A camera shop since 1938 and nine more in Doylestown
A record store from the cassette era, a thrift shop funding a shelter, and a jewelry counter everyone calls the Friendly Jeweler.
Doylestown's Main Street runs north and south for a mile, and most of the shops worth walking into sit along it or one alley off. Here are ten that earn the stop, from a camera shop in its third generation to a candy counter open until nine on Fridays.
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Family-run camera shop on West State since 1938, now in its third generation, and one of the last places around that still develops film.
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A real record store open since the cassette era, with new vinyl up front and used bins that reward patience. "I've shopped for records on four continents and this was one of the best shops I've been to," Jay says on Google.
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Fifty-plus years on North Main, still running on the original rule: fair prices, no pressure. Everyone in town calls it the Friendly Jeweler.
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Thirty years of used books spread over two floors of a Victorian on West State, with a donation bin out back that takes books 24/7.
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Thrift shop where most tags read $6 or less, and every dollar of profit funds A Woman's Place, Bucks County's domestic violence services organization. "I always leave with several brand new outfits and blouses for work," Kristen says on Google.
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Family-owned candy shop on East State with chocolate-covered almonds, Whirly Pops, and ice cream, open until 9 on Fridays and Saturdays.
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Handcrafting gold-filled and sterling pieces on State Street since 2013, with a charm bar they claim is Pennsylvania's original and a Get Sparked appointment that welds a permanent bracelet on.
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The Main Street source for throwback Phillies, Eagles, Flyers, and Sixers gear, with a Monkey on a Mission program that trains young adults of all abilities in real-world job skills.
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Vintage clothing down Taylor Avenue, curated hard instead of piled high, with rack turnover that rewards regulars.
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Beer distributor on Atkinson Drive with a craft wall deeper than the name suggests. Case law, Pennsylvania edition.
More field notes
- Montgomery County pizza, one shop open since 1946
- Doylestown pizza, one kitchen open until 3 a.m.
- Kettle-boiled since 1993: eight bagels in Bucks County
- Nine antique shops out here, one funds a shelter
- Chester County pizza: one parlor open since 1959
- A greenhouse and nine more patios in Montgomery County
- Every field note
