Chicago
As if the hanging sausages, ripe cheeses and flaky pastries lining the shelves at this European market weren't enough, Gene's also rocks a rooftop summer…
Must-see shopping in Illinois
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Chicago
People form long lines outside this store on the Mag Mile. Granted, the caramel corn is heavenly and the cheese popcorn decadent, but is it worth waiting…
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Chicago
Buy a used book here and you’re helping to fund this volunteer-based literacy group’s programs, which range from in-school reading help for grade…
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Chicago
This emporium is frequently cited as one of the nation's best comic-book stores. Old Marvel Superman back issues share shelf space with hand-drawn works…
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Chicago
This is not just a doll shop – it’s an experience. Kids can create a completely customized doll that looks just like them, and even buy matching outfits…
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Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Chicago’s best indie-rock record and CD emporium lets you listen to everything before you buy. There's plenty of elbow room in the big, sunny space, which…
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Chicago Architecture Center Shop
Chicago
Browse through skyline T-shirts and posters, Frank Lloyd Wright note cards, skyscraper models and heaps of books that celebrate local architecture at this…
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Chicago
Hot chocolate in unexpected flavors like tea and cookies and brown butter is the fan favorite at this shabby-chic boutique. While you await your elixir of…
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Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
The epicenter of Chicago’s comic and zine worlds, Quimby’s is one of the linchpins of underground literary culture in the city. Here you can find…
Chicago
Travel fiends and design junkies alike will delight in this charmingly curated shop, which deals in quirky finds such as tableware from steamships and…
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Chicago
At awesomely academic Seminary Co-op, you might run into a Nobel laureate or three. Local scholars adore this place, where you'll find no less than eight…
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Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
If you want to take a bit of Chi-town home with you, check out these locally made, Chicago-inspired wares – souvenirs with style. Just about anything that…
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Chicago
Decorated with vintage typewriters and old card-catalog bureaus that serve as desks, this small store for new and used books charms. Sliding ladders…
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Chicago
This is Columbia College's student store, where student artists and designers sell their wares. The shop carries original, handcrafted pieces spanning all…
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Chicago
Over a hundred indie vendors sell their fair-trade and locally made artisan wares in kiosks spread over three floors. Sweets, coffee, clothing, handbags,…
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Chicago
An impressive and thoughtfully curated collection of beer, wine and spirits, especially the flavored bitters and the prodigious amount of small-batch…
Chicago
Merz is a true turn-of-the-century European apothecary. Antique pharmacy jars contain herbs, homeopathic remedies, vitamins and supplements, and the…
Chicago
This appealingly curated shop in Humboldt Park stocks vintage modern home goods – from acapulco chairs to retro bar carts to colorful kilim rugs – as well…
Chicago
This spacious antique market in Edgewater – 75 dealers spread across 20,000 sq ft and two floors – is a treasure trove of 20th-century furnishings, from…
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Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Old-school soul, Latin beats, American gospel, bass-stabbing hip-hop, every flavor of jazz – if it’s funky, Dusty Groove (which also has its own record…
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Chicago
This charming independent shop is better described for what it does not carry – no Barbies, Harry Potter books or trendy kiddie togs. Instead you’ll find…
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Wicker Park Secret Agent Supply Co
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
This place sells 'espionagical wares' (aka crazy spy and detective gear): mustache disguise kits, underwater voice amplifiers, Sherlock Holmes deerstalker…
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Chicago
An Andersonville mainstay, this feminist independent bookstore has been around for more than 35 years. Book signings and author events happen most weeks…
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Chicago
Rotofugi has an unusual niche: urban designer toys. The spacey, robot-y, odd vinyl and plush items will certainly distinguish you from the other kids on…
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Chicago
A bombardment of fragrance socks you in the nose upon entering this Old Town spice house, which offers delicacies such as black and red volcanic salt from…
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Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Bold and colorful shoes by the eccentric Canadian designer are the order of the day at this spacious haven for fans of funky footwear. They come as tough…
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Chicago
Optimo is a Chicago institution, the last custom hat-maker for men in town. Want a lid like Al Capone's? Get one here, made with serious, old-school…
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Chicago
This slick shop outside Wrigley Field has every Cubs-logoed item you could dream of. Browse two stories of official team paraphernalia, including an…
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Woolly Mammoth Antiques & Oddities
Chicago
Part morbid curiosity shop, part eerie art installation. Creepy doll heads, a stuffed groundhog wearing a Superman cape, death masks, Victorian medical…
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Chicago
After ooohhing and aaahhing at the cool models of rockets, castles and dinosaurs scattered throughout the store, kids can build their own designs at pint…
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Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
It's a fine spot to browse for a pillbox hat or a classic houndstooth-check jacket. Along with its vintage wares, Una Mae’s has a collection of new, cool…
Chicago
As bookstores go, it’s hard to beat Dial's literary pedigree: it’s housed in the Fine Arts Building, once headquarters to groundbreaking modernist…
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Japanese and Nordic design share similar features, including clean lines, minimal adornments and references to the natural world. So when former architect…
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
This well-curated vintage shop in Noble Square stocks a selection of beautiful modern furniture and home decor, from teak credenzas to vintage Eames…
Chicago
The 40-some stalls here brim with vintage furniture, apparel and collectibles. The mall is smaller, slightly more disheveled and a bit lower priced than…
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Chicago
This market, which styles itself on London’s Portobello Market, has become quite the to-do in town. It takes place inside the beaux-arts Plumbers Hall,…
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Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Incense envelops you at the door, and you know right away you’re in for a hippie-flavored treat. Mounds of internationally styled baubles rise up from the…
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Chicago
Shop for cheese, meat and eggs from family farms, as well as pies from Pleasant House Pub. The small but quality market also hosts cooking demonstrations,…
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Chicago
Often in the Loop, a smell wafts through that’s so enticing you’d almost shoot your own mother in the kneecaps to get to it. It comes from Blommer…
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Chicago
Let’s say your recipe calls for Hungarian cinnamon, gray sea salt and Balinese long pepper. Instead of throwing up your hands in despair after searching…
