It was my first love and will thus always be in my heart. The Spice Corner is the place to go in the Italian Market of Philadelphia. Two thirds of this little hole in the wall are devoted to herbs, spices and blends. The rest of the store has coffee, tea and a few dried goods.
Walking in, the place feels at once exotic and familiar. Jars are lined up on shelves giving it the look of every spice shop you've ever seen in a movie or TV show. Jars of things you might not have tried before like sumac or tandoor masala beckon in a whisper while the more familiar items greet you up front like an old friend.
The staff is very personable and helpful. They always seem to hard at work when I arrive, bagging spices, maintaining the store and tagging little baggies. However, that never stops them from making me feel welcome and well liked. I've never met the store's owner but I've heard she's quite a character herself.
If there's anything negative to be said about this store, it would be the hours. For some reason they close at 5:30 on weekdays. Baffling though that is, I still find the effort to get there in time well worth it. They only accept cash but this to me just adds to romanticism of a spice shop being an exotic, rustic thing.
Disappointingly, they have almost no internet presence. The best they have is a page on the Italian Market website which looks like it hasn't been updated since the mid 90s. I'll link to it here anyway. I guess it's all part and parcel of the rustic aesthetic.
From little ol' me, The Spice Corner gets 4.5/5 anise stars and a recommendation.
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