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August 10, 2007

Armitage Bike Shop

Hydraulics on a bicycle? It’s par for the course here, as are services like welding and chrome-dipping for those who consider a bike frame a canvas for self-expression. The digs are nothing fancy—which helps keep prices down—but that doesn’t mean you can’t get nice new wheels here, like a women’s cruiser with floral details on the body from Phat Cycles. | Mon-Sat 9:30 AM-7 PM, Sun 10 AM-3 PM | 3601 W. Armitage | 773-489-2175

Boulevard Bikes

Smaller bike and repair shop next door to Lula Cafe (see Restaurants), owned and staffed by enthusiasts who close early once a month for Critical Mass. New bikes, mostly Bianchis, account for 95 percent of their sales (expect to spend $300 to $2,000), although they occasionally offer used bikes and will refurbish customers’ creaky wheels (on their own schedule, though—don’t call them, they’ll call you). | Tue-Wed noon-7 PM, Thu noon-8 PM, Fri noon-6 PM (5 PM the last Friday of each month), Sat 10 AM-5 PM, Sun noon-5 PM | 2535 N. Kedzie | 773-235-9109 | boulevardbikes.com

Details Salon & Spa

Details bills itself as a downtown-style salon with relaxed, down-to-earth service—it even hosts a free weekly barbecue during business hours on Saturdays. Salon and spa services—from cuts and manicures to laser hair removal—come a la carte, or you can try one of the luxurious-sounding packages for the total pampering experience. The 6,000-square-foot space includes a boutique that sells everything from ceramic irons to bathing suits. | Mon-Sat 10 AM-8 PM, Sun 11 AM-6 PM | 2537 W. Fullerton | 312-735-2119 | detailssalonandspa.net

Dulcelandia

The Logan Square location of the small, family-owned Dulcelandia (“Candyland”) chain is a festive world filled with brightly colored piñatas and some 800 varieties of caramelos, chicles, and bomboms to stuff into their bellies. In the towering displays are sweets in tropical flavors like mango-chile, tamarind, and guava as well as plenty of items only a child could love, like tubes filled with fruit-flavored gelatin. At the front counter is a small selection of fresh cakes. | Mon-Fri 10 AM-8 PM, Sat 9 AM-8 PM, Sun 10 AM-7 PM | 3855 W. Fullerton | 773-235-7825 | dulcelandia.com

Fleur

Assemble your own bouquet of exotic blooms or hire Fleur to create colorful and contemporary displays for you. Cool branch-shaped white vases, pink-tinged succulents, and striking jewelry by local artists are also for sale, along with candles, greeting cards, and baby gifts. | Tue-Sat 10 AM-7 PM, Sun 10 AM-4 PM | 3149 W. Logan Blvd. | 773-395-2770 | fleurchicago.com

Gap Factory Outlet

And you thought you had to go to Gurnee. The occasional deal can be found here on basics for men, women, kids, and babies amid the clearance items and “exclusive” outlet merch, but don’t expect even minimal Gap ambience. | Mon-Sat 10 AM-8 PM, Sun 11 AM-6 PM | 2778 N. Milwaukee | 773-252-0594 | gap.com

La Casa del Vaquero

More stores should have a giant boot as their signage. Inside, assorted stuffed wildlife—including an alligator and a boar’s head—keep watch over Western-style shirts, leather jackets, ornate belt buckles, and dozens of styles of cowboy boots, mostly the Dos de Oro brand, made in Guanajuato, Mexico. | Mon-Thu 10 AM-7 PM, Fri-Sat 10 AM-8 PM, Sun 10:30 AM-4 PM | 2427 N. Milwaukee | 773-862-0208

Mega Mall

Although this massive building was renovated not long ago, it’s still completely devoid of charm. Inside dozens of stalls sell soccer jerseys, cowboy boots, car stereo systems, Hello Kitty backpacks, and T-shirts bearing images of the Virgin Mary, Che, or marijuana leaves. There’s some fairly decent-looking gold jewelry to be had, but maybe the best deals are the fresh fruit licuados and jugos for sale next to the taco stand. | Daily 10 AM-8 PM | 2500 N. Milwaukee

Mia Mora

The stock at this vintage clothing shop is eclectic, ranging from ladylike designer suits to hilarious examples of 80s excess, a reflection of the wide-ranging tastes of owner Maria Morales, an obsessive shopper who’s culled many of the pieces from her own collection. With its piles of velvet hats and evening shoes, visiting Mia Mora is like stumbling into the best dress-up closet ever. | Thu-Fri 1-7 PM, Sat 11 AM-6 PM, 1-5 PM first and third Sunday of the month | 2639 W. Fullerton | 773-772-2007

Pet-A-Cure

It’s not just a dog groomer, it’s a canine spa, with hot oil treatments, hydrotherapy baths, and blueberry facials. Dog owners who are slightly allergic or just can’t stand piles of hair around the house might try the FURminator, an intense cleaning and brushing with special products that help reduce shedding. Appointment required. | Tue-Fri 9 AM-5 PM, Sat 8 AM-5 PM | 2949 W. Diversey | 773-384-7666

Plateau Blu Salon and Spa

This brand-new salon offers the usual services: cut, color, straightening, extensions, mani-pedis, etc. There’s a day spa upstairs where you can indulge in massages, a sauna, and the exotic-sounding Vichy shower, in which you lie on a cushioned table and let several shower heads do their work. | Mon-Fri 11 AM-8 PM, Sat 10 AM-6 PM | 2064 N. Western, #1 | 773-227-8787 | plateaublu.net

Provenance Food and Wine

Caution: coming here may cause a severe case of pantry affluenza. Salivate over hard-to-find artisanal foods and condiments like pink Himalayan salt and dried borlotti beans from Italy as well as fine cheeses and sandwiches. Every wine gets a handwritten description, and there’s a table devoted to bottles under $10. If you want to try before you buy, there’s a free wine tasting every Saturday from 3 to 6 PM. For other tastings and classes check the Web site. | Tue-Sat noon-9 PM, Sun-Mon noon-7 PM | 2528 N. California | 773-384-0699 | provenancefoodandwine.com

Touch of Vintage

This could either be your cool grandma’s house or a hip librarian’s. Rocking chairs and old-fashioned embroidered linens share space with shirtdresses and gowns from the 50s and 60s, vintage bags, and plastic and Bakelite jewelry. | Wed-Fri 1-6 PM, Sat-Sun noon-5 PM | 2506 N. California | 773-384-8427

Threads Etc.

As at any secondhand store, the thrill is in the hunt, and here there are two stories and 16,000 square feet of clothes and consignment furniture in which to seek your quarry. Amid the Old Navy rejects and dining sets of questionable taste you might find gems like a mod blue upholstered chair with a round base or a red, white, and blue micromini in a graffiti print that recalls where-is-he-now 80s designer Stephen Sprouse. | Mon-Sat 11 AM-7 PM, Sun 11 AM-5 PM | 2327 N. Milwaukee | 773-276-6411 | threadsetcresale.com

Village Discount Outlet

You know the drill: fluorescent lights, bratty kids, shopping carts blocking the aisles, no dressing rooms, all made bearable by the ever-present possibility of finding the perfect pair of vintage slouchy boots or overlooked Armani jacket for $4. | Mon-Fri 9 AM-9 PM, Sat 9 AM-6 PM, Sun 11 AM-5 PM | 2032 N. Milwaukee | 866-545-3836 | villagediscountoutlet.com

Viking Ski Shop

This year the readers of Ski magazine voted this 40-year-old gear and repair shop the National Gold Medal Shop of the Year—not bad for a store that’s hundreds of miles from the nearest mountain range. Besides top brands of skis, boots, and snowboards, Viking stocks winter gear suitable for nonskiers, including sweaters in Alpine designs, snow pants, and a matching pants-and-parka combo in a pink, red, and black houndstooth pattern. | Summer hours: Mon and Thu 11 AM-8 PM, Fri 11 AM-6 PM, Sat 10 AM-5 PM; fall hours start mid-Sept: Mon-Tue and Thu 11 AM-9 PM, Fri 11 AM-6 PM, Sat 10 AM-5 PM, Sun 11 AM-5 PM | 3422 W. Fullerton | 773-276-1222 | vikingski.com

Wolfbait & B-Girls

Run by designers Jenny Stadler and Shirley Novak, who crack wise from behind the counter, this store flies the DIY-revolution flag by showcasing clothing and accessories from local and independent designers. Inventory ranges from crafty jewelry to silky tunics to Novak’s own stylish biking britches. Stadler and Novak also host poker nights (you can only lose your gently used accessories), styling workshops, and fabric-painting classes. | Tue-Thu noon-7 PM, Fri-Sat 10 AM-7 PM, Sunday 10 AM-4 PM | 3131 W. Logan Blvd. | 312-698-8685 | wolfbaitchicago.com

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