Drexel's shopping sits on three short stretches, all within a few blocks of the main quad at 33rd and Market. Drexel's dining and retail directory says hours shift with the academic term, so check before you go.
Chestnut Street, 32nd to 34th. This is the everyday block. Rally House at Drexel University (3250 Chestnut St) is the official university store. Next door in Chestnut Square, Plaza Artist Materials & Picture Framing (3200 Chestnut St) sells art supplies and does framing, with 20% off select items for students who show a DragonCard. At the corner of 34th, GIANT Heirloom Market (3401 Chestnut St) is the closest full grocery, open daily 7am to 10pm, with beer and wine and delivery or pickup.
Market Street and Schuylkill Yards. Toward 30th Street Station, the new Schuylkill Yards buildings have added shops and food. Fine Wine & Good Spirits (3151 Market St) is a state store with more than 2,775 wines and spirits, a Made in Pennsylvania section and discounted Chairman's Selection bottles. Its opening release lists Monday to Saturday 9am to 9pm and Sunday 11am to 7pm. Next door, Gather Food Hall (3025 Market St) fills the old Bulletin Building.
Lancaster Avenue and Lancaster Walk. North of the quad, Lancaster Walk leads to Lancaster Avenue and Powelton Village. This stretch is mostly food (see Eat Nearby), plus a weekend flea market at 3400 Lancaster Ave this month.
Walnut Street. A few blocks south and west, on Penn's side, the Penn Bookstore (3601 Walnut St) sells textbooks, Penn apparel and gifts, with a Starbucks inside. The UPS Store (3720 Spruce St) handles shipping, printing and moving boxes.
Official Drexel gear lives at Rally House at Drexel University (3250 Chestnut St), the store Drexel calls "the official University store." Rally House took over the space after Barnes & Noble College closed the old bookstore in June 2025, soft-opened in August and held its grand opening last October. Drexel says it carries Drexel-branded apparel, Philadelphia sports team gear and gifts. The Triangle reported Philly-themed items like puzzles and Rocky merchandise, and that the store takes Dragon Dollars.
Textbooks are separate now. Course materials come through eCampus in print and digital formats, so order those online rather than expecting a shelf of them in the store. You can also shop online at shopdrexelu.com for in-store pickup or delivery; Drexel promoted a one-time 20% off online code for Rally House Loyalty Rewards sign-ups. Store hours are not posted on Drexel's pages, so call ahead.
Start at GIANT Heirloom Market (3401 Chestnut St) for food, cleaning supplies and the paper-towel restock. For toiletries and first-aid basics, CVS Pharmacy (3401 Walnut St) is a block south. Both are a short walk from the dorms around 33rd and 34th Streets.
For move-in and move-out, The UPS Store (3720 Spruce St) sells moving boxes and packing supplies, ships, prints, notarizes and takes passport photos. Its page says it is open seven days a week but does not post times, so call ahead.
For a bigger grocery haul, Trader Joe's (2121 Market St) is across the Schuylkill River in Center City, on the same Market Street line as campus. Desk supplies for studio classes are at Plaza Artist Materials in Chestnut Square. For hardware, see the last section. Our citywide college student shopping guide covers storage bins and desk lamps.
The best secondhand day near Drexel is this month. The Vintage & Antique Flea Market run by Phila Flea Markets sets up at 3400 Lancaster Ave, a few blocks north of the quad, on Saturdays, Oct. 17 and 24, 2026, from 8am to 5pm. PhillyVoice lists vintage clothing, handbags, vinyl records, comic books, retro video games, glassware and cookware. Admission is free.
Design, architecture and fashion students live at Plaza Artist Materials & Picture Framing (3200 Chestnut St). Remember the DragonCard discount.
For books, the Penn Bookstore (3601 Walnut St) is the nearest big bookstore, a short walk west. Drexel's own course materials come through eCampus online, so check there first.
For thrift, walk or ride about a mile west to The Second Mile Center (214 S 45th St), a faith-based thrift store with vintage suits, kitchenware and furniture, useful when you are furnishing a first apartment. It is open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5:45pm. Center City's resale shops are in the last section.
- Rally House at Drexel University (3250 Chestnut St): a Drexel sweatshirt, hat or scarf for the parent who wants to wear the school colors home, or Philly puzzles and Rocky merchandise for the relatives.
- Plaza Artist Materials & Picture Framing (3200 Chestnut St): frame the diploma or a co-op award a block from where you earned it.
- Fine Wine & Good Spirits (3151 Market St): a bottle from the Made in Pennsylvania section for the parents (21 and over only).
- Gather Food Hall (3025 Market St): when the whole family can't agree on dinner, everyone picks a stall.
Coffee. Saxbys runs three Drexel cafés: at 34th Street and Lancaster Walk (65 N 34th St), in the LeBow College of Business (3220 Market St) and in the Health Sciences Building (60 N 36th St). Drexel says students can use dining dollars at them.
Lancaster Avenue. Oh Brother Philly (3400 Lancaster Ave, Ste 8) took over the former Blaze Pizza spot and serves cheesesteaks and burgers. Old Nelson Food Company is at The Summit (3438–3448 Lancaster Ave). For pizza, Sava's Brick Oven Pizza (3505 Lancaster Ave) and Ed's Buffalo Wings and Pizza (3513 Lancaster Ave) are side by side.
Around the quad. Greek From Greece (107 N 33rd St) is right off the quad. Sabrina's (227 N 34th St) is a few blocks north. Landmark Americana (3333 Market St) is in the Drexel Recreation Center, with take-out on GrubHub, DoorDash and Uber Eats.
Market Street. Gather Food Hall (3025 Market St) has six stalls of local eateries, including Sahbyy Food for Cambodian dishes and Mucho Perú.
A parents' dinner. In Chestnut Square, LaScala's Fire and The Board and Brew share 3200 Chestnut St, an easy sit-down after a Rally House stop.
Drexel's campus page says William H. Gray III 30th Street Station, at 30th and Market Streets, is two blocks from campus. All SEPTA Regional Rail trains and Amtrak stop there. The Market-Frankford Line stops at 30th and 34th Streets, and all trolley lines stop at 30th and 33rd Streets. From 33rd or 34th and Market, walk one block south to Chestnut Street. The same Market-Frankford Line runs east under Market Street to Center City, so Rittenhouse Row and Chestnut Street resale are a few stops away.
Driving in for move-in or a visit? The Drexel University Parking Garage is on 34th Street between Chestnut and Market Streets, and Park America is at 3101 Market St. Chestnut Street has three-hour metered parking until 8pm, with kiosks that take coins, bills and cards.
The Market-Frankford Line runs east from 30th and 34th Streets under Market Street to Center City, a few stops away. Rittenhouse Row is the closest big shopping district: the Apple Store Walnut Street (1607 Walnut St) has a Genius Bar for the laptop that dies during finals, and Di Bruno Bros. (1730 Chestnut St) makes a good cheese basket for a co-op supervisor. On Chestnut Street, Buffalo Exchange (1520 Chestnut St) and 2nd STREET (1606 Chestnut St) are resale shops a block apart, and both buy clothes.
For hooks, light bulbs or a small toolkit, Fairmount Hardware (2011 Fairmount Ave) is an Ace store with housewares, paint, electrical and plumbing aisles, open Monday to Saturday 8am to 7pm and Sunday 10am to 6pm. It is a short ride, not a walk. For big-box dorm runs, the Fashion District sits on the same Market Street line.
