Chicago » Shopping Girl

Kane County Flea Market

Anna Inabinet — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 06:12:14 +0000

One of my favorite things to do when the weather starts getting nice (nice, yet unpredictable) is to head to the Kane County Flea Market, where over a thousand vendors set up each month to sell their antique, vintage, and sometimes just plain interesting wares. what could be better than getting out of the city and spending the day hunting for treasures to make my small apartment feel a little more unique and like home?

My favorite objects to hunt for are serving platters, dishes, glasses, mugs, and all other food and drink-related items. However, you can find anything at the Kane County Flea Market from furniture to fabric to tools and artwork.

The Kane County Flea Market, operated at the Kane County Fairgrounds, is open the first weekend of every month (year-round), and it does not close for any reason. Even during the rainy and snowy months you’ll find indoor vendors. The hours are Saturday from noon to 5p.m., and Sunday from 7a.m. to 4p.m. Check out their website (link below) to find out more information about selling at the market, and about their annual all night flea market in September.

Kane County Flea Market
Held at the Kane County Fairgrounds
Randall Road
(Between Route 64 and Route 38)
St. Charles, IL

Fox and Obel

Anna Inabinet — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 23:23:01 +0000

If you love to cook, you have to check out Fox and Obel. Just one turn around the store and you will have a million ideas for your next culinary masterpiece. If it’s your first visit to this world-class food market, be prepared to stay a while, and take some time to explore every inch of the market. There is more there than I can even begin to list here, including a fish market, a bakery, a cheese shop, as well as fresh produce and fresh flowers. The shelves are full of unique items that you just can’t find anywhere else in the city.

Fox and Obel is not just a specialty food shop, it is also a personal chef and a cozy cafe. On busy (or lazy!) days, you can stop by the store and pick up freshly made entrees and side dishes from the “Gourmet to Go” section. Or pull up a chair in the cafe for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and order from Fox and Obel Cafe’s classic menu. Nothing warms up a cold Chicago winter day like a warm grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of soup! If you’re hosting a lunch meeting or a special event, check out Fox and Obel’s catering menu.

Cooking classes and events such as wine tastings and book signings are also offered at Fox and Obel.

TIP: Fox and Obel offers free valet parking every day, making it easy to shop there even if it’s not in your neighborhood! You can also park in the AMC movie theater parking deck for 90 minutes with validation. We all know how rare, yet awesome, it is to find convenient (not to mention free) parking downtown!

Fox and Obel
401 E. Illinois
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 410-7301

Long Grove Village

Anna Inabinet — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 00:22:42 +0000

My husband and I made our first trip to Long Grove Village last December. As we were walking around from shop to shop and finishing up our Christmas shopping, it began to snow. The day could not have been more perfect and we immediately began planning our trip to Long Grove for this December, and decided to make a weekend out of it by staying at a local bed and breakfast. It was the perfect escape from the holiday chaos of Michigan Avenue and State Street. And our family and friends ended up getting some beautiful, unique, and handcrafted gifts.

Although Long Grove is only 40 miles from Chicago, I felt we had escaped into a winter wonderland far from home! There are more than 80 shops and restaurants in Long Grove featuring pottery, crafts, specialty foods, home decor items, artwork, jewelry, and other items. Long Grove’s shops are open year-round, so a visit would make a fun getaway any time of year. Some of my favorites:

The Olive Tap is my favorite shop in Long Grove. This shop features fresh extra virgin olive oils and balsamic vinegars that you can taste. Pick out your favorite, bottle it yourself, and enjoy! Or pick out some for your friends who love to cook or entertain.

Mangel’s is stocked full of unique items from cards to home decor to linens to kitchen needs. I especially love their birdhouses.

The Dog House of Long Grove features everything your best friend needs from healthy treats to warm sweaters and squeaky toys. They even have a kitty corner for us cat lovers.

Pick up some beautiful yarn at the I’d Rather Be Knitting Yarn Studio. Beginners will be happy to learn the staff is friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.

Warm up by stopping for lunch at Suzi’s Tea & Cafe to enjoy a hot mug of blueberry, vanilla coconut, or any of their many teas, and a sandwich by the fire.

After a long afternoon of shopping, stop in to the Apple Haus for a warm, yummy fresh-baked treat or some hot apple cider.

TIP: Get your directions to Long Grove from the website link below. Online mapping sites often get this one wrong! The site also includes directions to get there via Metra and Pace bus lines, as well as lodging information.

Long Grove Village
Business and Community Partners
Long Grove Village, IL
(847) 634-0888 ~ Information Center

Penelope’s

Amanda Ford — Sun, 20 Nov 2005 21:29:32 +0000

Jena Frey and Joe Lauer, the husband and wife team behind Penelope’s, are a rare kind of couple. With their brown hair, thick-rimmed glasses, and easy hipster style, the two look perfect together, like bookends. They talk in tandem, easily completely each other’s sentences, and it is obvious that Jena and Joe truly enjoy each other’s company. After spending a few minutes watching them in action, you get the feeling that any endeavor this couple decided to undertake together would turn out absolutely delightful.

Hence Penelope’s, a clothing shop for men and women named after the couple’s five-year-old pug. From its electric blue walls, to the colorful wood and wire Eames clothing hooks in the dressing rooms, to the handmade dollhouse used to showcase the earrings made by jewelry designer and Penelope’s employee Juliann (her line is called Tiny Jules), the store is full of unexpected whimsy. The clothes are no exception. Joe and Jena’s goal upon opening Penelope’s in the fall of 2002 when they were one of just three retail stores on Division (imagine how they’ve seen this neighborhood change!) was to develop a store where women and men could find casual clothes by designers not readily found in Chicago.

They have succeeded. With lines like Spring and Clifton, A.P.C., Brooklyn Handknit, and Built by Wendy, you will see right away that these clothes have a playful quality and prices that won’t make your jaw drop. My favorites are the Spiewak Uniform Workwear coats and the paper products by the Canada-based Lovely Design.

Added bonus: you need not fret bringing your boutique-phobic beau to Penelope’s. There is a vintage Ms. Pac Man machine in the store that he can play for free while you shop to your heart’s content.

Penelope’s
1913 W Division
(773) 395-2351

Habit

Amanda Ford — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 07:31:17 +0000

What I like about Habit even more than its out-of-the-ordinary clothing is its out-of-the-ordinary concept: the store is dedicated entirely to showcasing the work of new and emerging designers. Habit’s creator and owner, Lindsey Boland, is a successful designer in her own right (her label is superficial inc.) meaning that she knows first hand the struggles young fashion artists face. She opened Habit to give these designers a place to present their creations to the public. And what a great space it is! Slightly industrial with clean lines and stark walls, the store has the feel of very hip gallery. At Habit clothes are displayed like art, which is no surprise since Lindsey Boland genuinely appreciates the creative designs and quality craftsmanship found in the pieces she chooses for her shop. Women who take delight in such things as the way a bias-cut dress hangs elegantly on its hanger or in discovering a vivid floral lining inside the pocket of a dark wool jacket will understand exactly what Lindsey means when she says, “For some people it’s music. For some people it’s painting. For me it’s fashion.” Oh yes! It is fabrics and seams and hemlines and pleats and bustles and buttons and zippers and ribbons and fit and shape and cut that stir the souls of those for whom clothing-creation and clothing-admiration is high art.

I always enjoy my visits to Habit. The store is filled with high-quality, inventive, really cool clothing. My current favorites include a burgundy, knit shrug by DI-O, a pleated tweed skirt by design student Abigail Glaum-Lathbury, a small red purse adorned with golden buttons, and everything by Brooklyn-based Naturevsfuture. Some of the designers you will find here already have production teams while others work from their homes sewing each item individually. This is my favorite part about Habit: imagining a young designer in her apartment working into the early hours of the morning to create a one-of-kind item for the store. When Lindsey Boland opened Habit she also opened her heart, giving undiscovered talent the chance to be discovered and build their own fashion following.

Habit
1951 W Division St
(773) 342-0093

Sprout Home

Amanda Ford — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 06:05:08 +0000

Sprout Home is an urban girl’s nursery: more city glam than country grit. Owner Tara Heibel has a fine arts background and her love of clean lines and sophisticated design is immediately apparent upon entering the store. Stocked with the essentials needed for city gardening, Sprout Home offers a large selection of plants from the commonly seen to the super exotic as well elegant containers, vases, and original outdoor furniture. The store’s staff is equally knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and artistic and can help you design your garden space. Whether you have a big backyard or a small apartment patio, simply bring in photos and measurements and let the store’s experts help you develop a landscaping plan, recommend plants suitable for your space, and offer advice on starting and maintaining your garden. If do-it-yourself isn’t your thing, Sprout Home offers professional offsite design and installation services for an extra fee. In the late spring and early summer they hold lectures on a variety of topics pertaining to urban gardening.

If caring for plants truly disinterests you, do not fret as you will still find a trip Sprout Home a worthy adventure. In addition to garden products, the store carries household accessories and great gift ideas. Along with Prospera Farms, Sprout Home also offers a vegetable and herb co-op in which you can pre-order a box full of enough organic produce to last several weeks. Each box costs $35 and is available for pickup at the store at the end of each month.

Sprout Home
745 North Damen AVE
(312) 226-5950