America’s Best Independent Design Shops: Yowie

Shannon Maldonado founded her Philadelphia boutique, Yowie, with the goal of giving creatives a platform. "We love being the first to carry a designer’s collection," says Maldonado, who notes that "the home and furniture space hasn’t always felt inclusive"—something she’s out to change. 

Perched along historic Fabric Row in the leafy Queen Village neighborhood, the compact shop is stocked with everything from sculptural ceramics by local and international brands, to buttery-soft loungewear by Yowie and an enticing selection of design books. But rather than tightly pack in rows of objects, Maldonado’s curation allows her rotating selections to breathe.

Maldonado has been hard at work developing an ambitious project that will combine a new, nearby outpost with a boutique hotel, cafe, and rentable photo studio, set to open in late 2022.