We stopped here to look at antique furniture as we're currently seeking a kitchen hutch. The collection here is eclectic, but it seems to offer pieces that I took for near Eastern, far Eastern, and Mediterranean. In addition to furniture like cabinets, benches, chairs, and tables, one can find rugs, lights/lanterns, books, statues, busts, and other odds and ends. The space is quite large, and the selection varied. Kudos to the curator as one can spend quite a bit of time combing through all of the many treasures. Pieces can trend toward the more expensive side; however, deals are to be found, and while we were there, there was a 30% off sale. The staff are friendly, and my transaction is quick and efficient. While on site, I purchased several wine bottle snuggies that were styled after Chinese-style clothing. They were $3.50 each--a bargain. They'll come in handy when I take wine or other such bottles to social gatherings in the future. Overall, a great experience. Amex is accepted here. read more

I was so excited to visit with my girlfriends. But I just didn't enjoy anything about the store. I have shopped a fair share of high end boutiques to no-ad thrift stores, and this place is clearly a store for pretentious people who want to impress others with weird pieces. (Do they really sell those hideous masks to anyone with a real sense of style? Or to anyone at all??) I had the heebeejeebees walking around in there, and I'm not superstitious or flighty, but the place just had a very "heavy" feeling, like a weight was on my shoulders the whole time there. And don't get me started on the prices... overpriced, on purpose, IMHO, for those who think the higher the price, the more precious the item. The only thing precious is the first breath of fresh air you get when leaving this gaudily overdone made in china sham of a store. read more

The coolest of the cool!! I could easily spend hours upon hours here, wandering and wondering, gasping and being truly inspired. This space was actually a train station in what was once the world's largest radio manufacturing plant founded by Atwater Kent. This is such a unique, unexpected space. Hidden just off of Route 1 at 4700 Wissahickon Ave, is this massive building filled with an incredible, constantly changing inventory of statues, art, rugs, salvaged pieces, textiles, mantels, columns, lighting and furniture of all sorts from all of over Asia and beyond. Each piece is handcrafted and priced accordingly. There's something new to see at every turn. Make sure you leave the appropriate amount of time to see it all because there's A LOT! There's about 60,000 square feet of gems! It can seem a tad overwhelming, but surprisingly it is all merchandised fairly well according to origin and purpose. My favorite thing about this special place is that they host weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and other types of parties! We actually looked here for our own wedding reception as we were interested in something very out of the norm. We had belly dancers and tons of lanterns hanging above at our reception and were going for an ethnic, eclectic vibe. This space would have been perfect! If that's your style or someone else's you know who is looking for a party space, try this place! Unfortunately at the time our of wedding their cafe Baba Olga's wasn't open for business so it wasn't possible for us to host here, but I can imagine how cool it would've been! I do know the cafe as of now is up and running and they will help you tailor a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean menu to your individual desires. They do have a 100 person minimum however. The upstairs is where the host the ceremony! Each seat for your guest would be unique! The room is long, perfect for an aisle, covered with mixed matched gorgeous kilim rugs as a runner. The room is bright, bold and sunlit. It's a very pretty, special area! I can imagine photos would be just amazing! I highly recommend more earthy, open minded people looking here for your event! Your guest will be highly impressed with this one of a kind venue! They often host estate sales and auctions too. Details including dates and times are listed on their website. This place is definitely worth a drive out of your way! It's pretty much a museum, amazing shop and a visual trip around the world, all in one! Fantastic for avid collectors and amateurs alike. read more

See all

One of the best places for home decor from around the world - rolls of Ikat fabrics, Chinese wardrobes, Moroccan lanterns, Japanese fabrics, and so on. Reasonable prices. Authentic stuff with great ambiance like free coffee and varied music from 99 Red Balloons (Starlite Singers) to world music. Only wished I lived in Philly!! Great staff, stress shopping experience!! read more

Material Culture - Don't miss the second floor!! - Antiques Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Just the most amazing place. Furniture, art, Pottery, jewelry, it a football field size old factory. Prices are good . Selection is off the hook. If you are decorating or redecorating it's a must stop. Good help. It's like a museum! Fun way to kill an afternoon. read more

See all

After promising to pay to return the items purchased from them, they never followed through. I have started a Facebook page to warn other buyers to be very careful about dealing with them. Material Culture Ripoffs on FB read more

No weekend pickups for items bought at auction - that is ridiculous for a retail store that shows the same items pre-auction on the weekends. And no I don't care about your internal department hours. I've spent significant amounts here in the past, but I won't be anymore. read more

Truth be told, I couldn't tell you a thing about Art. My house is a mix of really good stuff with some Home Goods mixed in here and there. Well....I walked into this "store" and it's more of a museum. It's huge with some pretty amazing things. Be prepared to spend some time to really take it in and appreciate the different pieces. At first, it may seem like Pier I Imports with some styles - but it is a far cry from that! I did purchase a framed tapestry which is a piece of Art! I could not be any more delighted with the purchase, the service and just everything about the experience. Their customer service is beyond superior. I am looking forward to returning and digest yet another visit. Some pictures to enjoy are included with this post, but I'm not sure if it shows the magnitude of the beauty of the piece. All hand beaded! read more

See all

WOW is the best way to describe this place! I cannot believe I've lived in Philadelphia for close to 6 years and this was my first trip to Material Culture! This place has the coolest home decor for both indoor and outdoor use. The majority of their decor comes from India and China, according to Juan (salesman). Very unique screens, rugs, furniture and small tabletop decor. We purchased a coffee table that was an old shutter from India turned into a coffee table. It looks great in our house! Love the selection and the uniqueness of the place! Staff is awesome too! Very friendly and helpful. read more

Material Culture - The complete room! - Antiques Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

We attended a wedding at this very cool, funky space, chock full of random objets d'art, antiques and other breakables. I'm shocked the owners and insurers allow guests to mingle with these items during events, particularly since I thought of absconding with a sculpture or accent piece quite a number of times during the wedding, and I'm sure others did, too. The acoustics were actually not too bad, despite all the carpets, wall hangings and sound-absorbing decor. They may or may not have a dedicated caterer for events, here; whoever provided the food for the wedding did a phenomenal job, especially with candy-sweet seasonal beets and tomatoes, a curry of shrimp and okra, and a wide selection of perfectly made / maintained hors d'oeuvres.* Bar-tending and serving staff were really nice, excellent at doing their assigned jobs. Not sure if they were employees / contractors of Material Culture or the caterer, but they were great! The one and only downside from a guest's perspective: Are there really only one pair of bathrooms for the entire venue, which must be rented out for something like 200 guests per event? It's possible there were more, but we didn't personally find them. If you have very old guests and very young ones, that's kind of nuckin' futs. ---- * OK, curiosity got the better of me and I looked it up. Food is by Chef Aliza Green, evidently a James Beard award winner: - https://materialculture.com/cafe-news/chef-aliza-green/ - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliza_Green If Chef Green's wedding / large format banquet food is this good, I can't wait to see what her more personalized dining is like. This is a chef I would go out of my way for. read more

This is an interesting store. However, beware their auctions. Their online bidding lags badly, and they will call the bid for someone else even though your bid is showing and is the highest bid. Very disappointing. If you can't get there in person, don't bother. read more

I don't even know what to call this place. Furniture? Decor? Kitsch? That's part of it ... and if I was decorating a house in Philadelphia, I know where I'd be coming for really unique pieces that would transform a home into a conversation piece. I'm still a bit speechless from seeing the automobile themed caskets (yes, you read correctly) right next to the Persian rugs. Their 70's mod furniture left me breathless. I mean, stop reading this review and just go there, OK? read more

Material Culture - Antiques Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

I have been their customers several years. And just today, after a short conversation with one of their auction guys, I know their auction is not so honest. They have fraud actions. They do not list reserved prices on their auction items. And during the action, their employee bid up the price to meet their reserved price. Then, if they end up to be high bidder, they will just put the item back into the next auctions. I have seen many times that the same items shown up in several auctions. I asked them why. They told me that is what happened to them. Instead of passing the item, they 'bought' the item or bid up the price for other buyers. What a shame!!!! read more

Amazing. Nothing else like it in Philly. If not for word of mouth, I would not have known this place existed. The store is set up in a HUGE warehouse in the middle of a large business complex. This place is just a wonderland of stuff from all over the world, mainly Asia, Africa & the Middle East. The 100,000 sq foot warehouse is filled floor to ceiling with anything you can imagine. Need a one of a kind 19th century Indian cabinet? This is your place. Need a gigantic light fixture for the ballroom of your mansion? They got it. Looking for the perfect quirky piece for your hipster apartment? Perhaps an African fertility goddess statue? A hammered copper coffee table? Some Indonesian columns? A beautiful vintage Turkish rug? It's all here. Colors by Padmini is a nice addition to the store, with it's colorful curtains & pillows and heavenly smelling incense. They now have auctions upstairs at Material Culture (and online) which occur pretty frequently. From artwork to artifacts, you can get GREAT deals at auction. If you like beautiful and unique home decor, it's worth the drive out to Material Culture. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. read more

I tried to get information about selling the contents of our condo in Center City. I got rushed off the phone before I could ask how items are sold, picked up, etc. He said he had other calls to answer. A real jerk. read more

I've never actually shopped here, but have gone to 2 auctions, and let me tell you, they are awesome. The first auction I participated in was a live auction and they had a lot of unique furniture and decorative items. A lot of what you would find at Anthropologie for thousands and thousands more. I won an early 20th c. side table for only 50 bucks! I was a little apprehensive to write this review because I don't want people to to suddenly flock to these awesome events and outbid me...but I'm feeling a little generous today. Then 2nd auction was online. Less intimidating and I got to bid in the confines of my room in my PJ's. I won a huge painting for only $120. They have so many spectacular items such as art by Lichtenstein and amazing rugs. A lot of items went for not too much and definitely a million times cheaper than from a store. I cannot wait for the next event! read more

This is easily the most badass furniture and décor store in the Philadelphia area, maybe the state. Do you want an antique Indian dresser from reclaimed teakwood? They have 50 of them. Are you looking for a vintage rug from Turkey? They have a whole floor. Moroccan lanterns? Yes. A giant Buddha statue? Check. A life-size bear statue covered in sequins? They have that too. Not only do they have everything and anything you wanted and didn't know you wanted, the prices are amazing! Not that you'll really have anything to compare them to, but you definitely won't feel ripped off. Extra bonus points for the crazy bathroom murals. You must see them to believe them. read more

Was hung up on by rude woman answering calls for store. Was looking for an appraisal and instead of politely saying they don't provide those services it was easier to hang up I guess. Poor customer service read more

Material Culture is a destination furniture shopping event. My wife and I went in with an open mind and a few hours to kill and spent a good long while browsing their enormous collection of unique furniture, art and artifacts from around the world. In the economy of late, bargains can be found here so don't hesitate to name your price even after already steep sticker-price discounts. The staff was informative and eager to bargain. We walked out with a great deal on an amazing copper-topped kitchen table from Turkey. Pros -Vast, intriguing inventory is nothing you could predict but you may find some treasures including furniture, rugs and carpets, artwork and straight-up oddities from everywhere but Sweden. -Free tea while shopping. -Unlike anything else in Philadelphia that I've seen. -Way outside the mainstream. -Generally fair prices. -Open to bargaining. Cons -A little out of the way -Delivery (which I negotiated for free +) takes about a week. read more

It's a museum, it's a gallery.. no it's the most beautiful auction and craft house in town! Visited this evening with friends for the Jonathan Demme pre auction party. What a lovely night, it's the perfect space to host an event. The auction preview was on the second floor in the back room, a lovely display of mostly African folk art. Paintings, sculptures, crafts, metalwork, a beautiful collection. Aliza Green, the Material Culture chef and cookbook author prepared an incredible multiple table buffet of nibbles for the evening. The main hall was filled with tables and chairs facing a fantastic live band, and some guests were dancing. My girlfriend and I spent some time with Sam ogling over the jewelry, and we each bought earrings. Sam has some of her own clay sculptures for sale in the little boutique, I especially liked the dog head with the eyes open. Sam's boutique is filled with fun feminine products, easy dresses, linen shirts, soaps, bead and tassel bracelets, wine glasses, mugs, jewelry, and so much more. Everything in the boutique is very well priced! Outside of Sam's boutique is her husband George's gigantic 90,000 sq ft antique emporium filled with global art and furniture. George was very friendly and mingled in the party. The selection of antiques and crafts in the space are outstanding, every single piece has a story to tell. Highly recommend this place if you are looking for a piece of furniture, looking to redecorate, for a new rug, jewelry... even for a special event! read more

See all

I always wanted to stop in here, but every time I would see the sign for it, I would already drive past the exit on Route 1. This time I decided to purposely go there. The furniture is not cheap, but there are a lot of investment works of art all through out. The furniture has great detail and quality. It looks like a museum in here, which sparks my creativity and makes me want to buy a house then furnish it. I will be back for some more! read more

Each time I am on my way to Material Culture I can hardly wait to get there. I have never been disappointed with their inventory and I am always fascinated to see all of the items they have for sale. We have picked up some really great & unique pieces over the years. One day soon I hope Material Culture opens an on line store although we live close by there are times that it would be more convenient to shop on line ~ in the meantime I will continue to happily make my way out the Schuylkill Expressway. Material Culture is absolutely the best. read more

This is one of the coolest places for unique stuff. I've literally spent an hour just roaming around looking at everything. They now have a cute little cafe and hold fun events. I just wish I had the money to buy what I love in there! Definitely worth a trip even just to browse read more

Material Culture - Where else would you find a giant wooden scorpion?? - Antiques Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cheap pan-Asian art at ridiculous mark ups. Yeah, it looks cool and the layout is gangster, but this isn't the real deal, people. This is all very cheap mass produced furniture that is very common in markets throughout the far east. read more

Material Culture is really an awesome place for inspiration and great import artisan furniture. They have an awesome array of great Chinese pieces made in villages and some awesome Turkish, Chinese, and other hand woven rugs. Their collection of modern pieces falls off slightly but don't let that slow you down because the large amount of artisan furniture and art pieces is mind numbing. Totally awesome! read more

Material Culture has custom coffins from Ghana shaped like a gorilla, pop can, and a scorpion.

I cannot say enough good about this store. I've been shopping here nearly 10 years. I've furnished a client's house with material culture items & furnished my own. Every friend I've brought for their 1st visit fell in love. Firstly, the furniture & smalls & architectural pieces are STUNNING. The sheer number of them is staggering, too. The people who work here and the owner will bend over backwards to help you. The last pieces I bought were delivered by the owner & his son on-time because something happened with their regular delivery people. I've purchased moroccan lamps, an Indonesian exotic wood cabinet, a giant copper hanging pot that I use for plants, a silk border of a sari with intricate hand working on it which is yards & yards long for a steal. I've gotten several pair of hand-made Indian leather flat shoes with metal thread & beads hand-stitched. Among other things I can't remember. Recently we took part in a rug auction and got a bunch of rugs for shamefully low prices. We also bought (not in auction) a simply beautiful moroccan rug c 1900 which was a great price especially considering it's worth. I got an architectural piece I've been eyeing & wanting for 7+ years, kindof like a corbel, painted teak, C 1900 from India. Finally at my last visit I bought part of a Tibetan Buddhist home-temple/shrine from the north of India, also c 1900. Oh yeah, & aside from auctions, they haggle on the prices. Amazing selection, leisurely place for a really de-stressing amble around. It's gorgeous on the indie but it could also be all the stone Buddhas & Buddha heads. HIGHLY RECOMMEND if you like Asian (China, Japan, India, Indonesia & now others too). antiques. You'll get stuff here you won't see anywhere else in North America. The prices are more than fair, to boot. read more

There are no words to fairly describe this magical place. Full of Turkish antiques from kitchenware to furniture to beautiful things you've never seen before, you'll feel like you discovered a hidden gem, which you kind of did. Multiple floors full of gorgeous handcrafted items. Crazy murals in the bathroom. A super knowledgable (and kind of cute what?) owner will help you find anything you need. Check eet out man! You won't regret it. read more

This is like Disneyland for imported furniture, without the crowds. This place is huge and there are so many nooks and crannies that its a great place to go on a rainy afternoon and explore. There's the table mezzanine with 100's of marble and stone table tops with a selection of bases. Keep going and end up in the hall o' rugs. So many rugs I seriously don't know where to start. Keep going into the Bollywood room. Okay you might not buy anything in this room but the airbrushed decorations and bright colors are just fun. The main area is mostly imported wood pieces including awesome benches and bedposts. There's not much upholstered furniture here, some but don't expect to find a couch here. With all this goodness, you might think it totally out of your price range but fear not! There are statement pieces here of all sizes and the 18' Moorish doors might blow your budget but the accent table or wall hanging would fit in great with your small center city pad and smaller budget. read more

Have your event here!! We recently had our wedding ceremony and reception here, and couldn't have been happier. No joke. First off, all of our guests keep saying, and rightly so, that is is absolutely the coolest and most unique venue they've ever seen. From the very beginning Aliza and Samantha made the planning process easy and fun. There's a real attention to detail, and you can tell they really enjoy what they do and that they're having fun. Chef Aliza Green is incredible, and loves to cook interesting things. If you're looking for a "chicken or fish" type of event, you're doing yourself a dis-service (though I'm sure it'd be delicious too). We sat with her and she asked us about what foods we liked and grew up with from our families and our cultures, and she had an interesting take on each aspect of what we thought our "theme" might be. People were raving. Walking in on the day of our wedding, we had zero concerns that things would be setup and would run the way that we wanted them to, and honestly it was even better than we could have hoped. We wanted to have not only a unique and really special event, but we wanted to throw a really great party, and from what our friends and family keep telling us, I know we succeeded. Seriously they were so great here from start to finish (and after). Flexible and creative, and easy-going while still professional. Couldn't have asked for a better experience. read more

Totally agree with all other reviewers. Cannot believe I did not discover this place sooner. I saw so many items I would like to buy but mostly fascinated by the beautiful Turkish rugs. When I save enough money, I'll go back for one. My husband is an amateur photographer and they let him take photos. He got some fabulous shots of the eclectic and colorful items in the store. The only downside is there is no heat or air conditioning, so we were very cold by the time we left. It was actually colder in the store than outside on this particular January day. But don't let that stop you from going because this store is AMAZING! read more

This place has an awesome feel right from when you walk in the door. Cool, funky restaurant; eclectic, friendly clientele, pleasant staff, and an entire warehouse full of interesting potential finds... BUT... I just got back from 10 days in Afghanistan; I've been traveling there off and on since the 1980s, when I did some photography work. During my most recent trip, I decided to try to hunt down some high quality khammak in the Kabul bazaars (khammak is hand embroidery done by Afghan women). Over the years I have seen numerous examples of it. It's absolutely gorgeous. Anyhow, after a few false leads, I found a place recommended by Feroz Koh (the Turquoise Mountain Foundation), which was selling high quality handicrafts to the international community folks. Beautiful stuff. I purchased a variety of hand embroidered items. When I returned home, I did a bit of online research and decided to stop by Material Culture to get their opinion. The employees were very helpful, but when I showed the owner an intricate, silk on silk embroidered pillow cover, he barely looked at it and said, "This is cheap! I wouldn't give you ten dollars for it! Everything that comes out of Pakistan and Afghanistan is cheap!" And, yes, that is an exact quote. I told him that it was NOT cheap and that an Afghan woman had worked on it for 3 or 4 weeks. He then just walked away. Needless to say, that irked me more than a little bit. Fortunately, I didn't have to take his word as the final one. I live in Pennsylvania Dutch country, quilt capital of the U.S., and I know a number of people who are very skilled in quilting, crocheting, needlework and embroidery, so I called 2 of them up and asked them to take a look at the items that I had purchased. After very close, careful scrutiny, they both independently stated that all the items that I had purchased were, in fact, beautifully hand stitched, using high quality materials. And they were both impressed with the quality and beauty of the workmanship. I don't know why the owner said what he said. Maybe he was trying to lowball me. Maybe he didn't know what he was talking about. Maybe he was just having a bad day. But he was definitely wrong. I'm not going to bust on this store. It looks like a really cool place. And I'm not going to give it a bad rating either. But I would suggest that perhaps the owner might want to do a bit of homework on what comes out of Afghanistan. That would include some of the best embroidery produced anywhere in the world. read more

We bought a beautiful Indonesian cabinet with four doors painted rustically in a soft turquoise a few years ago. Material Culture employees kindly loaded this heavy piece into the rear of an SUV for us to transport it home. It took two people to carry it into our home. It has held up well and is as beautiful today as when we purchased it 3-4 years ago. Nice customer service and yummy healthy food at their cafe. read more

I purchased online and paid immediately nearly $1500 for a dubiously attributed piece of art. They force you to handle your own shipping. But now for 15 days, not a word in response to multiple emails. It's like it's not their responsibility after they sell you the art. Who is Svitlana? So bummed as I had thought they had decent stuff over the years. Something has changed. Was the company sold off? There is NO customer service. read more

If you have a hankering for some fierce antique loving this is where you should go. I was really hoping it would be more like the world's largest thrift store but it's got reallly authentic craaazy old international antiques. Like actual antiques as in well over a hundred years old and in amazing condition. I am not sure what asian villiage they raided to get all this stuff but they are selling it for very reasonable prices...still out of my range but hey. Tables, benches, dressers and chairs are the most abundant here from china and thereabout to india. Some american pieces were in the front room. This wooden furniture is absolutely pristine shape I couldn't believe it and soooo much supposedly 90,000 sq ft of store on two floors. Also rugophiles would be in heaven here a gigantic floor for ancient rugs or every sort and style is upstairs. Next to the 'modern' super discount room with a bunch of ikea cheap style couches and chairs for around $100 or less. This place is amazing just to see but I need a job before I can actually shop here. You know to furnish my apartment in the style of 19th century chinese school houses. read more

This place is a hidden gem. I wish I had a big fancy house to style with the amazingly unique pieces Material Culture has. The space is huge with tons of vintage and exotic multicultural furniture. They have rugs, decorative accents, artwork, light fixtures, outdoor furniture and all kinds of other random things ( insert blessed Mary status straight out of a church!). I was completely overwhelmed when I walked in. If you're looking to add some cool/vintage/ethnic/quirky flare to your home, this is the place to go! read more

I'm really surprised there aren't more reviews here. Gorgeous merchandise, reasonably priced, wish more cities had something like it.

I love this place. They combine so many beautiful pieces of art, furniture and accents from az. round the world that you feel more like your exploring than shopping when you go here. Some pieces are priced on the high side but overall I think most of their merchandise is reasonable and they will negotiate. They also have an onsite restaurant and host auctions during the weekend. If you need anything for your house or are in need of a cool unique gift this is your place. read more

From Asian temples to Turkish rugs to African masks and everything in between, Material Culture is an eclectic home furnishing and decoration orgy. Each piece looks like it could be from a museum under different conditions and every piece seduces a conversation. Wander around the 90,000 sq.ft. warehouse and let your inspiration do the decorating. The prices are reasonable and negotiable. The free coffee leaves something to be desired but the experience is relived until the next visit. read more

amazing place for quality, funky, reasonably priced furniture. you'd be hard pressed to not find something you fall in love with there. the rug part of the store is incredible - you could spend hours just in that part. the service is incredible! read more