I spend far too much money on craft supplies. And there are so many crafts I pick up, buy supplies,…read morethen abandon. So I thought this would be a good place to purchase some supplies. It's a little out of the way, and it's a bit of a jumble. Most of these supplies look as though they sat in a warehouse for a long time. You have to be willing to look and search. I'm pretty craft-compulsive, and I bought nothing. Nothing. There were some (longtime?) customers in the store so they must know what they want. I was able to go down aisles, wander down corridors freely and no one bothered me. I suppose if I asked for help I would have gotten it. Sorry but this was not my vibe.

Holy cow, if you are a crafter, you need to come here. Basically any kind of craft or hobby can be…read morefound here, with a big emphasis on miniatures and dollhouses, but there are also trains, model cars, candle making, stamps, paper, embroidery floss, baking tools and cookie cutters, school supplies like markers and colored pencils, and much more. That said, it's a bit disheveled and dim; you're not in a Michael's. But if you are willing to poke around you, are sure to find some treasure! It's a good thing for GPS because the location is slightly hard to find, but gladly the nondescript building does have a big sign on it, the address is posted on a sign near the street, and the aqua blue door are all things to look for. Worth the drive!

Amazing amount of Pokemon product you can't find elsewhere not to mention the price! It will always…read morebe my go to for Pokemon

This is a nice little store in downtown Skokie. Prices are fair and employees have always been…read morefriendly and you can tell they really enjoy the hobby. I've been going here for the past year and have mostly had good experiences. The reason for three stars is because the one time I tried to sell my old binder of Pokemon cards (which admittedly I did not know a lot about) it seemed like they tried to take advantage of the fact that I wasn't knowledgeable. I say that because they offered me $100 for the whole binder - which had a base set holo Charizard and a lot of other base set cards. I ended up selling just that Charizard for $300 on eBay, and a handful of the other ones for $40-60 as well. The $100 offer was quite insulting, and after doing more research it really felt like they were trying to take me for a ride. I know card shops have to make money but to offer $100 for the whole binder when I sold one card for triple that amount is pretty insane. When I asked the employee how he got to that value he just said "a lot of these cards aren't in good condition", and didn't really elaborate after that. Will definitely still be a customer but will most likely not try and sell anything here as that experience left a bad impression on me.

Maximum Distractions truly houses maximum distractions--so much so that I spent at least an hour…read moredigging through boxes to see what I could unearth. There were a good amount of back issues I was interested in, but so many weren't bagged and boarded and were definitely beginning to show some shelf wear. The bigger issues, though, is that nothing is clearly organized by series--or even publisher. There had clearly been some attempts to sort things out, but without any major success. It was frustrating to say the least. The owner was nice and happy to talk to you, and his interactions with other customers of varying sorts were very friendly as well. Sadly, there was a very offering radio station playing the whole time I was there detailing 9/11 conspiracies and whether or not Hunter Biden should be in jail. The owner said it was really just 'background noise,' but it sort of started to weird me out a bit. Regardless, i found a few books I wanted and decided to head out. At checkout, I paid with cash and wasn't charged any additional sales tax--which I always appreciate.

Pretty loaded with back issues. Cool place though somewhat disorganized. The owner definitely will…read morehelp you find something. I asked for prison related comics and he had a few recs like some Amazing Spiderman issues and some comic called The Prisoner.

During covid era I got into crocheting again from since childhood. I would get my stash of yarn…read morehere and there is often a sale bin.

**Review:** I…read morerecently visited Michael's to pick up an online order, and my experience was unfortunately disappointing. Upon arrival, I was greeted by Christine, who was rude right from the start. When I asked her where to pick up my order, she pointed to an area in a condescending manner, as if implying I didn't know how to read. Her tone was dismissive, making the interaction quite unpleasant. I hope management addresses this, as customer service should always be a priority.

Great and honest service. Very knowledgeable and thoughtful answers to any question and concerns.read more

I went to Oakton Coins and Collectibles to have my collection appraised and get a second opinion…read more My collection consists of several PR70 DCAM coins, older Japanese coins, and an 1808 Admiral Gardner shipwreck coin, among other pieces. Unfortunately, I felt very rushed and was quickly made to feel as though I should be on my way. The gentleman assisting me spent quite literally less than two minutes looking over my entire collection. Rather than discussing the individual pieces or explaining his assessment, he essentially took a quick glance and told me, "Yeah, you only have $20 here." I understand that I don't have the most lucrative collection in the world. However, I know enough about what I own to know that the collection is worth more than $20 and contains pieces that warrant more than a cursory glance. What particularly bothered me was what happened when I pushed back regarding an 1853-1865 Japanese Kaei Isshu. The gentleman then took another look at the coin, checked its metal content, and rather than explaining what he thought it was or having a conversation with me about the piece, asked, "How much do you want for it?" It suddenly felt as though the focus had shifted toward trying to purchase the coin rather than helping me understand what I had. To be clear, I did not come in intending to sell my collection. I was primarily looking for a knowledgeable second opinion and hoped to have a conversation with someone who shared an interest in coins and collectibles. I cannot say with certainty why I was treated the way I was. I'm young, Mexican, walked in wearing casual clothes, and carried my collection in a backpack. Whether any of those things influenced the interaction, I obviously cannot know. What I can say is that I did not feel welcomed, taken seriously, or particularly wanted in the store. I left feeling as though I had been generalized as a young, naive Mexican rather than treated as someone who genuinely enjoys collecting and wanted to learn more about his collection. The experience bothered me enough that I downloaded Yelp specifically to write my first review. I see that Oakton Coins and Collectibles has many positive reviews, and I recognize that my experience may have been an outlier. I can only speak to how I was treated during my visit, but unfortunately, the experience left enough of an impression that I will not be returning.