Art smart Du Pagers no longer have to trek to Chicago to enjoy the wide range of unusual merchandise offered by The Art Institute of Chicago`s Museum Shop.
Now, in time for early holiday shopping, selected items from the main shop are available in a satellite shop opened in Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, last month.
Designed by Charles Sparks, a School of The Art Institute alumnus, the new store evokes images of the museum itself, from the formal, column-trimmed entryway to the classical moldings and gallery-like arrangement of display cases. Names of ”artists through the ages” (O`Keeffe, Picasso, Remington and Calder among them) are inscribed on the pale taupe walls.
The well-lighted, 2,100-square-foot showroom is awash with bright and beautiful art-related treasures, many adapted from works included in the Art Institute`s permanent collection.
Silk and wool challis scarves, Russian lacquer boxes, T-shirts, puzzles, prints, posters, ”architectural” ties, stained glass panels, notepaper, bookends and more await shoppers seeking the artistic and unusual.
Jewelry is The Museum Shop`s centerpiece. Exotic imports from Africa, pieces by designer Jill Schwartz, sterling silver, marcasite and exquisite, one-of-a-kind antiques validated by an Art Institute expert fill the display cases with fire and ice: bar pins, pendants, necklaces, earrings, brooches and bracelets.
Nor have kids been forgotten; books, toys, games, art sets, mobiles and lunch boxes are featured.
”Coffee table books, especially those on Frank Lloyd Wright or Chicago themes, have been big sellers,” said Nancy Gasior, shop manager, who has been in retailing for eight years after earning an education degree from the University of Illinois. ”Other popular items are address books, calendars and children`s things.”
Prices range from 60 cents for a postcard up to $3,000 for a particular piece of antique jewelry. Profits help underwrite Art Institute exhibitions and programs.
Gasior reminds Art Institute members to bring along their membership cards for a 10 percent discount.
The Art Institute of Chicago Museum Shop, 437 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Phone 708-575-0120.
