At Yowie Hotel, an Overnight Stay Is Also a Crash Course in the Best Design You’ve Never Heard Of

Yowie has always been the place to discover something new. That’s because the Philadelphia design boutique’s founder, Shannon Maldonado, started it as a way to promote a roster of talented makers and artists you probably aren’t familiar with. Often, the reason their chairs, throws, or pillows haven’t pinged your radar is because the store is the first one to share them.

Now, after a years-long lead up, the shop is sharing and caring on a few new levels. In April, Maldonado closed the original Queen Village brick-and-mortar to open a hospitality space, the 13-suite Yowie Hotel with an accompanying design shop and cafe, located a few blocks away on South Street. She hopes the hotel will allow people to connect in a greater way to her world of design, and her hometown.

"We want it to feel like even though you’re at the hotel, we’re really setting you up to have a great experience in the city. Then when you’re in your room, we’re making it as comfortable and cozy and inspiring as possible," says Maldonado.

For the rooms, she collaborated with designers on much of the decor and furnishings, a lot of which can be purchased in the downstairs shop. Her must-haves included custom bowls and coffee mugs from Cloud 9 Clay, Personal Best Ceramics, Domenic Frunzi, and Frances Iadarola. "They all just really make the kitchenette in each space pop, and I just love the idea of someone using them during their stay and coming down to see us in the shop and taking them home with them," Maldonado says.

With the storefront and a rentable studio suite on the ground floor and the rest of the rooms on the second and third levels, the new space isn’t quite a hotel, nor is it exactly like an Airbnb, but occupies a middle ground in terms of what you can expect of a stay. There’s no concierge, for example, or on-site personnel. More aligned with a short-term rental, the rooms can be accessed with a code provided prior to arrival, and further assistance is given via text or phone.

This is Maldonado’s third go at designing and curating this kind of stay. She worked on Philadelphia hotel and event space The Deacon, and Dye House in Rhode Island. The goal for each has been to promote an energy of engagement. "We really do want the store to feel not just like a store. And then for the hotel to feel like a neighborhood guest room," says Maldonado.

The hotel’s four suites feature large bay windows reminiscent of the South Philly architecture she grew up with. The nostalgic backdrop is freshened up with finishes like the dining area and kitchen’s matte-black cabinets and marble countertops from Daltile. While those elements are more permanent, she envisions the spaces in constant evolution with new objects from the designers she admires. "We have this really fun oblique coffee table made by a local woodworker, Breck Brunson," says Maldonado. "I really wanted the spaces to feel like a place where the artist could grow alongside us with their body of work."

Maldonado, ever an entrepreneur, took on her share of challenges designing the rooms. "The color palette was this huge puzzle that I was constantly kind of picking at for the two-plus years," she says. "It’s like a really fun puzzle to make all the pieces work together."

As for the building’s cafe, Maldonado and her team wanted to include something that served light fare, since spots to grab a salad or sandwich on South Street are scarce, she says. So she tapped local eatery and wine bar Eeva, and together they created Wim, which serves coffee by local roaster ReAnimator along with an assortment of juices, pastries, salads, grain bowls, and more. "I'm personally very excited about it and terrified that I’m never gonna leave the building now that I have food and drinks that close by," Maldonado says.

Since Yowie’s new home base is near the original location, it grants immediate access to the same record stores, vintage shops, and restaurants. Maldonado plans to continue sharing maps with hotel guests, keeping with her promise to be the best host she can be. She also plans on running workshops at the hotel to give makers—local and visiting—a home away from home.

"We really want to stand out as a joyous hospitality space," says Maldonado. "The message is that Yowie Hotel is playful and approachable and kind of leaves you inspired to do things for your own home. The biggest compliment to me is that someone sees what we’ve created, and they want to do their own version of it."

Related Reading:

She Started One of America’s Best Design Stores. Now, She Wants to Help You Do You

Philadelphia’s Arbiter of Cool Is Turning Her Beloved Shop Into a Creative Hub and Hotel

America’s Best Independent Design Shops: Yowie