Strange Closets

A few words before this post begins.  I apologize in advance for mentioning 80′s pop star and former Go Go Belinda Carlisle in the same post as this very cool salvage shop.  Also, if you’d like to send me $450, please email me.  Finally, be sure to check out the post-post-text photos where you’ll see [...]

Scarcity makes people act in often irrational ways.  People are more likely to order an item that’s on sale, especially when they believe the sale’s temporary.  And because of restrictive government arms bans, difficult-to-procure suitcase nukes fetch a mint on the black market.  By the same token, it’s a rare treat to peruse furniture as [...]

At the urging of friend and designer Phil Bernal, I recently made an appointment to see the Elvis exhibit at the Mars Gallery, which will soon celebrate its 20th anniversary in the former home of the Empire Butter and Egg Company on Fulton in the West Loop.  Located on what parapsychologists call “energy vortex circles”, [...]

If Decoratus Absurdum is your drug, RR #1 is the friendly neighborhood dealer, which is appropriate because the store inhabits a large space that began life as an old school pharmacy (think leaches and other treatments Medicina Absurdum), complete with vintage tin ceiling, tile floor and the original built-in cabinets and drawers.

Post 27, which recently opened in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood, offers an eclectic mix of mid-century furniture and accessories at affordable prices and joins a group of like-minded enterprises such as Scout, Room Service, Mod Life and Arthur Swirgon Ltd. The cavernous loft-like space offers a nearly big box shopping experience without the bad lighting, [...]

While I lament the loss of any old building, historically significant or not, the existence of places like Salvage One almost makes it ok. The company, which reclaims the good stuff (fireplace mantels, copper roofing, doors, hardware, lighting, statues and more) is a fantastic resource for rehabbers seeking a more authentic finished product or a [...]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Ebay, for a million things, really, but especially for leading me to Arthur Swirgon’s antique shop. I don’t know if I would’ve ever found it, as it’s a bit out-of-the-way (at least for me), residing at 320 S. California (just north of the 290).