The Royal Rummage Sidewalk Sale returns to the streets of Germantown Avenue July 25 to 27 for Chestnut Hill’s summer tradition of sales, food and fun.
For three days, the shops and stores along the Avenue will share their wares outdoors, with seasonal specials and distinctive finds from the neighborhood’s boutiques, galleries, and small businesses.
But this summer’s Royal Rummage is special, marking the 60th anniversary of the treasured event. “Generations of families have made Royal Rummage part of their summer tradition, with some locals even recalling …
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The Royal Rummage Sidewalk Sale returns to the streets of Germantown Avenue July 25 to 27 for Chestnut Hill’s summer tradition of sales, food and fun.
For three days, the shops and stores along the Avenue will share their wares outdoors, with seasonal specials and distinctive finds from the neighborhood’s boutiques, galleries, and small businesses.
But this summer’s Royal Rummage is special, marking the 60th anniversary of the treasured event. “Generations of families have made Royal Rummage part of their summer tradition, with some locals even recalling leaving the shore early just to come shop the sales and support their community,” said Courtney O’Neill, executive director of the Chestnut Hill Business Association.
In the age of online shopping, the opportunity to make a day of shopping and strolling through a welcoming community is all too rare. Royal Rummage draws both neighbors and residents from outside of the neighborhood, with some visitors even checking into the Chestnut Hill Hotel for a destination weekend. The event also offers Germantown Avenue businesses the chance to collaborate at a time when consumer shopping habits have changed dramatically.
"It's important to be all for these community events. Our customers notice it,” said Beth Milley, owner of Villavillekula children’s boutique. Royal Rummage will help kick off the store’s back-to-school season with a clearance sale that will continue until Labor Day. Visitors will shop in Villavillekula’s 200-year-old building, which Milley said “feels like a home” and not a department store.
“We've been in Chestnut Hill for 12 years, so I've gotten to see children growing up here. It's a small town,” Milley said. “Some of the children who were young kids when I opened are coming in to ask for jobs now."
About a block away from Villavillekula, Moondance Farm Studios will showcase an eclectic mix of artwork, home decor items, furnishings and unique gifts — all made by Philadelphia-area creators. Landscape paintings of local Chestnut Hill sites and scenes from the woods in the Wissahickon are among the shop’s special offerings.
“We began four years ago as a pop-up store just after the pandemic, when people were eager to get out of their homes and experience art in person,” said Amy Masterman, the studio’s curator. “Our store was so popular that I decided to stay in the space and we now feature the work of 70 local artists.”
Masterman, who served as executive director of Allens Lane Art Center for eight years, recognizes the importance of an in-person shopping experience for artists today, “With the way algorithms are set and with all of the paid advertisements on sites like Etsy now, it’s very hard now for artists to be discovered and develope a following.”
The Royal Rummage Sidewalk Sale will be July 25–27, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., from the 8000 to 8600 blocks of Germantown Avenue. For information, visit chestnuthillpa.com.
