Got a taste for the funky and unique, a home or wardrobe crying out for pizazz, and no time or inclination to weed through thrift stores to unearth those hidden treasures? Then let these trained sniffers and weeder-outers clear a path for you. Clothes hounds consider Chicago’s Recycle Shop (5308 N. Clark St.; 773-878-8525) an institution, and if the quality isn’t always consistent, the sheer volume of pickings makes it unlikely that you’ll walk out disappointed. Backseat Betty’s (2053 W. North Ave.; 773-227-2427) leads the pack in kitschy ’70s revivalism, but Strange Cargo (3448 N. Clark St.; 773-327-8090) has such a reliably excellent sampling from the past few decades it makes you wonder if they have a secret time machine for retrieving above-average wares. You’ll invariably find top-shelf `40s and `50s vintage gear at Wisteria (3715 N. Southport Ave.; 773-880-5868), where Jeffrey Koontz’s discriminating taste makes it worth the extra dollar. And for all kinds of tchotchkes and artifacts from the past, the two floors of the Wrigleyville Antique Mall (3336 N. Clark St.; 773-868-0285) are unbeatable for previously owned wonderment. Whether your taste runs to World’s Fair programs, Bakelite jewelry or Fiestaware, you’ll find it indulged here.
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