This place is amazing. Great place to find unique gifts for yourself and friends. Love the vibe…read morehere. It represents everything witchy, occult, taxidermy, sideshow, etc. Staff is very helpful to assist you to find that special gift or item you have been dreaming to own. Be on the look out for their special events, art openings, and workshops.

This place has a trove of oddities, something for everyone and is well-worth a visit. I poke in…read morewhen I want to pass out unique and funky gifts. Most items can be found online for less, but I prefer the in-store feels. Before today, my last visit was this past Christmas Eve. I bought some clamshell trinkets, porcupine quills, beard oil and few other non-essentials. On that particular day, I witnessed the owner tear apart the entire window display to fetch a rabbit necklace for a young couple. I ear hustled as the couple asked if they can reduce the price. The owner willingly complied as she put herself together (it was a whole workout just to get that piece). I had my eye on a turtle shell for $30. But I told myself I'd come back for it. I followed them on Ig and the shell kept calling my name. I figured, let me message them on Ig. If they can reduce the price even $5 I'd make the trek back. Hey, they did it for the young couple, it didn't hurt to ask. They said no. Pond turtle shells online start at $12. I figured, no biggie. I come in today to buy a gift card, some sage, palo santo, beard oil (up $3 since my last visit), a cool card for Father's Day coming up and alas my $30 turtle shell I intended to pay full price for. Or what I thought was $30. In a little over 4 mos the price inflated to $40. I mentioned it was $30 my last visit. I was perfectly willing this time to pay the $30 but what on earth constitutes a 33 % markup in just a season? I mentioned I could get them online for under $20 but I chose to come to the store and support local business. "You don't know if it's ethically sourced (from online)" they said. "And I don't know if this is ethically sourced either." I responded. The owner loudly barked "I'm not arguing with you." "Who's arguing with you?" What a weird response and made me feel pretty humiliated in front of their other customers especially given I still completed a transaction. Haggling, sharing information, and reminding them of my previous visit was hardly arguing. But hey. I initially intended to spend $100 today (on crap no one really needs unless you're Phoebe Buffay). I opted against buying the other items and just stuck with a gift card of $20. I'll buy the beard oil from Walgreens and earn points. And I'll buy the scent sticks from a similar Latin-owned business where the items will be cheaper and I'll feel more welcome. I'm not the target market here at Sideshow: I'm not Wiccan, im not a satanist, I'm not weird looking, I'm not white, I'm not goth, and I'm not holding on to a lost youth. If you fit any of those categories, perhaps your experience may be more fulfilling. Cool shop, fun concept but at the end of the day I don't need shoddy taxidermy displays, jewelry adorned with dead insects or any other knickknacks I can just as soon get online, for less. Especially not when the experience comes with pick-and-choose service. And particularly not when I'm coming far out of my way to spend money that doesn't come easy.

It's not a 9-5 gallery. Open only during special events, which you can find on their Facebook page…read moreor dnainfo. Love the shows which feature local artists, local foods, and local drinks. There are political statements in more contemporary mediums as well as pieces in classical fine art styles and techniques. Very well curated and the music is great.

Co-Pro is the artist space owned by Ed Marszewski, who also owns Maria's down the street. I went…read morethere for Over the Influence, which was a beer-art show. I honestly had a great time there and I think the space really gave an opportunity for all the art to be displayed, especially the sketches for local beer labels. There was even a weird, alien beer bong which attracted a lot of attention and a keg bottle opener thingy. The space seemed small with a lot of the tables next to each other but it was easy to try everything and talk to the brewers to. The only downside was the line for the bathrooms-which was probably the longest line there.

I'm SO glad Jackson Junge Gallery is next door to Oiistar. While we waited for a table we visited…read morethe gallery. The place is bursting at the seams with beautiful works of art. I was attracted to their current exhibit, Ten by Ten... over 300 works of art all in a 10 x 10 format. Kaitlyn was super helpful and took plenty of time to explain the exhibit. She also mentioned all the pieces were available online. We looked and looked and looked. We found a few pieces we liked, but the prices seemed out of our price range. We liked one that was affordable, but we didn't love it. When we were called for our table next door, we didn't think we'd get to come back before the gallery closed, but that wasn't the case. We were excited to be able to come back in for another view. Here's the thing. I am more likely to spend money online than I am in person. I suppose it makes no sense, but as soon as we got back to the hotel I checked out the art online and ended up buying the piece we both loved and decided (in the gallery) that it was simply too expensive. Hmm, I suppose it wasn't too expensive after all. We would have had any art purchased shipped to us even if we had purchased it in the gallery. Ordering it online was no different. We can't wait for it to arrive.

We attended the "Ten by Ten" art exhibit opening at the Jackson Junge Gallery on November 7, 2025…read more It is a fun show that involves about 300 artists, who produced artworks that measure 10" x 10" each with different media. The styles cannot be more different from each other. If you are an artist, this would be a good chance to get inspired. If you are a patron, this is a compact exhibit with so many artworks in very reasonable prices. The show runs through January 11, 2026. The gallery is about 3,500 sq. feet. On a normal day, it would be airy and modern, providing a tranquil environment for patrons or any walk in to appreciate the art. However, with about 300 artists, who also invited their friends and relatives to the show opening, it was loud and very crowded, and was even chaotic at times. The "Ten by Ten" show took up about ¼ to 1/3 of the space, causing attendees to congregate in that small area. With the opening running from 6:00 pm to 10 pm, we arrived around 8:30 pm, it was still jam-packed with people. There was a bar station close to the entrance, with white wine, cranberry juice (or some fruit juice), and water available. There was a sign suggesting a $2 donation for each of the beverages. Pop corn was free and self-served, that attracted some pop-corn lovers. I accidentally saw stacks and stacks of 10" x 10" art work on a table in the back room that were still not hanged. Apparently, if an artist has more than one piece of art chosen for the show, he/she would only get one piece of art displayed at a time. It is only after his/her first piece of art is sold that the second piece would be displayed. Some artists only had one piece of art in the show, after their art had been sold, there's an empty spot on the wall. I also saw three pieces of artwork like a set in display, and also two similar artworks in the exact style being displayed at the same time. Their system seems to be flawed and unfair to some of the artists. Expect to use street parking as the gallery does not have a parking lot or garage. All-in-all, it was a fun night to the artists and the people whom they invited. There's a group of 5 to 6 friends who all wore a green beret to support their artist, who had a green beret in the little self-sculpture that he made. Fun!

This is a must visit place in chicago if you love art. Sara…read morewelcomed us with a big smile and a lot of passion and she has an amazing selection of pieces from a variety of very talented artists. She's very knowledgeable. Kids are welcome . Highly recommend!

Welcoming and fun gallery space. The owner was really nice and made me feel at home. Great tunes,…read moretoo!

YES threewalls is an…read moreoasis in the west loop's gallery district. they provide a platform for local artists who's work doesn't fit into the commercial gallery world. often, this makes for more interesting exhibitions. in addition they present tons of great programming and events on a regular basis (last week i just attended an amazing lecture by Erika Nelson about The World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things. http://www.worldslargestthings.com/). support local art, GO TO THREEWALLS

I'm sure that anyone reading this is well aware of the notion of the art gallery as a stuffy,…read moresnooty white box filled with stuff they would never want to buy. Well, any place that remedies this preconception by installing a swing (no kidding - a real live swing) is alright in my book. Three walls is a non-profit visual arts program that has exhibitions on loan - according to their material. And while I was came by to check out the show "Turned Intos", I ended up grabbing a Grolsch and hanging out for one of their Salons. I will most certainly be coming back if and when they have one of these gatherings again. The organizers did an incredible job with the panel and the discussion that followed was hilarious! I do believe that this is the coolest place in the west loop - go take a look!

I had a summer internship with Aron Packer back when his gallery was on Peoria and really loved…read moreworking with him. I hadn't been to his new space (having merged with Schopf on Lake) until tonight. It was the same great owner and artwork, but in a bigger, even more beautiful space. Aron is a really friendly, fun guy who is very knowledgeable about the work he carries. Some of my favorite pieces are photos by Toni Hafkensheid and the really fun "Shark Girl" work by Casey Riordan Millard. Packer Schopf is a great place too look at some contemporary artwork and have a glass of wine (in tonight's case, served in Spongebob Dixie cups).

I'm really lucky, because one of my closest friends, Victoria Fuller, is an artist - a sculptor and…read morepainter. Not just your average every day artist, but I mean a real one. Since I'm kind of on a staycation this week, we took our boys into the city for an art gallery experience... a private tour of *Auntie* Vicki's art show and tour of the rest of the exhibits. Aside from the fact that her show is incredible, especially seeing all the little tidbits of art she's been working on around her studio all come together in entirety, the gallery is small and really nice inside. You wouldn't know from the outside what to expect. It looks like any older building in the area, but walk in and you are greeted by a completely renovated space that feels like a designer showroom from the Mart. Well lit, with artwork nicely displayed. The sculpture exhibits are upstairs, and downstairs there is a unique basement space, with lots of head room and art on paper. Today we saw engraved laptops by Michael Dinges in his exploration of objects that go on living after they are dead, and a custom canoe made from siding. Vicki's exhibit explores nature and our environment around us, and Geoffry Smalley's works on paper jabs at the world of American sports. There were also scanned collage pieces by Karen Savage exploring the various emotions and angles of depression and anxiety. I met the owner of the gallery, Aron Packer, who is super nice and welcoming (and a banjo player). It was nice to be in a space that didn't feel stuffy and unwelcoming to my two inquisitive eight-year old boys. Parking is a bit of a challenge around there, but so worth the stop. The train on Lake makes a stop right outside the gallery if you are local. Also, lots of great restaurants in the area, like Little Goat and Grange Hall Burger Bar (our stop) for a true urban experience.

This is quite a large antique and vintage flea market within Chicago, much of it being inside the…read morePlumbers Union Hall on several floors as well as the back lot outdoors. Pros were: - A lot of vendors! - A variety of items - lots of food trucks so you won't be hungry - Legitemately most of the items for sale were antiques and vintage along with some artisans and food merchants (coffee cakes, toffee etc). But not booths of 3D printed stuff. Cons were: - it seemed like whenever we were interested in inquiring about something, the vendor was not at their booth... - Prices were pretty high (especially in comparison to The Pec Thing which I just went to the previous weekend), and not every vendor was willing to dicker (I have never been to a flea market where this is the case unless an item is marked "Firm") - We arrived at opening and some of the vendors weren't set up yet. It had also rained the night before so a lot of the outside people had put tarps over their merch but items still got wet. Caveat emptor. Overall, it was worth checking out but we only bought one small item. Maybe next time!

This market advertises that they have about 200 dealers, and that it's a "destination". Hmmmm…read more.. On the plus side, if you're into vintage clothing (everything from band tshirts to vintage designer) you will love it. Guessing 50%+ of the dealers were fashion related. There were a few MCM places but honestly not much beyond that. I didn't expect to be accosted by window and gutter salesmen but here we are. The building is beautiful, there were a good number of food trucks and places to grab refreshments, and it was well organized. No WAY we're there anything close to 200 dealers - maybe half that? (If we don't count the gutter dudes) Not for me, but if you love vintage fashion, it's probably your jam.

Wow, a lot I didn't know about printing! Attended a free holiday public gathering with reasonable…read moresales of many artists, using various methods to achieve unusual results! Selection was all over the place, but traveling makes it difficult to get in suitcase. Very interesting!

So amazing!!! The people, the art, the mission all add up to a wonderful place to explore and…read moresupport...