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Welcome to Playing Favorites, wherein local shopping and fashion gurus provide their hidden retail gems—those unique stores around Philly that we might not all know about. Cue the Beatles: We're about to get a little help from our friends.

For an urban explorer like Streets Dept's Conrad Benner—a photo blogger who braves crumbling drywall, sketchy floorboards, and chance encounters with ghostly apparitions to get those great shots of Philly's abandoned buildings—it's all about the thrill of the hunt. So when Benner told us his favorite Philadelphia shopping haunts include a labyrinth-like book store and a bulk vintage warehouse, we were all, "Sounds about right."

After the jump, Benner reveals the city's top seven spots where you're likely to find him digging for vintage oxfords, dog-eared books, and bargain-priced estate furniture.