🏫 How to help Philly schools, students

🚌 School’s Back In Session

Welcome back! Yesterday marked the first day of the 2026-2027 school year for the nearly 200,000 students and their families in the School District of Philadelphia. Here are 15 ways you can get involved with our city’s students, from donating school supplies to feeding hungry students. [The Philadelphia Citizen]

• Beyond the smiling back-to-school stoop pics on Instagram, our schools face major challenges this year: Asbestos in aging buildings, funding shortages, and a teacher exodus. [🎧 City Cast Philly]

🎵 Inside the Chatoic Collapse of World Cafe Live

Union walkouts, an undercover liquor raid, and a bizarre, failed scheme to use virtual reality avatars: Those are just some of the issues documented in this breakdown of what went wrong with World Cafe Live. Following a disastrous takeover by a tech CEO, the venue descended into bankruptcy, lost its iconic name, and is now on the ropes. UPenn isn’t giving up on the venue, though, and is actively seeking a new operator to step in and reset the stage. [Philly Mag]

📈 Sticker Shock

While property assessments across Philadelphia rose by a modest median of 3%, nearly 6,000 homeowners — disproportionately concentrated in Black and Latino neighborhoods in North Philly — saw their assessed values jump by 50% or more, a new investigation has found. Over 2,200 homeowners say their assessed values more than doubled, threatening to trigger steep tax bills for households that previously owed little to nothing under the city’s homestead exemption. [🔒 The Inquirer]

🌮 ‘Sorry, We Don’t Have a Drive-Thru Yet’

An SUV smashed through the front windows of South Philly’s La Catrachita early Saturday morning, but a little destruction couldn’t stop the tacos from flowing. No one was injured, and after the shop owner’s father-in-law built a temporary front facade for the building, the taqueria reopened, joking on Instagram: “Sorry we don’t have a drive-thru yet.” Police are still investigating and searching for the unidentified driver. [CBS News]

🥦 Philly’s Community Fridges Are Leveling Up

What began as grassroots mutual aid during the pandemic has evolved into a permanent, vital arm of Philly’s hunger relief system, with over 40 community fridges now operating citywide. Groups like West Philly’s The People’s Fridge are even moving into dedicated warehouse spaces to better distribute food as SNAP cuts and rising inflation push local demand to record highs. [Next City]

Today is National Secondhand Wardrobe Day, so what better way to celebrate than hitting up some of Philly’s best vintage and consignment shops to score some new-to-you clothes or new pieces for your home? Philly business corridors in neighborhoods like Old City, Fishtown, and Queen Village have vibrant second-hand scenes. Whether you’re trying to be frugal or you want to shop more sustainably, consider browsing these stores.

For the Classic Thrift Experience

If you’re looking to save, swing by Bargain Thrift Center in Germantown and Circle Thrift in East Kensington for deals on clothing and household items.

Philly AIDS Thrift has multiple floors and rooms to explore for not just clothing but kitchenware, decor, and books. Proceeds from sales go to local organizations serving communities affected by HIV/AIDS.

There are several Goodwill locations from Parkside to South Philly to Northeast Philly with plenty of large bins to dive into.

For Curated Vintage

B-Bop Vintage is one of several vintage stores sprinkled around Queen Village, keeping Fabric Row’s textile legacy alive. Browse handpicked items from decades past.

For Buying by the Pound

If you’re a reseller, Bulk Vintage is the place for you. The large warehouse space is accessible by appointment or for open houses on the third Saturday of every month. You can “shop like a dealer” or try your luck finding an item for yourself. While there, be sure to visit the special collection curated by Briar Vintage on the third floor for clothing from throughout the 20th century.

For the Kiddos

Lilypad Thrift serves newborns to 12-year-olds. You can find pre-loved clothing, books, toys, puzzles, and baby gear for sale. Lilypad also hosts a large consignment sale at Old Pine Community Center twice a year.

Everland specializes in sustainable goods for kids, and also hosts open play and swaps. In addition to its new eco-friendly products, the store also sells gently-used clothes, books, and toys.

There’s Even More

We’ve got picks for where to score gently used furniture and electronics, and some of the more unique spots to find treasures ranging from old arcade games to vintage trinkets of all kinds. Check out our guide to the best Philly second-hand shops, complete with a map to make it easy to find the stores closest to you.