Shopping in Chicago
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Greenheart Shop
This nonprofit, ecofriendly, fair-trade store stocks chocolate from Ghana, banana-fiber stationery from Uganda, rubber soccer balls from Pakistan and organic cotton baby clothes from, well, Chicago. There’s much more, all part of the Center for Cultural Interchange’s project that ensures fair wages to artisans.
reviewed
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H&M
This Swedish-based purveyor of trendy togs is usually packed with customers clawing the racks for high fashion at low prices. Men and women will find a variety of European-cut styles ranging from business suits to bathing suits. There’s another outlet at 22 N State St, but this one is bigger.
reviewed
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Jimmy Choo
The prices are almost as high as the stiletto heels at Jimmy Choo, revered foot stylist to the rich and famous. Oh, go ahead – be like J Lo and Beyoncé. All it takes is a toss of the head, the willingness to drop $800 on a pair of kicks and the attitude that footwear doesn’t make the outfit, it is the outfit.
reviewed
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Crossroads Trading Co
Crossroads sells funky, name-brand used clothes for men and women that you can count on being in good condition. Lots of jeans usually hang on the racks, including Seven for all Mankind, Citizens of Humanity and Miss Sixty labels. Shoes, coats and handbags are also abundant. You can sell or trade items, too.
reviewed
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Central Camera
Whatever your photos needs, Central Camera has the answer. If you’re traveling with a shutterbug, be sure to avoid this place until the very end of your trip, lest you risk seeing the sights all by yourself. Once photo-holics step inside the long, narrow store, it will be days before they surface again.
reviewed
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Una Mae’s Freak Boutique
It’s unlikely that the solid suburban women who once wore the pillbox hats and fine Republican cloth coats on sale here would ever have thought of themselves as freaks. Along with the vintage wear, Una Mae’s has a growing collection of new, cool-cat designer duds and accessories for both men and women.
reviewed
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T-Shirt Deli
They take the ‘deli’ part seriously: after they cook (ie iron a retro design on) your T-shirt, they wrap it in butcher paper and serve it to you with potato chips. Choose from heaps of shirt styles and decals, of which Mao, Sean Connery, Patty Hearst and a red-white-and-blue bong are but the beginning.
reviewed
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Rotofugi
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 the block. Graffiti artists and cartoonists use the store as a studio, so it’s also a gallery. You can usually find locally designed Shawnimals here.
reviewed
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Quimby's
Ground Zero for comics, zines and underground culture; in Wicker Park.
reviewed
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Handmade Market
Held the second Saturday of the month at the Empty Bottle, this event showcases Chicago crafters who make funky glass pendants, knitted items, handbags, scarves, journals and greeting cards. The bar serves drinks throughout the event, for those who enjoy sipping while shopping.
reviewed
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Lori’s, the Sole of Chicago
Lori’s caters to shoe junkies, who tear through boxes and tissue paper to get at Franco Sarto, Apepazza and other European brands. The general frenzy morphs into a true gorge-fest during season-ending sales in July/August and January/February; lines can form out the door during these sales.
reviewed
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US #1
From the outside this place looks not so chic. Inside, however, you’ll find rack after rack of vintage ’70s bowling, Hawaiian and western-wear shirts, as well as towers of old Levi’s and designer jeans. The owner knows his stuff, and merch quality is high (though so are some of the prices).
reviewed
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CompUSA
A convenient superstore for those looking to pick up laptop supplies, CompUSA offers unbeatable prices on things like wireless cards and hand-held computing devices. Come with a clear idea of what you want – the teenage ‘help’ rarely knows more than the customers.
reviewed
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Europa Style Shoes
More than 800 styles of footwear travel across the pond from Italy, Spain and Russia searching for feet that appreciate great Euro-brand style for prices hovering between $60 and $120. About three-quarters of the stock is for women, from leopard-print girly kicks to waffle-stomping boots.
reviewed
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Andersonville Galleria
Ninety indie vendors sell their fair-trade and locally made artisan wares in mini-boutiques spread over three floors. Sweets, coffee, clothing, handbags, paintings, photography, jewelry – it’s a smorgasbord of cool, crafty goods in a community-oriented marketplace. Support the little guy!
reviewed
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Sports World
This store across from Wrigley Field overflows with – that’s right, Sherlock – Cubs sportswear. It carries all shapes and sizes of jerseys, T-shirts, sweatshirts and ball caps, plus baby clothes and drink flasks. Surprisingly, the prices aren’t bad given the attraction-side location.
reviewed
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5 S Wabash Ave
This old building, located on a block commonly referred to as ‘Jewelers Row,’ is the center of Chicago’s family jeweler trade. Hundreds of shops in here sell every kind of watch, ring, gemstone and bauble imaginable. Most are quick to promise, ‘I can get it for you wholesale!’
reviewed
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Shop at the Cultural Center
The Chicago Cultural Center’s shop is a stellar place for Chicago-oriented souvenirs, especially books by local authors. The Chicago Publishers Gallery is on-site at the center, and so many of the comics, history books, zines and poetry books displayed there are for sale here.
reviewed
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Myopic Books
Sunlight pours through the windows at Myopic, one of the city’s oldest and largest used bookstores. It rambles through three floors, serves coffee and hosts poetry readings (usually on Sunday evenings) and experimental music (on Monday evenings). In other words, it’s perfect.
reviewed
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Giftland
After you see it, you’ll wonder how you’ve lived without it: a toast-scented Hello Kitty eraser. Giftland stocks a swell supply of pens, stationery, coin purses and backpacks donning the images of Kitty as well as Mashimaro, Pucca, Doraemon and other Asian cartoon characters.
reviewed
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Shops at North Bridge
Shops at North Bridge appeals to a less aggressively froufrou demographic, with stores such as the Ann Taylor Loft, Harley David-son and the LEGO Store. The multilevel mall connects anchor department store Nordstrom to Michigan Ave via a gracefully curving, shop-lined atrium.
reviewed
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Uprise Skateboards
Looking for a Street Sweeper or a pair of Lakais? Uprise is the city’s top spot for skateboarders to pick up gear, boards and tips on the local scene. Drop in for a rad T-shirt and to find out where the action is. No attitude here: they’re friendly and patient with newbies.
reviewed
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Dave’s Records
With a splatter of colored vinyl decorating the back wall, Dave’s feels a little like the setting of Nick Hornby’s music-nerd classic, High Fidelity. CDs? Forget it. MP3s? Never heard of ’em. Dave’s doesn’t discriminate with genres, but it’s for vinyl purists only.
reviewed
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City Sole/Niche
One of the hippest men’s and women’s shoe stores in Chicago is divided into two sections. Niche is where high-priced designs dwell, and City Sole is its more down-to-earth cousin. Together they service the neighborhood: punks, young housewives and old Polish women alike.
reviewed
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Uncle Fun
This oddball toy and novelty shop is one of the best spots in Chicago for goofy gifts, kitschy postcards and vintage games. The shelves are overflowing with strange finds like fake moustache kits, 3-D Jesus postcards and Chinese-made tapestries of the US lunar landing.
reviewed