Retail Spotlight: Made to Order (Philadelphia)

STORE: Made to Order

CITY: Philadelphia, PA

SINCE: 2007

FOUNDED BY: Philip Dupree, Justin Waller and store manager, One aka N.o.a.h.

PRICES: $$$ (out of 5)

WHY WE COSIGN: A city as great as Philadelphia should have stores and shops to match. Residents shouldn't have to trek all the way to NYC to cop the latest and greatest. Thankfully, over the past couple years we've witnessed the birth of a new fashion scene in Philly, with new boutiques and shops opening up to bring some of the hottest wares to the city of brotherly love. One of those shops is Made to Order.

Opened in '07 when co-founders Philip Dupree and Justin Weller found themselves making bi-weekly shopping trips to stores in the big apple that didn't even treat them with the respect and kindness they thought every customer deserved. Especially ones that traveled two hours just to be there. Frustrated, they decided to open up a shop with a selection as diverse as the the city it's located in with top notch customer service. Meaning, you can walk into Made to Order and walk out with gear from brands like 10 Deep, Maharishi, and even our '09 favorite Public School. They also listen (really listen) to their customers (who they prefer to call "friends"). If enough people request a certain brand or type of clothing, there's a great chance it'll wind up on the shelves.

BRANDS CARRIED: Public School, 10 Deep, Wood Wood, Black Scale, Fred Perry, A.P.C., Super, Fresh Melt Water, G-Shock, Mighty Healthy, King Stampede, J.Lindeberg, 3sixteen, Clae.

Read on for our interview with founder Phil Dupree, pics of the store and the address/web site...

MOST POPULAR ITEMS: Their G-Shock selection (which at any given time numbers at least 10 different watches to choose from), and anything from 10 Deep.

Complex: So how did you end up with your own shop?
Phil Dupree: We ended up with our own shop out of spite actually. We were very big shoppers, but due to the lack of a streetwear presence in Philadelphia a few years back, we were forced to do weekly trips to New York. And unfortunately, we encountered some crazy egos and a general lack of respect for our consumer dollar. It wasn't like that everywhere, but a couple stores were out of control, so, when you don't like the status quo, change it or shut up. We changed it.

Complex: What's so cool about your shop anyway?
Phil Dupree: I think customers will agree is our emphasis on customer service, and our attention to our customers wants. When you step through the front doors, you're always greeted, and treated like you're our number one customer. We don't even call them customers internally. They're all friends to us. And we listen to our friends. They came in for months and said they wanted some good denim. So we brought in A.P.C. Our customer base is all over the board, so you can come in and choose across the board. No other store has a rack with a 10 Deep hoodie, a Black Scale crewneck, a Wood Wood zip up work shirt, a Public School Leather Jacket and a Fred Perry polo.

Complex: Any collabs in the near future?
Phil Dupree: We aren't really big on collaborations as of yet, as we are still trying to grow our brand, but we have some exciting projects coming up. We are working with the most talented artist I've ever met, Ron Ackins, and we are currently working on a book where he will re-create historic moments in Philadelphia's history which helped shaped the way the city is today. We are very excited about that. That is due at the beginning of the year. We are also in the beginning stages of an online magazine with an amazing writer, Nick Schonberger. I can't give too many details about that, but its a different take on the industry. And last, our in-house brand 2nd & Delancey is going to be introduced for Spring 2010, so while we are short on "collaborations", our hands are full.

STORE INFO:
817A North 2nd St.
Philadelphia, PA 19123
215.413.7080.
Tuesday - Saturday: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.