Shopping - Chicago 2005 - page 232

The friendly modern-day Marco Polos at Pagoda Red, 1714 N. Damen Ave.,
second floor ( & 773/235-1188 ), have imported beautiful (and expensive)
antique furniture and art objects, including Chinese concubine beds, painted
Tibetan cabinets, Burmese rolling water vessels, cast-iron lotus bowls, bronze
Buddhas, and Chinese inspiration stones. The three women who opened the
upscale bazaar Embelezar at 1639 N. Damen Ave. ( & 773/645-9705 ) purvey
exotic merchandise from around the world, both old and new, including the
famous Fortuny silk lamps—hand-painted in Venice at the only studio allowed
to reproduce the original Fortuny designs. You'll find a well-edited selection of
home accessories and jewelry at Lille, 1923 W. North Ave. ( & 773/342-0563 ).
The airy, white space looks like an art gallery, with pieces from internationally
known designers (Lulu de Kwiatkowski handbags, Christian Tortu vases) along-
side plenty of quirky objects.
For a new twist on custom clothing, stop by The T-Shirt Deli, 1739 N.
Damen Ave. ( & 773/276-6266 ), where you can order up your own personal-
ized T-shirt creation. Choose from hundreds of vintage logos, add your own let-
tering, and your shirt will be printed up while you wait (when it's done, the shirt
is packaged up in a paper bag with a side of potato chips).
Hip young dudes will find everything for the well-dressed 21st-century man
at Apartment Number 9, 1804 N. Damen Ave. ( & 773/395-2999 ), a shop
that specializes in trendy—but not outrageous—modern menswear. And really
hip dudes should stop by Quimby's, 1854 W. North Ave. ( & 773/342-0910 ),
the source for every kind of obscure, alternative, and possibly offensive comic,
magazine, and self-published 'zine.
DIVISION STREET
Once home to just a few scattered restaurants, Division Street is quickly being
transformed from a desolate urban landscape to a hot shopping destination. It's
a work in progress (you'll find some boarded-up buildings among the cool bou-
tiques), but for now this is what Wicker Park used to be: a place where rents are
still cheap enough for eager young entrepreneurs. Head west from Milwaukee
Avenue (and the Division El stop on the Blue Line) and you'll stroll past eclec-
tic clothing shops such as Penelope's, 1913 W. Division St. ( & 773/395-2351 ),
and Public I, 1923 W. Division St. ( & 773/772-9088 ), which boasts “urban
goods with a passion for style.” Stinker Belle , 1951 W. Division St. ( & 773/
252-4120 ), stocks hard-to-find bath and beauty products. The mix of people
living here—from working-class Latino families to self-consciously edgy young
singles—makes the local cafes great for people-watching. Or, for a more serene
break, stop and admire the French antiques and housewares at Porte Rouge,
1911 W. Division St. ( & 773/269-2800 ), where they'll offer you a compli-

mentary cup of tea.

3 Shopping A to Z
Chicago has shops selling just about anything you could want or need, be it
functional or ornamental, whimsical or exotic. Although the following list only
scratches the surface, it will give you an idea of the range of merchandise avail-
able. You'll find more shops in many of these categories, such as apparel and
gifts, covered in the earlier sections of this chapter.
ANTIQUES
The greatest concentration of antiques businesses, from packed-to-the-rafters
malls to idiosyncratic individual shops, can be found on Belmont Avenue west