If the skeleton embedded in the storefront wall captures your attention, just wait until you set foot inside BareBones at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg.
BareBones, which opened last August, is unique because its products are whimsical and educational. The store is crammed with items, many of them under $20. A colorful spleen pin hangs on a jewelry rack, across from a shelf of 300-page medical texts. Walk a little farther into the store and you’ll see a full-size anatomical “body maze” chart (educational), a wacky “bone phone” (fun) and a Color-Your-Own-Anatomy T-shirt (both).
BareBones is a division the Skokie-based Anatomical Chart Co. The company has sold anatomical charts and models to physicians and other medical professionals for years, but only recently expanded into the retail novelty market.
The Woodfield BareBones is the company’s flagship store. There’s another store at Gurnee Mills Mall in Gurnee and at the Mall of America near Minneapolis. And it has come a long way in a short time: BareBones originated as a vendor cart at the Chicago Place mall in 1990.
“I guess I didn’t know it would get this big this fast,” admitted Katie Malone-Cordell, president of BareBones. “I knew people were looking for something fun and educational, but the response to the merchandise has been phenomenal.”
BareBones also stresses customer service. Standing in line for several minutes? You may just receive a free keychain for your patience. And, according to BareBones vice president Kevin Larson, the store often holds drawings for free merchandise for customers.
Larson said BareBones’ appeal is universal: “We get a lot of men in here who usually don’t like to shop,” he said. “I think it’s because the merchandise is different, and they can pick up and use the item in the store before buying it. It’s fun.”
BareBones is on the lower level of the Lord & Taylor wing of the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Call 708-413-2663.
