The selection and service are top-notch, but the main reason to come here is that you’ll get healthier, longer-lasting plants. Unlike greenery from big-box retailers, Chalet-brand plants are acclimated to local weather conditions: The center grew them lovingly on a 183-acre farm in Wisconsin. The capper for serious gardeners: a free lecture series.
This chain’s innovative shoe-fitting system gives it the edge. After a computer analyzes your weight distribution and arch height, a staffer will watch your stride on a treadmill, then recommend the right shoe. Road Runner stores the data, the better to serve you next time.
Though it has some worthy competition (Neapolitan, Blake), this lipstick-red façade stands out for its unsurpassed selection of fashion-forward garments, shoes, and accessories, many by designers (Rodarte, Duro Olowu) you won’t find elsewhere in town. Owner Ikram Goldman also stocks the likes of Chanel, Céline, and Manolo Blahnik. Bring a fat wallet.
This Gold Coast shop runs a no-frills website: The sole description is “George Greene is a men’s clothing store.” The clothes, on the other hand—Missoni, Chrome Hearts, Yohji Yamamoto—are for the rare peacocks among men who are decidedly unafraid of frill. The three owners work with clients all day, every day, fitting them in slender … Read more
Claire Tibbs’s personal touch has won over many local interior designers whose tastes lean toward Mad Men. Her light-filled shop’s collection shifts according to what she unearths at thrift stores and estate sales, but recent finds include a two-seat Knoll sofa ($960), Herman Miller chairs ($180), and a beauty of a hutch by Bernhard Pedersen … Read more
Don and Linda Uteg specialize in breathing new life—through updated bases, shades, and wiring—into those 1960s lamps your parents handed off when they downsized. No matter how unusual the request, the Utegs have it covered with shades in nearly every conceivable size, color, and shape. Prices for new shades range from $50 to $125, with … Read more
Hardcore chefs who need a new pastry cutter, meat smoker, or obscure knife head to the heart of the meatpacking district. This self-proclaimed “candy store for cooks” may lack warm fuzziness, but its smart salespeople and comprehensive selection lift Northwestern Cutlery to the top.
It’s got all the hallmarks of a thriving indie bookstore: handwritten recommendations from discerning staff, book signings by celebs such as actor Nick Offerman, and tomes just idiosyncratic enough to thrill bibliophiles without alienating casual readers wanting James Patterson’s latest. Check out the extensive travel section in the basement.
With 11 years of experience styling guests and performing makeovers for The Oprah Winfrey Show, Ingrid Trevino now has one of the most coveted chairs in the city. She can create red-carpet-ready long layers, of course, but she’s equally masterful with short, precise bobs (from $155). A killer blowout from a recent visit lasted for … Read more
As SNL’s Stefon might say, this studio has everything: vegan-friendly polishes, 500 no-chip hues, technicians who specialize in durable tips and toes, and free wine. (Repeat: free wine. If they don’t offer it up front, just ask.) Walk-ins only. Manicures start at $18; pedicures at $35.
