Photo: randolph street market
Opening Day
Randolph Street Market (1340 W. Washington St., 312-666-1200, randolphstreetmarket.com), the indoor/outdoor antiques bazaar sprawled across eight acres in the West Loop, kicks off its summer season this weekend (running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday). The opener takes everything there is to love about summer and rolls into one space: outdoor shopping, a beer garden, vintage carnival games and concessions, cooling stations and cabanas, fashion shows, and artisan food vendors.
Expect rows of booths packed with Parisian antiques from The Savoy Flea (thesavoyflea.com), vintage accessories from Richard’s Fabulous Finds (richardsfabulousfinds.com), wearables from indie designers like Shop NOV (shopnov.com), vintage Schwinn bikes from Mike's Classic Bikes (mikesclassicbikes.com), and stellar people watching.
Tickets are available online for $8 and at the door for $10. The first ten people in line Saturday score free admission and a chair massage to prep their bodies for a day of vintage picking.
Top Sales This Week
It’s a bit off the beaten path, but well worth the trek: West Town’s Annie O (324 N. Leavitt St., Suite 200, 312-421-8676, annieo.net) holds its spring sample sale on Wednesday from noon to 7 p.m. The sale is cash-only and features items from brands such as Tulle, Kensie, and Lucca Couture priced at least 20 percent off wholesale. Plus, there’s always a $10-or-less section.
The Clever Alice (17 E. Pearson St., cleveralice.com) pop-up returns to the Gold Coast for a summer sample sale from May 22 through June 2. Shop three floors of discounted garb from designers like Faubourg du Temple, 81 Poppies, and Tote—for up to 75 percent off retail. Doors are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. (closed Memorial Day).
The Best of the Rest
- Sheryl Lowe—a jewelry designer, Hollywood makeup artist, and the wife of actor Rob Lowe—appears in the designer jewelry department at Neiman Marcus (737 N. Michigan Ave., 312-642-5900, neimanmarcus.com) from 10 to 4 p.m. on Friday.
- The suburbs are abuzz with art festivals this weekend. Shop various paintings, pottery, jewelry, and more at the Barrington Art Festival (Cook St. and Station St., amdurproductions.com), held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; the St. Charles Fine Art Show (Riverside Ave. between Route 64 and Illinois Ave., downtownstcharles.org), running Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Schaumburg’s Prairie Arts Festival (201 Schaumburg Ct., prairiecenter.org), held Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Nordstrom (nordstrom.com) begins its Half-Yearly Sale for women and kids on Wednesday. Shop the bargains online and in stores until June 2.
Relocations
After nine months on Ashland Avenue, West Town boutique Study Hall (2016 W. Chicago Ave., 312-733-4255, shopstudyhall.com) has moved to a larger space near the Chicago Avenue and Damen Avenue intersection. Check out the new digs at a grand opening party (complete with snacks and store discounts) on Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m.