south of the 9th Street Italian Market lies a boutique you wouldn’t naturally expect to find there. Puss in Boots, a new member of the South Philadelphia community sells vintage – you guessed it – boots, as well as other accessories.Partners Danielle Marie Gatto and Ashley Jerome started the boutique with a passion for their shoes… as well as that vintage appeal.“My partner and I would sit and daydream about this place…,” says Gatto. “Basically, I would buy three pairs of boots [for a great value] and only one would work out. So I would be stuck with the other two pairs that I couldn’t wear.”
The boutique usually sells around a dozen pairs a week, ranging in price from $20 to $120. And did we mention that they name each pair of boots?
“We name every pair we get in,” Gatto says. “That one is ‘Mustard and Mayo’,” she
explains, pointing to a pair of yellow and white cowboy boots.With a grand opening featuring local bands and the support of neighboring shop Connie’s Ric Rac, Puss in Boots opened in November of last year.
Despite outside assumptions of the safety of the surrounding areas, Gatto comments it’s nice setting up shop in the 9th Street Market.
“There’s a real sense of community because this is a business corridor. It doesn’t really matter what kind of business you run, but the kind of people you are.”
By Anna Palij and Matthew Pitts, Group 16, South Philadelphia
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