Scarlett Alley

Scarlett Alley is a cute shop tucked away on Race Street near 3^rd Street. Their merchandise makes great gifts, mostly for women and children. They have a lovely assortment of jewelry and tableware as well as quirky cards. They offer a bridal registry, and they ship items nationwide. Their Winter Holiday sale event always draws a nice crowd, where they have cookies and wine and provide free gift wrap. They also sell intricate coloring books.
My favorite are their affordable yet classy French macaron trinket boxes… I usually give those as gifts.

Wonderful shop with quality items and great service.
I’ve been in multiple times. Here’s why they deserve a 5-​star review:
1. They’re always getting new & unique items, many from companies like Roost that are nearly impossible to find anywhere else. Home goods are eclectic — some rustic (what I love), glam, classic, or quirky.
2. Many items are locally made, eco-​friendly, and/​or charitable… For instance, proceeds from some baby items go to African moms and babies; and some seaglass «Plates with A Purpose» go to various charities, like one for impoverished school kids in Philly. SA also sells a lot of GORGEOUS serveware made from recycled aluminum and glass.
3. Staff. I know the previous details because the salespeople are passionate and knowledgeable about what they sell, and I believe they truly want to help inform customers about the products so the customers can make the purchase right for them (not to pressure them to buy any random thing). And there is limited staff so you get to know Liz, Gary, Jo, and Tabata by name! Small town feel in a big city.
(PS no way anyone at SA is racist, as one previous reviewer suggests. I’ve seen plenty of people of multiple races be welcomed in the store. And c’mon, this is Philly.)
4. Awesome place to register for a wedding. My sister registered here and we had a great time customizing mixmatched place-​settings. Lots of fun ideas, and she’ll end up with special items ya just can’t find at Bed, Bath & Beyond!
5. Free & lovely gift wrapping all year.
6. They have events with free cocktails & hors d’oeuvres! (Check Facebook)
7. The emails they send (I’m on the list) are not annoying, just sent about once a week with sales &/​or interesting info on featured items.
8. Their Pinterest page! But beware that you may waste too much time on it (: … (
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Speaking of wasting time, that’s enough for now! Just thought Scarlett Alley deserved another A+ review.

I have shopped over the years a bit at Scarlett Alley. This June and July, however, I was there quite a bit as my daughter was getting married the end of July. My first purchase was done by phone. I wanted a particular Guest Book that Molly West offers but it had to be special ordered. The sales person was extremely patient and helpful and they were able to put a rush on it for me. Next came some shopping for a hair accessory for my daughter to wear. Once again, the sales person helped with photos that she sent to my daughter and offered to hold several pieces for a couple of days. With all of this I did not feel any pressure to buy. She was doing her job and being helpful at the same time. The owner, Liz, also brought in several pairs of earrings from a New York artist that she sells. This way we had a choice and a selection was easily made. The several items my daughter bought are things she will be able to use for many years. I also felt that the prices were reasonable. The folks at Scarlett Alley could not have been more helpful and I appreciate that.

I hated that the saleslady, while she was very friendly, followed me around the store. She kept «finding» things to do, sometimes abandoning a random task she started (like straightening clothes or whatever) so that she could follow me somewhere else as I wandered around the store. She was never more than two steps behind me. I don’t know if it’s because I’m black or somehow don’t fit into their usual shopping demographic, but this hasn’t happened to me in a long time and I was very put off. It was hard to really shop with this woman breathing down my neck, but from what I did see, some of the stuff was cute, and the prices were reasonable, but many things had a decidedly middle-​aged feel and the store smelled like the perfume my older aunts wear. Which is odd, being that I guess the store is supposed to appeal to younger women? Whatever – they’ve lost this potential customer, that’s for sure. I’ll take my disposable income somewhere else.

Received some very nice service from these guys. They were one of the only retailers who carried the item I wanted and were willing to ship it to Australia for me. Thank you!

This is a cute little store. They have a ton of stuff in several categories. Gifts, women’s accessories, froofy bath products, cards, and a lot of wedding-​specific gift items. It’s pricey but they seem to have well-​made and unique products. It’s definitely not a store full of shit you have seen everywhere else. You’re not going to find a shelf full of ice cube trays in 3,000 different cutesy shapes, you know?

It appears that Scarlett Alley is striving to be the gift shop for all occasions. This place is full of items for the home (candles, lotions, gadgets etc.), wedding/​bridal showers, and mothers (new and to-​be). They also carry a small selection of Hobo International purses (which are sold at 10% off the suggested retail value), which is a little random, but my sister sure appreciated it.
The prices were a bit intimidating (definitely told myself «Just look — don’t touch») but the owners were SO NICE. For that reason alone, although Scarlett Alley is by no means a place where I’ll casually shop, it’ll definitely be the first place I go to when looking for something special.

Lots of great, unique gifts or treats for yourself. A little on the pricey side, but the products look expensive and upscale. My favorite is the Bamboo Dreams line. I think it’s their favorite too, because everytime I go there and stop to browse it, they give me the whole sales pitch on the product. That and the customizable map photo albums. I’ve heard it so many times now, I could probably work there. It’s a bit off-​putting and deters me from stopping in for a quick browse. I feel like I’m being stalked around the store sometimes. But yet I keep going back…

I could probably spend hours in this store. It is much larger than it looks from the ouside. Scarlett Alley is filled with great offbeat gifts for friends or for yourself. As soon as you enter, your eyes start darting around the store trying to take in the collection of products in front of you. They have everything: soaps, dishware, scarves, jewelry, wedding gifts, even children’s books. I just moved into the area and am still trying to find interesting accessories for my condo, and I am sure to find something in this store. Slight downside are the prices. However, the uniqueness (is that even a word?) of the products means your purchase is sure to stand out in your décor or in the mind of the receiver of your gift. I’ll be sure to stop in here again soon– I was eyeing a set of 5 colorful vases that I must have!

Great little shop in Old City. You’ll love it’s eclectic mix of products and gifts. I was there a few times and they always keep things fresh. Treat yourself to some great shopping.

I’ve driven past Scarlett Alley hundreds of times and I’d always say that I needed to check it out the next time I was in the hood — but as I don’t usually find myself walking down 2^nd and Race it took me much longer than it should have to get my butt in there. I shouldn’t have taken so long to do so, because this place is awesome! This will be the first place I come whenever I need to give a gift from now on. I particularly love the Clocky clocks, clothing from Bamboo Dreams and Alex toys. Now I can stop sweating every birthday, wedding, bar mitzvah & baby shower I get invited to; I may go broke buying up everything in sight but at least the recipients will think I’m awesome and have amazing taste.

Despite the hard sell, the ladies here are really awesome. They offer a bevy of girlie things. Lotions, perfumes, jewelery, robes and nighties. But the remarkable thing I had to buy here was a bamboo shirt, that shit feels just like silk, but apparently its all eco-​groovy and antibacterial (hello ocd germophobes!)
I’m sure I’ll find myself shopping here again sometimes since the prices aren’t too high and there is quite a bit to look at or buy as gifts.

really cute wedding related stuff for brides and great place if you’re looking for jewelry for your wedding party.