5 Places On South St. To Get You Ready for the Summer

Over the years South St. has become somewhat of an afterthought when it comes to shopping.  With the development of Walnut St. and prominent big malls in the region chain department stores have been luring most Philly shoppers.  Personally I have a soft spot for South St.  boutiques, and we at Wooder Ice are all about promoting independent establishments and rooting for the underdogs after all isn’t this where Rocky was filmed. So we recently visited South St.  and stopped by 5 stores to get a preview of the 2014 summer trends.  Some spots we stopped in are well established local powerhouses while others are recent start-ups.  Either way all will get you right for the summer from head to toe!

HEAD WEAR

Hat Stop

524 South St.

(215) 621-9345

Mon.-Thurs. 11-9 pm

Fri.-Sat. 11-11 pm

Sun. 11- 9 pm

Starting off with head wear, South St. has several great shops to choose from.  We stopped in the Hat Stop because they have a very convenient location along with great selection for both men and women.  If you are looking to add some flavor to your collection aside from fitted caps this is the place to check out.  Everything from casual to formal this place has you covered, literally.

“Stetson Newsboy Cap” flanked by two Stacy Adams fedoras to diversify your head wear

Fedoras by “Style 212” & “Stacy Adams” great summer hats

GEAR

Status Shop

327 South St.

Sun-Thurs. 11-9 pm

Fri.-Sat. 11-10 pm

Philly natives have been jaded by “urban stores” for years.  With well known names like City Blue & Villa, that essentially sell the same outfits it is refreshing to find a store that really has it’s pulse to the streets.  Status Shop sells tons of independent labels you just cannot find anywhere else in the city.  Labels like Sue Tsai & Ron Bass, this shop blends art and fashion (even has original artwork on display).  It almost feels like you are shopping at an art gallery.  They are also very tech savvy, regularly update their social media sites to keep you up to date with the latest clothing and sneaker releases.

Status Shop has an art gallery feel

One of the many pieces from artist Sue Tsai

Ron Bass top (C) flanked by two Sue Tsai pieces

ACCESSORIES

Shyne Jewelers

339 South St.

(215) 454-2929

Mon.-Thurs 11:30-8pm

Fri. 11:30-7 pm

Sat. Closed

Sun. 12:30pm-7pm

Philadelphia has many Jewelry stores but only one celebrity Jeweler.  Shyne Jewelry boasts a who’s who of clients from rappers, athletes, and entertainers.  If they stepped foot on South St. chances are high they patronized Shyne.  In fact when I stopped in Allen Iverson happened to be there, yes this place is that legit.  Since quality tends to mean high prices, this place does lean on the expensive side but they also have moderately priced pieces for those looking to to “Shyne” this summer. The staff is attentive, friendly, very helpful.  If you are going to splurge on Jewelry this summer, Shyne’s is the place to go.

Miami Cuban Chain with two tone Datejust 2 w/diamond roman numeral dial & custom bezel (L) & Datejust stainless steel w/custom bezel

Robin-Co stainless steel (L) Joe Rodeo Razor fully encrusted (C) & Joe Rodeo JR diamond encrusted bezel (R)

Eyechic

333 South St.

(215) 238-1115

Mon.-Thurs. 12-8 pm

Fri.- Sat. 12-9 pm

Sunday and extended hours during summer

Sunglasses are to summer what peanut butter is to jelly.  They just go together.  If you’re looking to update your eye wear Eyechic is your one stop shop.  This spot is a nice boutique with one other store in NJ.  The selection is great, they have everything from low/mid-range glasses to high end eye wear.  A nice pair of shades is not only a fashion piece it’s also an investment for your eyes.  So if you’ve been looking to blow a little cash on some Gucci shades or just want to drop a little coin on a serviceable pair, you’ll find what you need here.

Gucci 1065 (L) & Gucci 2235 (R) either or you can’t go wrong

Rayban Aviators (top) Rayban Clubmasters (bottom) are stylish yet very affordable