People are so dramatic on Yelp. This place is cute and the lady was nice and the selection is good…read moreand there's nothing to be complaining about here. Also it's very close to the train AND ice cream, so win-win.

I went to this botanica last Saturday and was not impressed- at all. First off, the name of the…read morebotanica throws you off-Botanica LUCERO would make you think that the store would cater to practitioners of palo mayombe. WRONG! The minute you walk into this store (which by the way, is literally next door to a CTA stop, and there's no store parking so good luck finding a crappy parking spot on the street and pray that your parking meter works!) you are "greeted" by the sight of La Santisima Muerte. ALL OVER the entire freaking store. The place should be called Botanica Santisima Muerte instead of Botanica Lucero. After getting over the shock of seeing 50 million Santisima Muerte dolls, statues, and VELVETEEN PAINTINGS (yup you heard that right, I thought they only made Elvis velveteen paintings!), I wondered why no one personally greeted me. Instead they just stared at me for five minutes and then went back to ignoring me. Some time later, a woman showed up and anxiously asked me why I was there. I told her that I had "heard" that her store had things relating to palo. She immediately tried to sell me an herb that was called "contra de palo". I told her that was NOT what I had in mind, and she tried for the next 5 minutes to convince me that she knew what I wanted. This was very aggravating, to say the least. I then proceeded to ask her if she had any candles for Papa Candelo (a figure from the 21 Divisions). She proceeded to try to sell me a candle that clearly said "HORSESHOE" on it with an accompanying picture of a horseshoe. When I voiced my displeasure, she immediately tried to sell me a "BUENA SUERTE" candle, and then a "CLEAN HOUSE" candle. Then she tried to convince me (yet again) that she knew what she was talking about, and that the candles she suggested WERE for Papa Candelo. Meanwhile I pointed out to her that the little statues that were collecting dust on top of her television were actually statues of Papa Candelo, so I had no idea how she could confuse a HORSESHOE with an elderly Black man. This woman claimed to know about the 21 Divisions, but clearly knew nothing. This woman (who also called herself an espiritista) also pretended to know about Santeria, when clearly she didn't. She tried to tell me that a statue of Chango was actually Papa Candelo. I bought a bracelet for my daughter and when I turned my head, one of the storekeepers pulled out a paint brush and swiped some kind of perfumey smelling liquid onto the bracelet-WITHOUT my permission. The vibe in this botanica is totally "wrong", the statues are overpriced, every book they had for sale was strictly based on either : La Santisima Muerte or brujeria or how to put an amarre on someone. Needless to say there were only 4 copies of the "Santa Biblia" (Holy Bible). This place was full of negativity and I will never go back there again. Stay away from this establishment unless you like being lied to and have a serious thing for La Santisima Muerte.

I am very fond of St.Peter's and love their downstairs gift shop. One can find a wall of Patron…read moreSaint Medals, Books, Pamphlets, Art-such as Statues, Holy Water Blessing Wall Art, Virgin of Guadalupe Statues, Nichos, Crosses and countless other functional, meaningful and comforting Catholic relics. The Store Hours are: Mondays through Fridays 10:30 am until 3:00 pm The staff is incredibly kind, thoughtful, good listeners, and make you feel welcomed. The prices vary on items but are all high quality items.

There is no mistaking this as a church with the enormous relief of Jesus Christ on the cross within…read morea Gothic archway. St. Peter's in the Loop was built in 1953 and is staffed by Franciscan Friars who live above the church.

I love this store! The owner, Zayra, is so professional and knowledgeable. The store is well…read moreorganized and there's a vast variety of spiritual and Orisha merchandise and materials. I particularly enjoy Zayra's readings. I've had readings from her with using Ellegua and through Chamalongos. Zayra is the real deal. I like how she takes the time to explain the details that surface during the readings. She won't let you leave until you understand the reading and advice/warnings any particular entity has given. If you don't understand anything, she's very patient in her explanations and comforting. She will go above and beyond to help you resolve your matter at hand all with respect and reverence to the religion... and that's an admirable relief. While you're there, check out all the awesome supplies and other services her store has to offer.

SCAMMERS!! All the positive reviews are from thei friends and family! I have screenshots of how…read morethey scam! I wasted a total of 1300 and I didn't get to see the results they take advantage of the religion to make money!! DO NOT GO THERE!!!!

Shortly after writing this review, I called House of Hansen for Gerald and left a message. He…read morepromptly and politely called me back, notifying me that my fascia is on the way. He apologized because he said that they just had a new set of employees who needed training. Sure enough, true to his word, I received my fascia about a week later on the West Coast. It was beautiful. He replaced the drops and extended the waist length. I am always surprised by the quality when I receive things from House of Hansen. After putting it on, it fitted me like a glove. The drops look immaculate. Though this mid-west business could be slow, being that they're the only family-owned company of this kind in the entire North America (I can only imagine how many orders they do nationally and internationally), it might be about a quarter to a half year until you receive your items. However, when you do receive the item, like the prodigal son, you rejoice exuberantly. Hence, 4 stars. Five stars for quality, but deduct 1 star for the often slow response times.

Similar to other reviews, I ordered a custom cassock and surplice and it took nearly 8 months to…read moreget to me. The cassock is excellent in every way though the surplice was the incorrect style. I mentioned this error to them and they said they would remake it and, after calling them several times, I have given up hope of receiving the surplice I ordered. The workmanship was good, the quality of materials used is good, the customer service (though pleasant) is gravely inadequate.

New location and it's beautiful! A bit confusing layout, but as a book lover, this is nirvana! Just…read moredropped in to buy a gift, but I'll be back very soon to explore more thoroughly!

The newly opened store between Loft and California Pizza Kitchen is subpar compared with B&N's two…read moreprevious locations. The original store on the east side of the mall was downright palatial and included a Starbucks café. The second location facing Old Orchard Rd. was downsized and plainer, but still open and airy. The newest iteration is even smaller. I imagine most customers will focus on the well-curated selection of books and other merchandise, and also the bright lighting. What I observed was a claustrophobic warren of small rooms with low ceilings, minimal seating (I counted 6 chairs and 0 tables), and sadly, no café.