Festive Holiday Shopping Experience in Philly

Mark Thompson READ TIME: 3 MIN.

PHILADELPHIA - The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has taken over a fabulous storefront in the heart of Chestnut Hill for its 2012 PHS Holiday Pop Up Store. The 400 square-foot space will be transformed into a holiday retail haven, adorned with birch wood and green garland, accented with touches of glitter and mercury glass, and offering exceptional gifts for the garden, design, culinary, and Flower Show enthusiasts on your list.

Located at 8232 Germantown Ave (directly across from the Chestnut Hill Hotel), the store will debut on Wednesday, November 28 and remain open through Sunday, December 23. Shop each Wednesday 3 to 9pm; Thursday, Friday, Saturday 11am to 6pm; Sunday 12 to 4pm.�

The 2012 PHS Holiday Pop Up Store will offer exclusive, hand-selected holiday items for everyone on your holiday shopping list. PHS expert staff will introduce you to great new items for the home, garden, and beyond, and give you great tips and tricks for how to get the most enjoyment out of your purchase year-round.

  • Home D�cor: Spruce up your home with the sights and scents of the holiday season and an array of beautiful home d�cor. Candle-ariums (soy candle in a ceramic urn which can be repurposed as a plant container), stunning vintage glass glitter ornaments, twig and feathered owls, papier-m�ch� star ornaments, holiday comfort soy twig candles, and other unique items are sure to make the season bright.

  • Culinary Offerings: Spice up your pantry with local handmade sauces, salsas, mustards, soup mixes, and spice rubs by Christina Maser. PHS also presents "Tea For Two," a beautifully packaged tea set featuring two 10 oz ceramic infuser mugs and herbal tea canister. Afternoon tea, anyone?

  • Garden Gifts: Stock up on gifts for the plant lovers in your life with fabulous merchandise courtesy of PHS Meadowbrook Farm in Abington Township, PA. A variety of festive items including cyclamen, topiaries, amaryllis bulbs and blooms, wreaths, tabletop gardens, terrariums, garlands and bundled green verities will be available for purchase.

  • PHS Membership: A PHS membership is "A Cup of Tea" for all your gift giving. Purchase a Household or Leadership level membership on-site, and receive a special gift of exquisitely blended tea. The beautifully packaged "Members Only" Medley caffeine-free tea is flavored with lemon verbena, rooibos, lemon balm, linden flowers, anise, cinnamon, hops, orange peel and passion flower. Each package contains 15 pyramid tea sachets. Offer valid for NEW (first-time) PHS memberships only.

  • "Brilliant!" Items: The 2013 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show "Brilliant!" will bring the contemporary culture, design, gardens and landscapes of Great Britain to the Pennsylvania Convention Center from March 2-10, 2013. The Pop Up Store will present a sneak-peek of the Flower Show with individual tickets, special ticket packages for families and groups, and other "Brilliant!" items including British-inspired plaid cashmere scarves available for purchase.

    In addition to the great shopping all month long, PHS will present a series of special appearances, demonstrations, and product samplings on-site. On Wednesday evenings (December 5, 12, and 19) in conjunction with Chestnut Hill's "Stag & Doe Nights," the PHS Pop Up Store presents "Swag & Bow Nights."

    Each Wednesday evening between 6-9pm, the store will offer complimentary wine and cheese. Purchase a wreath or swag and choose a custom bow, or learn to make your own on-site. And don't miss our "Brilliant Weekend Celebration," taking place December 8 and 9 during Chestnut Hill's "A Dickens of a Weekend" event.

    Be sure to visit www.phsonline.org often for an updated calendar of in-store promotions.


    by Mark Thompson , EDGE Style & Travel Editor

    A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.

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