Wicker Park and Bucktown, contiguous neighborhoods on the Near Northwest Side, have been up-and-coming communities for more than a decade. From the quantity and quality of stylish shops, galleries and restaurants that now dot the area, it’s clear they have arrived.
The area has been an artist’s enclave for about 15 years, but in the last five, it also has become a retailing mecca, says Jean Alan, a former set decorator for film who opened an eponymous atelier on Damen Avenue in 1994.
And much like the nature of the neighborhood, the shopping is far from ordinary.
“We’re an iconoclastic group of merchants with singular visions,” says Angelo Varios, owner of the 4-year-old shop Casa Loca.
The two areas are so closely entwined it’s hard to tell where one stops and the other starts. For the most part, the areas of development are concentrated along Damen and Milwaukee Avenues from Division Street to Webster Avenue. Several dozen chic emporiums, about a quarter of which opened in the past year, are nestled in-between the thrift, clothing and furniture shops and ethnic eateries, groceries and bakeries that have been there for decades.
Alan and Varios have organized an annual walking tour of the area’s shops called “Interiors on the Edge.” In its third year, it will take place on June 5, 6 and 7.
Area anchors
The following area mainstays are must-sees:
Jean Alan Upholstered Furniture and Furnishings, 2062 N. Damen Ave., 773-278-2345. Alan is known for working wonders with textiles, especially when it comes to upholstered pieces and window treatments. There is always an assortment of sofas and chairs re-covered in eclectic fabrics ($1,000 to $6,500), a selection of revamped antique lamps with hand-sewn and embellished silk shades ($400 to $900) and a huge collection of handmade pillows ($175 to $450). Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Casa Loca, 1130 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-278-2972. Rife with rustic pine furniture from Mexico as well as vintage and antique Mexican folk art, this shop is a bit south of all the action but well worth the trek. Accessories include colorful Talavera from Guanajuato, clay pottery from Chiapas ($4 for soap dishes; $160 for large pots) and textiles from Guatemala and Mexico ($24 to $125). Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Cielo Vivo, 1866 N. Damen Ave., 773-276-8012. Find ethnic art, textiles, rugs, furniture and decorative accessories from Asia, Southeast Asia, North and South America, the Middle East and Africa, and they are all vintage or antique. Find items such as Chinese and Indian bronzes ($60 to $250), a carved Gujarati dowry chest ($4,500), Indonesian textiles ($250 each) and African masks from Dan ($200 to $350). Hours: noon to 6 a.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.
Ziggurat, 1702 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-227-6290. Every item begs a second look in this renovation and restoration resource. All the stock comes from Chicago structures, including decorative terra-cotta fragments ($25 to $1,000), ornate iron grills and gates ($75 to $300), period lighting fixtures ($100 to $3,000), stained-glass windows ($100 to $2,000), fireplace mantels ($75 to $2,000) and brass fittings and hardware ($25 to $300). The shop also specializes in turning built-in cabinets into free-standing units ($300 to $3,000). Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
New neighbors
The following are the newest interesting additions to the area:
Around the Coyote Gallery, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-342-6777. An extension of the annual Around the Coyote studio walk, this new gallery is open year-round and will feature an exhibition of work by 30 Chicago furniture artists and designers in the Chicago Furniture Design Association during “Interiors on the Edge.” Hours: noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.
Embelezar, 1639 N. Damen Ave., 773-645-9705. This shop is stocked with elegant items for garden and home. The name of the shop is Portuguese for “embellish,” and the stock bears out this term. Sumptuous sofas by a California furniture-maker ($3,000), graceful teak dining sets from Indonesia (from $700) and a good selection of hand-painted, silk-covered fixtures made in Venice (from $1,100) are interspersed with decorative home accessories and textiles. Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m. Sundays.
Oh Boy!, 2060 N. Damen Ave., 773-772-0101. Most of these items are contemporary American folk art and primitive furnishings interspersed with some vintage finds. All stock has been hand-picked by shop owners Sandra Lawler and Charlie Heinrich, an artist whose colorfully painted cabinets also are sold in the store ($300 to $1,200). Hours: noon to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Pagoda Red, 1714 N. Damen Ave., 773-235-1188. Dealers Alan Palmer and Betsy Nathan hand-pick the pieces, such as northern Chinese carved wood wedding chests ($1,500 to $5,000) and leather storage trunks ($600 to $725), as well as Tibetan monastic pieces for storing sacred religious objects ($3,500 to $10,000). A highlight of the shop is a rare collection of vintage 20th Century Chinese advertising posters. Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays, or by appointment.
Pavilion, 2055 N. Damen Ave., 773-645-0924. Deborah Coleman and Neil Kraus hand-pick their antiques in Europe and the Midwest, and strive for items that have that perfect state of opulent decay. There are French leather club chairs ($900 to $2,000), funky metal furnishings stripped to the bone ($200 for tables; $1,300 for a large cabinet), industrial and formal fixtures ($125 to $1,000) and decorative accessories, such as mercury glass ($200 to $700) or etched goblets ($150 for a set 12). Hours: noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, or by appointment.
Robin Richman, 2108 N. Damen Ave., 773-278-6150. The eclectic eye of nationally known knitwear designer Robin Richman reigns supreme in this shop, which features her knitwear and antique wares, as well as the wood assemblage furniture of Chicago sculptor Floyd Gompf, all seductively displayed together. Lucite purses from the 1940s and ’50s ($80 to $125) dot dislay stands, wire baskets ($40 to $120) line the floor and antique wire hangers ($40 to $175) and wood hat forms ($150 to $150) become works of art on shelves and walls. Gompf’s singular pieces include chests, tables and armoires (from $1,500). Hours: noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
The Antique Mall at Yello Gallery, 1630 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-235-9731. Tucked away in the back of this contemporary art gallery, there’s a gem of an antiques mall that is designed to look like an old Irish country store. Don’t be fooled by appearances–once through the doors almost everything’s Deco to disco. One witty booth, Barbara Whitney Levant’s Form Follows Function, specializes in addictions–find cocktail shakers ($25 to $85), smoking accoutrements ($15 to $125), coffee urns ($50 to $100) and gaming pieces ($20 to $50). There are five dealers in all. Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.
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THE FACTS
“Interiors on the Edge”
What: An Annual walking tour of shops in Wicker Park and Bucktown; 23 participating retailers will be open special hours, there will be shuttle service between locations and discounts will be offered that are redeemable at shops and restaurants.
When: June 5, 6 and 7
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. June 5, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 6, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 7
Admission: free
Call: Casa Loca at 773-278-2972 or Jean Alan Upholstered Furniture and Furnishings at 773-278-2345
