I've been looking for a chess piece that says, "damn that guy must really play chess."…read more I'm not great at chess, but I figure if someone sees this magnificent chess board I recently bought, they wouldn't even ask to play because they're so scared of being beaten to a chessy pulp. Came in to this store while wandering around Elmhurst and left with a really big and cool wooden chess box. They have some amazing sets - and the owners were super helpful showing me around.

For a chess player (as I am), this is the coolest shop.  The friendly and laid back owners are the…read morehusband and wife team of Tom and Marguerite Paravola.  There aren't a lot of brick and mortar chess shops like this in the entire country and they have been at it here in Elmhurst for 20+ years.  It was a total blast to look, feel, and touch the various chess pieces and sets.  I ended up buying a magnetic wooden chess set and it was worth it to me to see and touch what I was buying.  Yes, you can buy sets via online shopping, but like clothes, I want to know what I'm really getting.  Yes, there is a modest premium for that but well worth it given the multitude of available choices.  Besides, while browsing, you get to chat it up with Tom who is a chess lover, and that's worth something too!  While browsing, I particularly liked the look and feel of some heavy metal pieces made in Italy, and I've never touched pieces that sturdy and heavy, and maybe one day I'll splurge the $400 for such a set of chess pieces.  They have limited hours as Tom actually still works another job!  Yet, he still has time to also run a free weekly Tuesday night casual chess meetup night in the neighborhood and all are welcome.  Keep it up, best wishes, and thank you!

This is an absolute gem of a thrift store. Love that there's a decent size lot and I didn't have to…read morefight for parking. They have a wide variety of items from fine jewelry to the most eclectic goods. From the outside you wouldn't expect it to be as large as it is, but it does span through multiple rooms. Many areas/rooms have themes like holiday, clearance, collectibles, household goods. It is very well organized. Store is pretty strict on "no large bag/backpack" policy but all employees were very friendly and respectful carrying it out. This place is not at all overpriced and you can certainly find some affordable gems without looking too hard.

resale shop. Good finds sometimes. Just gotta look…read more Great home goods and sweet employees

This store is simply amazing for the train lover!…read more They have everything here that you will ever need. From vintage trains and accessories and tools that you need to repair them, to new trains and toys, paint and plays, this store is a throwback to when everyone collected trains. There's model kits, puzzles and modern toys for the little ones, I particularly loved the vintage section with some older models on display. It's time to just walk around here, i never knew that such a store existed.

Stop in here on a whim we were out for a drive and saw that there was a train and hobby store…read more What a hidden gem. My father was a train collector and he would have loved this store. This story reminded me of the train set up that my father had in our attic. So many trains and accessories , as well as cars, model kits, newer Breyer Horses, dolls, puzzles, and toys for young and old. I could have spent all day here and my husband had to drag me out.

Stopped for the first time at Gem Comics and was really happy with my experience there. Picked up…read moresome good books at decent prices so I decided to go back one more time before I left town. They were about to close in 15 min but the proprietor let me stay a little after. The cherry on top though was I didn't have enough $ to complete my purchase. I was going to leave some books behind but the clerk worked with me and gave me a great deal! I definitely will be back! I had to shout them out for that level of customer service! I'm not blowing smoke, check them out! An amazing little comic shop with big heart and passion! They definitely won my future patronage.

Really great layout and a good selection of books. Great displays featuring a variety of titles.read more

Excellent store. Worthy of a visit. Excellent online presence as well. Not sure what some of the…read morenegative comments were really about. Exchanging hobby electronics to a store in 2026 is a ridiculous expectation. The manufacturers carry that burden.

dont go here. We stop in for random suppors like cement glue and primer. we asked the guy to…read morepoint us in the right direction. He said they only sell trains. He didn't make eye contact and barley listen to our needs. we tried to help out a mom and papa business but that was a waste of time. hobby lobby we go.

As others surmise, this is one of those moldy oldie places on the outside, yet chock full of gift…read moreideas, accessories, cool things to dress up one's home, comfort items, lots of pampering stuff, baubles, bowls, trays, Chicago relics, candles, super cute clothes - just so much, I could shop there for hours and have to narrow down purchases so I don't buy out the store. What's nice is the jewelry they sell is good quality, with some sterling silver, yet they're not in competition with Cottage Hill Diamonds next door, for that ultra in serious bling! I know some shoppers are sick and tired of the trail of Vera Bradley...but I must say the store is filled with so much of other delights, there's no reason to have to resort to looking at the VB stuff. No reason whatsoever. They have some Eucalyptus Spa booties I need to come back for asap!

This review is based solely on the nostalgic Lanzi's "Cashew Nut & Rice Crunch" that I ordered from…read moreThe Uptown Shop! Back in the 70's & 80's, my parents always used to buy these & we loved them! Then suddenly, they just disappeared from store shelves. Well, many years later, Lanzi's is BACK!!!! You can order them from the Uptown Shop. I just got a box in the mail. Flavor-wise it's REALLY CLOSE to the original (they had to reverse-engineer it because the recipe was lost after Elmo Lanzi passed on & production of the candy stopped). But man, it is pretty darn close & still tastes DELICIOUS!!!!

This is a good store to go to if you're shopping for calendars. Make sure you go when they are…read moreheavily discounted. I went today and it was 75% off. We were able to get two calendars for $6.73. Besides calendars, they also have puzzles, board games, etc. I recommend checking them out. Just a FYI, they do open later than some of the other stores. On Sundays, they opened at noon. Service was good. It's located close to the kiddie haircut place.

I was very surprised to find a toy store of this size at the mall and I was amazed at the amount of…read morepuzzles they have. This could be a very dangerous store for me to shop in. They had such a huge selection of puzzles and there were other toys as well but I didn't really care about them myself. I spent some time looking through most of the puzzles they had and found quite a few that I would love to have. While I was checking out the puzzles the gentleman working the store came up to tell me that the sale on the. puzzles didn't start till the next day but they had put all the signage out earlier that day. I found this kind of sad as there were quite a few people in the store clearly shopping the puzzles and looking to buy some for the buy one get one for 50% off. As I was trying to not buy anything for myself really this trip I may not make it back during the sale but this is one of the few stores in the mall that I could probably enjoy shopping at. The only downside was putting signage out early which is misleading to the customers and the gentleman himself was a bit gruff. Not really the type that I expect to find in a toy store.

Amazing stuff!! The couple that owns the store is knowledgeable and very congenial! Merchandise…read morechanges a lot too! Prices are really reasonable. Give it a shot...you won't be disappointed!

Friendly staff and largest selection of hot toys in area. They're responsible for at least half of…read moremy collection and I would highly recommend.

Haircuts for my kid have been a nightmare since his first haircut. Booked with Rashall for the…read morefirst time and he was upset at first but within a couple minutes after following her advice he stopped crying and stopped trying to fight. Definitely best haircut he has ever had along with the experience. She is the most knowledgeable stylist with children that I have met and I'm so thankful I booked with her! Rashall, you are amazing and definitely made our day and cannot wait to see you again! Thanks so much!!

We can't say enough great things about KidSnips, especially Rashall. She's been cutting our son…read moreBraven's hair for the past two years and recently started with our younger son, Otto, right around his first birthday--and she has been nothing short of amazing. Rashall is incredible with kids. Not once have either of our boys cried in her chair. She keeps them entertained, works efficiently, and somehow delivers a consistently great cut while doing it. What we really appreciate is how communicative she is--she talks us through what she's doing, explains what she thinks will work best, and makes us feel totally comfortable every step of the way. We genuinely love coming here. And honestly... if I had hair on my head, I'd let Rashall cut it without hesitation. Highly, highly recommend.