The Stores in Pilsen

It’s official: Pilsen is the new mecca for vintage shopping. Two new kids have joined Comet Vintage (1320 W. 18th St.), Knee Deep Vintage (1425 W. 18th St.), and Pilsen Vintage and Thrift (1430 W. 18th St.). They are: 

  • Revival a Go-Go (1653 W. 18th St.), where you’ll find everything from 1960s dresses to midcentury-modern housewares and reclaimed-wood furniture by locally based Emotive Reclaim, and
  • Market Supply Co. (1747 S. Halsted St.), a cool twist on a general store, which has a fashionably curated selection of men's and women's vintage clothing and accessories, Pendleton blankets, and a vintage barber's chair in which you can get an old-school shave.
  • Modern Cooperative (1215 W. 18th St.), the year-old store, recently expanded into historic Thalia Hall. It now carries even more mid-mod furniture, plus work from 30 local artists, including 12 who live and work in the neighborhood. Scores include a recycled-inner-tube doormat by Solo Home Design ($95), Raymond Barberousse’s modern brass lighting fixtures (from $925), and paintings by Pilsen-based artist Tammy States Love (shown above at right, from $150).
     

Paramour Bungalow

Photo: Jean Sweet

Jason Hall and David Kafer may own a fabulous salon (Evanston’s Red 7), but it’s the new home-goods store they opened next door this past summer that’s got design junkies talking. Paramour Bungalow has a cheerful selection of modern accessories from around the world at an appealing range of prices. Whether you’re in the market for a cute tea towel (from $5.50) or an iPhone amplifier made of reclaimed wood that resembles a vintage record player ($475), they’ve got you covered.
812 Dempster St., paramourbungalow.com

Judy Maxwell

Photos: (Judy Maxwell) Dana Sarella; (Joan Cusack) Peter Brooker/Rex Features/AP Images

Actress Joan Cusack’s curio shop, Judy Maxwell, formerly on State Street near Division, has a new, larger home in Old Town—giving her more room to go wild with the wares.

J. C. on what makes a great interior: “You start with feelings—authenticity, thoughtfulness, freedom to try things and fail, knowledge that it takes time, and knowing what helps you relax—and then everything else comes from that.”
J. C. on her shop: “It’s an always-amusing urban general store. Whether you’re looking for everyday items like pencils, toothbrushes, or shaving cream, a special piece of art, or an emergency clown nose, this is a place where you can treasure hunt.”
1363 N. Wells St., judymaxwellhome.com

Refind Home

Photo: Anne Dowd

Refind Home brings eco-friendly contemporary goods and standout vintage items to Oak Park. Owners Anne and Douglas Dowd seek out pieces made in the U.S. (often in the Midwest). In the mix: vintage 1950s and ’60s furniture, Skeem candles ($14 each), and Inhabit pillows made from recycled plastic bottles (from $58 each). “We don’t care if it’s new or old, as long as it’s beautiful,” says Dowd.
139 S. Oak Park Ave., refindhome.us