Aroma Labs is fantastic!…read more I stopped in and the staff were incredible. They were so nice and welcoming. They were very helpful and friendly. The young man helping me was on his first day. He did a great job. The room is beautiful. It is very spacious, stylish and clean. I also bought a gift certificate and the QR code for it comes on a car freshener. So fun!

Seen a ton of positive reviews on this place and had to check it out. It was an incredible…read moreexperience. You get to curate your very own signature scent. There were so many oils to choose from that it can be a bit overwhelming at first. Our instructor was extremely helpful and informative (they give you a flask of coffee beans in cause you're like me and have to smell every single scent they have). I really love the option to pick what product you want your scent to be. I picked the body butter and my bf picked the body wash. Some of the best body butter I've ever used and it doesn't take much at all. You mainly paying for the product and not so much the experience so it's inexpensive and well worth it. Believe they offer more than this service. Would definitely love to go back for more!

HEADS UP, LOCALS: If you're shopping here to support independent artists and local businesses, take…read morea closer look at what you're buying--you might be buying TEMU. Living in Wicker Park, I intentionally spend more money at neighborhood businesses because I want to support the community behind them. That's why I purchased a ring here for $34. Later, I found what appears to be the identical ring on Temu for $3.20. The price difference isn't what bothered me. Local businesses need to make money. What bothered me was believing I was supporting a unique local boutique, only to discover what appears to be a mass-produced item readily available online. Maybe some items here are made by local artists. I hope they are. Too bad the owner wasn't there when I stopped in, because this is feedback I would have preferred to give directly. Whether the response to this review is that the ring isn't from Temu, that retail markups are normal, or that other products in the store are locally made, the underlying concern remains the same: customers who choose to shop local deserve transparency about what they're actually supporting. That's what makes this so disappointing.

Super cute little gift shop. I bought some little wooden cars for 2 year old's birthday AND was…read moreable to visit a mini art vending machine (my goal for going). Glad the mini art drew me in because the store is so fun and the staff was lovely.

What a lovely shop, with an even lovelier proprietor! I've been visiting metta baby down the street…read morefor the last few weeks, and when I've passed Virtu it piqued my interest. Today I was at metta baby for a CPR refresher so I finally had the opportunity to head down the block and check it out. The owner had opened it a few minutes early because when I got there at 10:58 (they open at 11) there were already a few people in and she joked that perhaps she should open at 10. She was super friendly with everyone in the store and very helpful. There were a couple folks with whom she was talking about the being a business owner (they were also business owners), and the business climate in Bucktown. She was joking around with some other customers about some funny cards that she carries. When I was looking at the various jewelry cases she has throughout the store, she let me know right away that if I wanted to see anything to let her know, and she told me about some of the designers that she had in her shop. I really enjoyed talking with her, and I'm almost ashamed I didn't get her name. Her passion for her business and local businesses in general, as well as her dedication to truly providing fantastic and thoughtful service to her customers was palpable. Virtu's proprietor is the epitome of why I LOVE to shop local; oftentimes people at mass merchandisers, whilst hard working and helpful, don't have the same sort of pride, flexibility, and ethos of care that a local business owner does. I visited a couple days before Halloween, and she mentioned that after the holiday she'd start putting out the Christmas merchandise which is already waiting to make its debut. I think she also mentioned that she has extended hours during the holiday season. I'm excited to stop in once she's in the holiday swing to see what I can find here for friends, loved ones (and who knows, maybe even myself), and maybe even something special for my little one's first Christmas.

I wrote a review several years ago in which I praised Julie's ability to pick out jewelry…read more(specifically earrings) that look good on me. I have bought at least three pairs of earrings from Julie which I never would have picked up to try on myself -- I needed her eye to help me (1) find them and (2) realize that I wanted something like them in my jewelry wardrobe. The way this usually plays out is: I come in to the store and find a few things in the cases to try on; I am drawn to the way earrings look hanging on a stand or propped up on those little pieces of wood or leather that all jewelry stores use, but it's very hard correctly connect all the dots from "I like the way that looks in the case" to "that would look good on me." Earrings genuinely do not look the same once you pick them up and put them in your ears, and I've made the mistake more than once of buying earrings that looked great in my jewelry box, but not as great on. (But I have not done this at Virtu, because I think Julie would stop me). So first I try the things on that I pick out, and then Julie usually slides on over with, "...but would you consider these?" And she does it in a really friendly way that is not pushy or a high-pressure sales tactic, it is more "I think this shape/color/contrast would look good in your particular ears." And she is right with astounding frequency, including sometimes with pieces I would never have looked twice at in the case. It is a genuine skill and I find it impressive. For this reason I unfortunately have to limit the number of times I visit per year because I am so likely to buy things!

What a really cool experience!…read more Private session for my friend and I to create and customize a scented soy candle. Personalized attention, great explanations and assistance. After measuring and mixing we picked the perfect vessel for our candle to solidify and were handed a label to name it. We were also signed up for the perfume class. There were fifteen of us present, good energy, nice vibe. It was like a science lab of scents and we worked our magic. We were instructed to choose up to six oils to mix into a beaker. We played around with the scents until it smelled like something we wanted to wear. We were directed to shelves of pretty perfume bottles; some included with the price of the class and upgrades that were not. My pretty pink bottle was an upgrade. When we received our perfumer's alcohol, we poured into our bottles, gave a little shake and came up with a clever name for our signature scent. I was really hoping the owner would pop in. It's good to know that we can refill each perfume bottle and candle jar at a discounted price. I named my candle "Priceless" because the combined scents remind me of my travel experiences. My chosen name for my perfume is "Journey" because that's exactly where each note takes you.

Stumbled upon this experience online and I'm so thankful that I did. I had a great time and I…read morehighly recommend this one they validate for your parking if you park in the shared lot of the building this wasn't mentioned where I got the tickets from but there's various places where you can get tickets from. The staff or team were very friendly and welcoming. The energy was great. This was something new that I've never tried before and I would definitely come back again to this location to try some of the other experiences like candlemaking based on the high energy and environment.

I attended a private candle making group event and it was so much fun! It was my first time making…read moremy own candle and I absolutely loved the whole process. There's quite a bit of waiting around for the candle to solidify before you decorate it. They have so many choices including different stones, glitter, and shells for decorating. I picked the sage fragrance for one candle and a more fruity scent, which I believe was the mango papaya, for the other candle. I also liked their birthday cake scent. I could see this being such a fun, unique activity for a date or bachelorette party.

Candle Castle and Co was such a fun outing for girls night. The store is so cute inside, with…read moreplenty of vessels and scents to choose from. The instructor did an excellent job explaining all the steps during the candle making workshop, so it was really easy to follow along. I love how my candle turned out and I'm so excited to use it at home. The only downside is that the candle making workshop is a bit pricey for only being able to make one candle, but for the overall experience it seems like a fair price.

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!

I found this after getting a pastry from Seedo's Levantine Bakery (a Palestinian-owned bakery) and…read moreneeded to get flowers for a my of mate. It's such a lovely shop tucked away on Dearborn; the Monadnock Building's history is fascinating too that's all captured in its Wikipedia page. Field & Florist has niche perfumes and divine, custom floral arrangement services, but I came specifically for the latter; I highly, highly recommend them if you're looking for unique fragrances and/or florals. You can also purchase your own stems to make your own bouquet, but if you have an inspiration (yet are short on time), I highly recommend using their serviecs to curate a beautiful bouquet. You can also work with them to pair a fragrance with your florals - I cannot wait to be back in Chicago to stop by them again! If you enter from the street, stay focused on the stairs; if you need wheelchair/mobility impaired access, I'd go through the side building access (by Intelligentsia). All doors are heavy either way, so be careful there too. For floral arrangements: Let them know what your inspiration is and your budget, and they'll work with you. For me, it was Sriracha tofu and I was looking for something under $100; and the florist definitely came through. I loved how quickly they picked up on the white and red themes, and incorporated the The entire experience was extremely low pressure and its a very clam environment. They make sure to ask if you need a wet bag if you won't be able to get your flowers into a vase in less than 3 hours; that's an ~$10 charge, but extremely valuable for me as I was walking around downtown with the flowers for 3 hours and wasn't able to get it into a vase for another 6 hours. I do wish I'd picked up some perfumes - they had the d'Annam, as well as a few other niche brands, that I'd been eyeing for years. So, so happy I got to smell them at long last. In addition to the testers, they give you 2 samples when you make a fragrance purchase and they do up to 3 decants in the store in case you're having a hard time deciding. If you need to wait, I recommend stopping by Intelligentsia - in the same building - before heading back over to view, accept, & pay for your order.

My favorite place to shop for niche and indie perfumes in Chicago! Such a great shopping atmosphere…read morewith how the perfume bottles and flowers are arranged around the store. The staff are patient, knowledgeable, and friendly!

My husband and I discovered Le Labo a couple years ago when we had dinner downtown. The restaurant…read moreused Le Labo products for the soap in their bathroom. Post our bathroom visit, both hubby and I agreed that the hand soap was irresistible. I kid you not, both hubby and I looked ridiculous as we cupped our hands to our noses to relive the euphoric scent high. It not only smelled fabulous, but it also didn't dry the hands. Our next mission was to get in on this near flawless hand soap. Hubby could not remember the name of the brand however I managed to take a pic of it. Lo and behold, it was Le Labo. Le Labo products are high quality with a price tag to match. The last bottle we purchased was their entry level small Edition scent, sized at 237 ml. It was $37.00 online (less tax) and lasted 2 years with minimal use. This time we chose the Basil scent hand soap. We love it a ton and enjoy the fact if we ran out there is a Le Labo nearby. If seeking top-notch skin and hair care, this is the place.

Amazing customer service , details. Got the sample fragrance package so far have been impressed…read morewith the selection and longevity of fragrance. Nice gender neutral options, will split between husband and I.