I've been going to Botanica Victoria for a little over a year now, and it has truly become my go-to…read moreplace for anything spiritual. Whenever my energy feels off, I'll go in for a limpia (usually a couple times a year), and I always leave feeling lighter and more grounded. Victoria has read my palm before, and it was honestly so insightful and helpful. It gave me clarity and reassurance when I really needed it. She's incredibly patient, she listens, and she takes the time to explain things in a way that actually makes sense. No matter what question I come in with, she's always able to guide me or give me an answer that brings peace of mind. About a month ago was the first time I ever bought one of her baños, and the experience honestly blew me away. I usually do my own cleanses on my own, so I didn't know what to expect but after doing the New Year's Eve baño and completing the ritual, I felt such a strong and positive energy shift. It was incredible. Within an hour or two of doing the first part, it genuinely felt like something lifted off my spirit and something within me shifted in the best way. It was instant, grounding, and deeply healing. She also makes candles for just about any occasion, which is such a thoughtful and comforting touch. Her products are amazing, and you can really feel the intention behind everything she offers. The shop is run by Victoria and her grandson, and it's always such a joy walking in and seeing them both. They're both so welcoming, knowledgeable, and kind. It truly feels like a blessing to have someone with a real spiritual gift who uses it to help others. This is hands down my favorite spiritual place, and I'm so grateful to have found it.

Beautiful, amazing place...very informative and helpful. The owner is very patient with you and…read morespiritual intuition is on point

I recently had a 108-bead Tibetan mala and a wrist mala restrung at Beadniks and I'm very happy…read morewith how everything turned out. My mala had a specific layout with lapis lazuli marker beads placed at exact positions and Courtney was great about working through that with me. She sent photos of the bead layout before starting which I really appreciated. It gave me a chance to confirm placement and make a small correction before they began. The finished piece is exactly what I was hoping for: Evenly knotted, well-balanced and it feels great in the hand during use. The wrist mala they fixed up for me also came out perfectly. Everyone I interacted with was friendly and helpful and it's clear they take care with custom work. I'd definitely come back for future projects.

We came here for a friend's birthday and had the best time! It's such a fun and creative spot to…read moremake your own jewelry -- perfect for a group activity. The process is really straightforward but still gives you so much room to be creative. First, you pick your charms -- and the selection is adorable and endless. My favorites were the whale, dagger, butterfly, zodiac signs, and initials -- but honestly, there are sooo many to choose from, you'll want them all. Next, you pick your chain (bracelet, necklace, or both). Pricing is per charm plus per meter for the chain, so you can keep it simple or go all out. I ended up making both a bracelet and a necklace, and I absolutely love them. The staff are friendly and helpful without hovering, and they'll walk you through how to attach everything or step in if you get stuck. The vibe is relaxed and welcoming, and it's easy to spend an hour or two just browsing, designing, and chatting while you work. Highly recommend for birthdays, girls' days out, or even a creative solo afternoon. I'm already planning my next visit to make more pieces!

Decided to check out this spot & do 30 min tarot reading, the first 10 mins were great and she…read moreseemed legitimate. About 10 mins into the reading she told me there was a block & she wanted to "look into" the problem for $650. Which obviously turned me off. It started to feel like a complete scam. I also want to note that I've seen a fair share of psychics and mediums in the past and have had great experiences without feeling this way. Obviously I declined her offer but she continued to press & threw out random amounts hoping I'd agreed to paying an additional amount. It felt very intrusive & ruined the entire reading for me. she ended the reading quite abruptly after I declined and pretty much chased me out the door after I venmoed her for the reading. It wasn't until I was leaving that I noticed the reading only lasted about 15 minutes instead of 30 mins. I don't doubt her talents but the entire experience felt off putting. I would've been a return customer if it weren't for her hard sell halfway into my reading. I'm hoping it was maybe just an off day for her but regardless, that should never be how a reading goes for a first time customer.

Crazy accurate. This was my first palm reading and it was a great experience! Thank you!read more

Vintage Underground is busting at the seams with product. I'm a jewelry girl which means that I go…read moreright to the jewelry first. The walls are lined with glass cases full of jewelry, but then there's a rolling rack parked in front of the cases:( That said, they have amazing jewelry from all time periods- gold, silver, expensive, cheap, all the gemstones! But they have A LOT, so unless you have all day to peruse, have something in mind before you go inside. Office you'll get overwhelmed and end up eating ice cream down the block at Jeni's.

The women who worked there were very kind to me and helpful. The owner, however, is unbearably…read morerude. I read the reviews about him before going and thought it couldn't be THAT bad. It was. i couldnt believe what i was seeing and hearing from him. He was berating his staff, and yelled at me for standing supposedly in the wrong area while trying jewelry on. I was there looking at jewelry for my wedding. I had to step in while he was speaking so disrespectfully to a female employee to tell him that she was doing a wonderful job helping me and i was really enjoying her service, to hopefully get him to back off. I am worried about the young women that work there and i really hope they are okay.

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.

Daniel Levy did an outstanding job creating a custom ring for us from a loose diamond. He was…read moreprofessional, knowledgeable, and very easy to work with throughout the entire process. The final ring is stunning and beautifully crafted. His pricing was very fair, and he made everything feel straightforward and stress-free. Couldn't recommend him more.

Danny is an absolute pleasure to work with. I designed a custom engagement ring + Wedding band for…read moremy partner, and Danny's attention to detail, was impeccable . Throughout the process, he took the time to educate us all while allowing us to be active participants in the creation of the rings. Would recommend him to anyone without reservation!

I cannot say enough good things about Love and Promise. More specifically BreAnne who was the…read morerepresentative that we worked with. A few months back we stopped in to try on rings and select a few different styles that my then girlfriend now fiancé liked. BreAnne spent so much time with us while we looked at many different styles, stones, and bands. After leaving I received a detailed email of every style and option along with custom options from BreAnne. When it came time to order the ring the process was seamless and easy. When the ring arrived it was beyond what I could have expected. Without Love and Promise my engagement to the most amazing woman would not have been nearly as special. I want to thank the staff and BreAnne again for the amazing service and the amazing quality of the ring. You truly made a special day even more special. -Seth Kline Milwaukee, Wisconsin

We purchased our engagement ring from Love and Promise, and were fortunate enough to come design it…read morewith BreAnn a few years ago. Flash forward, I came in for a free inspection and cleaning, and it looks brand new! Thank you, Love & Promise for my beautiful ring!

Hitched is primarily online, but they're sharing a showroom space with SuitShop in Chicago (+ some…read moreother cities). We came across the site while browsing for men's wedding bands online. We wanted to bypass the hassle of ordering sample kits and returning, so we jumped at the opportunity to see some rings in person. Making an appointment was super easy via their website. The "showroom" is really just a small table with a set of chairs. We were shown a huge assortment of various ring materials, styles, colors, etc. Our salesperson Kelly was very knowledgable and friendly, patiently walking us through the different options and pros/cons for each material. My husband went in saying he wanted to "just look" and check out some other companies, but ended up purchasing three rings (one platinum, one tungsten, and one silicone) on the spot during the appointment. The price was very reasonable- ranging from $99-$599+ depending on the material. All their prices are online and they gave us a discount for purchasing two in one trip. The only thing I don't like is that the company name is stamped on the inside of the rings. We weren't explicitly told about that, but my husband ultimately decided it was too much of a hassle to start the ring-buying process over again. Overall, really loved this spot for the service and variety, but the random branding on such a personal item cheapened the experience somewhat.

We got our wedding bands from Hitched, and everything was so quick and easy. Their bands are very…read moreaffordable and at reasonable price if you're on a budget. I highly recommend checking out their website before visiting their showroom.

Came here with my friend and we LOVED the store!…read more So much cute jewelry, and they'll offer you wine as well while you shop. We ended up getting permanent bracelets and semi-permanent rings (along with some other jewelry they had in the shop). For the permanent jewelry, you get to look at what seemed like HUNDREDS of different chains, it was so hard to decide! I loved that the price was listed on each of the chains, so you know what to expect. For a ring made from the chains, it is 1/3 of the price listed. I thought this was such a reasonable price too! On top of it all- it was unexpectedly such a fun experience! I can so see this being a really fun activity for a bachelorette party, a birthday, even just a girl's day out after brunch. The people working were so fun and so knowledgeable, you'll feel like you're in good hands. It's been a few days and I already want to add to my bracelet stack.... Definitely come in and check it out if you are in the area!

Forget tattoos, permanent jewelry is the best way to celebrate friendships…read more When one of our friends told us she was ~temporarily~ moving out of Chicago, we wanted to do something special. She came up with the idea we should get permanent jewelry! So off to Alexandra Marks we went. You can choose between permanent bracelets or anklets and there are so many different chains to choose from and you can even add on fun charms. We all selected a gold tone metal chain and opted for anklets since they seemed more durable. Hot tip: Ask for your anklet to be looser so that it's not as tight and is less prone to breaking! We got champagne to sip on and it was such a fun experience throughout. They also let us know if our jewelry does fall off or needs to be cut off, the store will fuse it back together as long as you call/make an appointment and bring it back to them to fix. Highly rec coming here for your next girls night!

Was a great experience. A very unique environment and saw some really cool items inside!read more

Surprised I have never reviewed The Silver Room. I have been a fan of this store for years and make…read moreit a point to visit every time I'm in Chicago. Years ago I attended a poetry event and art auction inside the store but, since moving away, I'm not sure those events are still a thing. I hope they are. I couldn't count the number of sunglasses I have purchased from here if I tried. I always leave with at least one pair, a book, and various other items whether a tote bag, t shirt, button, cards, etc. I hope the business continues to be successful and would love to the location even expand a bit if that's something the owner is interested in.