Angela P.
Yelp
I adore small boutiques like RR #1 and seek them out when we travel. So it was only fitting to discover this little gem of a shop during our "staycation." We had just come from Hoosier Mama's pie around the corner and were enjoying our dessert in the car when this place caught my eye. We had some time to kill before our next adventure, and since it was raining heavily, exploring the neighborhood on foot wasn't a favorable option.
The merchandise here is eclectic. It's dimly lit, like a spooky Halloween shop, and I first noticed a display of candles (made by one of their employees IN Chicago), but I was quickly distracted by an enormous rubber unicorn head. An employee saw us and encouraged me to put it on. Then he offered us glasses of wine. The staff here is just as cool as the merchandise.
They also sell quirky greeting cards and stationery products, Matt & Nat handbags, lots of affordable jewelry (lots of items for $10, some more like $30-40), kitschy Chicago t-shirts (Rahm giving the middle finger, a map of Chicago's neighborhoods), and more. There's tons to look at.
I purchased a sparkly, stretchy ring with rainbow-colored gems for only $10. I also gushed over the adorable bird magnets with funny sayings. I picked out an owl one for a friend's birthday that said, "I will disembowel you. It's what I DO." And for myself, "I took a risk that was calculated, but man, am I bad at math." It's true, I really am. And to have a little purple bird on my refrigerator remind me of that is just NECESSARY.
There's a lot of unnecessary/necessary stuff in this store. If I lived in the neighborhood, I'd probably buy all of my Christmas gifts here (except maybe my dad, he hates kitschy/cutesy). I almost bought a buttery faux-leather Matt & Nat bag, but since the store is dimly lit, I hard a hard time figuring out if the bag was hot pink, orange, red, or some hue inbetween.
They also offered to gift wrap my magnet, which is cool. It's complimentary and now my teeny gift looks super chic.