Destination . . . River North Shopping District

If you're planning a trip to Chicago, you need to visit River North, a neighborhood teeming with high-end antique boutiques, specialty design shops, art galleries, chic restaurants and of course, the Merchandise Mart. This week, I'll be focusing on a few of my favorite River North establishments.

What are your favorite River North stores? Does your city have a comparable neighborhood?

Destination Shopping . . . Andersonville

Scout, the best resale shop in the entire world.

If you haven't noticed already, there's a new design destination in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood. That's right, the sleepy little Swedish neighborhood of Andersonville boasts a number of great furniture and design spots within a 4 block area. Unlike the boom that other neighborhoods experienced (Wicker Park/Bucktown, for example), Andersonville's sort of crept up on us; it's only been the past couple of years that things have noticeably changed.


Urbanest in Andersonville offers a unique selection of furniture. Check out the end tables made of reclaimed wood.

Now it's all gays and strollers, restaurants and furniture stores. I have mixed feelings quite honestly.

I miss parking spaces; they're always taken. I miss taverns, especially the one on the corner of Clark and Balmoral (where Taste of Heaven now serves up delectable desserts). I miss the Dellwood Pickle (where La Tache resides). I miss Cafe Boost. I miss the Swedes (they're my peeps).


Cassona has several stores in the Chicago-area, proving the independent owner can thrive with the right vision.

But no one person gets to draw the gentrification line; it's a collective process, an evolving piece of music. Like an ancient tribe, hitting drums and clapping and hooping and hollering, neighborhoods evolve by a million choices. Sometimes when people get together to make music, you get the Beatles "White Album," and sometimes you get Glass Tiger's "Thin Red Line." (Hey, I liked it too at the time, but I was 12.)

I'm still trying to figure out which album we're making on North Clark. But there's usually a hit song on every album, right? And in Andersonville, the home stores are most definitely the chart topper. I'll spotlight them individually in the coming weeks, but here's a look for now. Check out Andersonville and support these guys - I promise that Schaumburg will still be there when you get back.

What's your favorite place in Andersonville? What's the best design neighborhood for design in Chicago? The U.S.? The world?


White Attic re-imagines furniture using paint, hardware and imagination.