Northern Minnesota
Invaluable resource for stocking up on food and drink before heading out along the Gunflint Trail. Lots of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, as…
Must-see shopping in The Great Lakes
Wisconsin
The heaving shelves are stacked with thousands of new, used and collectible books, making this an indispensable stop to pick up some travel reads or just…
Wisconsin
This independent bookstore and coffeehouse in the heart of Spring Green serves as the town's intellectual nerve center.
Wisconsin
Pair some of the meats with bread from the bakery next door to make a gourmet picnic. Excellent smoked bratwurst.
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…
Detroit
Willy Wonka himself might marvel at the imaginative flavor combinations on offer at this locally owned chocolate shop – think cake and buttercream, coffee…
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…
Minneapolis
Welcome to the USA's largest shopping center. Yes, it's just a mall, filled with the usual stores, movie theaters and eateries. But there's also a wedding…
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,…
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…
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,…
Indiana
Gummy bear fans should flock to this Merrillville candy factory, much beloved in Indiana but also known worldwide if not by name but flavor (they make…
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…
Detroit
Local artists create stylish products for Pure Detroit that celebrate the city's culture. Pick up handbags made from recycled seatbelts, groovy T-shirts…
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…
Chicago
Owner-chocolatier Katrina Markoff has earned a national reputation for her brand by blending exotic ingredients such as curry powder, chilies and wasabi…
Cincinnati
Indoor-outdoor Findlay Market lies deep in Over-the-Rhine, in a somewhat blighted section. The wrought iron–framed structure has been a public market…
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
The ‘deli’ part is taken seriously here: after cooking (ie ironing a retro design on) your T-shirt, it's wrapped in butcher paper and served to you with…
Gold Coast
Grocer’s Daughter works directly with cacao farmers in Ecuador to obtain its chocolate, and it sources its other ingredients from Michigan farms and…
Chicago
Water Tower Place launched the city’s love affair with vertical shopping centers. Many locals swear this first one remains the best. The mall houses 100…
Chicago
A serious university demands a serious bookstore, and as you descend the stairs to this basement-level shop you’ll know you’re in the right place. Its…
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Penelope’s is a warm boutique for twenty- and thirty-somethings. It offers both men’s and women’s fashions (they’re new, but look thrift-store-bought)…
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
'Come In, We're Awesome' says the sign on the front door. Gregarious owner Julie has been running this Bucktown boutique for two decades and it's become a…
Chicago
Painters, sculptors and other visual artists and craftspeople get paid for creating their wares while teaching inner-city teens – who serve as apprentices…
Ohio
Lehman's is an absolute must-see. It is the Amish community's main purveyor of modern-looking products that use no electricity, housed in a 32,000-sq-ft…
Michigan
Forgot to buy takeaway beers at your favorite local brewery? Fix the problem here. The shop sells bottles and cans from heaps of Michigan suds makers. You…
Chicago
Koval distills organic, small-batch whiskey and gin in the shiny copper tanks that you see inside. It also makes ginger, jasmine, walnut and other unique…
Chicago
Whether you’re hoping to win at bingo, remove a jinx or fall in love, this Greektown store promises to help with its array of candles, incense, love…
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Myopic is one of the city’s oldest and largest used bookstores, with stacks upon stacks of tomes (about 70,000 by the shop's count). It rambles through…
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Rack after rack of ‘70s bowling, Hawaiian and western-wear shirts, leather motorcycle jackets, cowboy boots and secondhand jeans (including big-name…
Gold Coast
It's all about #housegoals at this super-stylish housewares boutique, beginning with the dreamy Adirondack chair-lined front deck that beckons in…
Chicago
Even jaded consumers have to admit this is an amazing-looking Apple store. The all-glass facade looks over the Chicago River flowing directly outside. The…
Chicago
You might not know until you see it, but odds are good you'll find something you want in this neighborhood gift shop: snarky greeting cards, ironically…
Chicago
Sometimes you just need to let the world know how you feel, and the T-Shirt Deli is here to help. Customize tees, onesies, hats and more from a huge…
Chicago
Knee Deep offers a trove of vintage clothing for men and women. Browse the racks past the 1970s feather-print dresses and 1960s Hawaiian-style shirts…
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Held on the second Saturday and last Sunday of each month of the colder half of the year, this event at the Empty Bottle showcases Chicagoland crafters…
Chicago
The Logan Square Farmers Market is one of Chicago's best. The neighborhood operates it (versus the city), so it marches to its own progressive beat. Live…
Detroit
Calling all crate-diggers: DJ-owned People's Records is your vinyl Valhalla. Used 45s are the specialty, with heaps of jazz, soul and R&B titles filling…
