for the international wood-art community recently moved to a more visible new home and changed its name from the Wood Turning Center. Housed here is a store with gorgeous work—some by the accomplished artists whose work has been displayed in the adjacent gallery, including those who come every year as part of the organization's annual Windgate ITE International Residency program. There is also a free museum on the premises.

The two designing women/co-owners of Vagabond pioneered a formula—selling vintage wares alongside new, edgy labels and featuring under-the-radar brands like their own (Stellapop and City of Brotherly Love). It's been imitated plenty ever since, but this boutique still does it best.

This gallery is known for specializing in historic and contemporary glass, but it always has an interesting mix of 20th- and 21st-century handcrafted furnishings and art.

Asher chocolates and Philly souvenirs from key chains to T-shirts are stocked here, near the sights of the historic district.