You know those pipe dreams you always have: Opening a shop with your very best friend, dreaming up the coolest interior you could think of, the clever name, what you’d hang on the wall — details all the way down to the daily playlist?

Well, Abby Kessler and Katie Loftus actually did it. They both received the appropriate schooling, yada yada, before they opened their Barbie dream boutique nowhere near Malibu. That would be Smak Parlour on Market Street, Philly. The girls first started out sewing, sewing, sewing and created their clothing line, Smak. Soon the shop front came, the inside got painted incredibly pink, and now they make all the clothes in the sewing room in the back, behind the velvet curtains. (Accessories and home stuff are brought in — super cute picture frames and dinner plates, btw).

Personally, I like to shop in every place I visit just to have stuff unique to that city or town. Smak Parlour definitely has a Philly flair and you’re not going to find Abby and Katie’s label anywhere else. Their style is kind of vintage, really girly but still sophisticated.

My best friend lives across the street and loves the girls. (They’re easy to get to know.) She runs in there and whether it’s to stop by because she feels like buying a quick pair of red underwear, she needs shoes for a certain outfit or a birthday present, Abby and Katie are there to talk her through the whole experience. Now that’s a good relationship.--CS