This store is the main reason we went to 18th street. All the photos on yelp show an organized beautiful store. I should have taken pictures. None of the photos on Yelp look like this store currently. Store is dark, over stocked and most items, at least the half dozen i picked up, weren't marked. Some pieces that were like a terra-cotta dog pot seemed way over priced. We were never greeted in the store . Other customers also came and left without being acknowledged. Not the best way to run a business. read more

I would give this place 10 stars if I could. There's literally the perfect gift for any occasion, everything is so beautiful. If you ever need alterations this is my top place to come by. They are the only place in the city I trust for Mariachi trajes and uniforms honestly unmatched in quality and customer service read more

Escaramuza USA - Souvenir Shops Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Amazing customer service! The owner of the store is nice and welcoming, I regularly come in to buy cute decor for my home since they always have new items from Mexico. This is the best Mexican store that I have been to in Chicago! They have cute pots for your plants, beautiful house decor, kitchen and bathroom hand painted ceramic tiles! They offer mariachi custom suits as well as traditional Mexican folklorico dresses for any shape & size. read more

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I had high hopes for this shop. It was a bit cramped to walk with a toddler. We saw people in the back part of the store, but we were never greeted. Do yourself a favor and go down to the 1500 block instead. read more

When I am in Pilsen this is someplace I have to stop! The items sold are beautiful. Authentic Mexican pottery, art work and all those great things that remind you of Mexico. The items are reasonably priced and the owner is very helpful. I would definitely recommend to purchase gifts and/or decorations for your own home. read more

The store is very quaint and the owners are very knowledgeable of the craftsmanship of their artifacts brought from Mexico. The couple are so sweet and are very welcoming once you enter their store. They explain how a few items change seasonally depending how long they stay in Mexico to bring back to Chicago. I usually go in during Dia de los Muertos and Christmas to buy sugar skulls or paintings on a canvas. I love this store:) I always leave buying something. read more

Escaramuza USA - craftmanship:) - Souvenir Shops Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great small business with lots to offer at reasonable prices. It's under new ownership now so that helps a lot now that they will be open everyday from 10am-8pm And Sunday's 11-7 Check it out! read more

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This store is a hidden gem. I went in there with a friend of mine and we left about 40 minutes later. There is SO much to see. Large ceramic urns with lids, rustic furniture, even VERY ornate bathromm sink tops. I went in to buy a Mexican sombrero. The miniature kind that are often sold as soulveniers. I asked him if he had any that were red and he went to the back to bring out a bag with more. He was vary patient while I sorted through the bunch. My friend ended up buying a clay smoking pipe. It was evident that it was hand made. I will be back to see the rest of the merchandise since we ran out of time. It seems 45 minutes was not enough! read more

I stopped in while wandering around 18th Street and picked two corner-chipped small ceramic tiles out of a barrel, one with an image of the sun on it (I figured that was an omen, one day after Groundhog Day/Candlemas/Imbolc), and, for balance, one with a crescent moon and stars. I went to pay for them and the proprietor explained that they were actually being sold in bulk for people doing mosaics, and that he couldn't imagine what to charge me for only two, so he gave them to me for free. How cool. They're now sitting next to each other in a corner of the kitchen looking vaguely occult and sweet, and reminding me of a nice experience. (And actually the stash of tiles they came from seem to be pretty cheap in bulk--the owner is salvaging them out of a mishandled and broken-up shipment by a well-known shipping company that apparently does not know how to pack--if anyone out there wants material to pave a garden walk or something?) read more

The place is now owned by different people and while talking to the new owner, she said that they were going to introduce more clothing as well as keeping the Mexican Arts and Crafts. Lots of nice things to choose from. read more

Escaramuza USA - awesome pieces of art - Souvenir Shops Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS PLACE!! Small shop somewhat hidden but definately amazing. The owners are so nice and will start up conversations or just let you shop. They regularly go back to Mexico to pick up merchandise and it's always great. Although I love the Mexican museum just a few blocks away there is definately more to choose from here and the prices are a bit more reasonable. read more

I checked their hours and traveled all the way from Evanston to shop here for a Hispanic Heritage Month event for work...only to discover they were closed 90 minutes early. No sign, nothing on their answering machine, nothing. In addition to wasting time, money, and energy, I'm now royally screwed as Saturday is/was my only day to shop due to the distance I'm coming from and their hours of operation (or so they say). This oh so casual approach to professionalism and consistency is exactly why many mom and pop businesses struggle. Next time, I'll just go to HomeGoods and buy the first thing I see that says "Made in Mexico" and call it a day. read more

Escaramuza USA - Closed...at 5:30pm Saturday afternoon...an hour and a half before their posted hours of operation - Souvenir Shops Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great shop with lots of beautiful Mexican pottery, clothing and many items for preparing ofrendas. Stopped in there with friends today, the owner was very friendly and helpful, and had everything we were looking for. I highly recommend stopping at this shop while in Pilsen! read more

Found everything I was looking for. Staff was great and had reasonable prices. I've shopped at other stores and this has been the best place to shop at. read more

I was shopping for decorations, for a party and was able to buy so much here. The more you buy, the cheaper it is. I was able to purchase authentic Mexican decorations for my son's party. The party decorations, were amazing thanks, to this place! The man at the counter, was very helpful. read more

This place is awesome! All the goods remind me of my childhood and all their goods are made in Mexico. If you want a Mariachi outfit for your kids, or a flower dress, stuff for Dia de los Muertos, Christmas gifts, or a clay pot to cook, this is the place. The owner is super friendly, great to talk to, and yes he speaks perfect English so don't be intimidated/worried. Get down here cuz they have great gifts available for the whole family. read more

Escaramuza USA - Perfect for Halloween / Dia de los Muertos - Souvenir Shops Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here to find outfits for a party my husband and I were attending. Right away, the owner came to offer his assistance and we looked around. When we had questions, he answered them and offered several options that ranged in various prices. He was reasonable with prices comparable to those on eBay or Etsy and the service provided is something I def would come back to. He also does tailored specialty Mexican attire in case I want a custom dress. In addition to Mexican attire, there are many typical mexican art and various artifacts made from clay at a very reasonable price. We look forward to coming to this store more often as it is very authentic, prices are reasonable, and the owner is very attentive and informative. read more

A small, but densely-stocked store that sells folk art and crafts from Mexico. Many of the items are regional specializations, such as Oaxacan black pottery, or traditional Yucatecan dresses. The owner is very gracious and helpful. I'll be back for a mirror that's out of my budget at the moment, but I bought a really cute hand-embroidered purse. read more

Julio and his wife are super friendly and helpful! Will post our product once we receive it - we ordered white paper flowers!

Absolutely love this place!! I wish they had a website. I can go in this place for one thing and walk out two hours later...has such a variety of beautiful things and artwork. I love how they have classic Mexican toys and games carved out of wood for children. I will definitely be back!! read more

For many years I tried to visit this place but I was never lucky enough to find it open. I was in pilsen yesterday with my mom and we stopped by. It was open. It's under new owners. They're super friendly and very helpful. I was so happy to enter this shop, browse around and admired all their items. Also they have new affordable prices. I will be visiting often and I encourage people to do it too, you will not regret it. read more

Found beautiful traditional Mexican skirts for my daughters at the most reasonable prices. The store also had authentic Mexican pottery, masks and other decor. The owner was friendly and helpful. He offered to custom make me a blouse they didn't have in my size!! read more

Consumer beware! My future daughter in law and my son found this place on line and visited the store to look for Talaveras for her centerpieces for their Day of the Dead themed wedding. The owner, guaranteed that they would have their merchandise in time for their Nov. 3rd wedding since they were ordering in August. Today is October 26 and after getting the run around; for now 3 months, I called him on one occasion and he was disconcerting about the situation. To make matters worse my son and fiancé went in to see what other options he could provide them and he immediately disregarded them, went to the back and called another worker and said to give them a refund. How disrespectful and rude. What type of business is this to treat people like dirt?! We will not recommend this so called establishment. So again I say...Consumer beware! read more

Fun place to visit- has pretty colorful tiles and loads of interesting accents for the home

Can't figure out when this place is open. No hours posted and nobody answers the phone.

This is a wonderful store. I'm Mexican and I was looking for Mexican crafts for a trip abroad so I was looking for something light to carry. I bought some wonderful prints that the owner brings from Puebla, absolutely beautiful (there in a box next to the cashier)! There were some Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera paintings and some more traditional ones. Also, get close to the cashier counter were there are some very very unique crafts from Huicholes (indian tribe in central Mexico). He has everything reasonable priced (consider he brings many fragile things you can't just bring it back in a plane), plus he has a 15% discount on all his merchandise. Great store and the owner was very helpful and nice. read more

I had an appointment with this woman to make a major purchase wholesale....not only did I travel almost an hour to get to her, but I stood outside for another hour waiting..she never showed up...para acabar, an hour's drive to get home.....she didn't even have the courtesy to call and apologize, but avoided any call I made to her.....maybe it was for the best...I lived in Mexico half my life and, as I looked at what she was selling through her window, I realized she brings artesanias of low quality.....the talavera is very poor and she has mostly "chacharas" (crummy knick knacks) read more

Very cool little shop in Pilsen on 18th St. I love the skeletons all dressed in suits and fancy hats and dresses, would love to get one for my living room one day. The artwork and crafts in here are beautiful. I bought several large brightly colored corn husk flowers to display in a vase at home, shaped like tulips, carnations, and more when I first moved to Chicago six months ago. Everyone always loves them when they come over. I've also purchased some tiles that I believe are probably intended for a kitchen backsplash or some other sort of home improvement, but I simply glued some felt to the back and have turned them into awsome Mexican-themed coasters drawn with suns with faces on them, birds, and great colorful patterns. More recently, I bought a small woven wreath ornament for my Christmas tree this year to add some local flavor to the holiday, and a small painted cloth skeleton/cemetery scene to frame for my fiance for Christmas as well. The prices are pretty reasonable for hand-crafted art, and there is a lot of cute and fun stuff for sale. Skip the gift shop at Mexican Art Museum and come here for a souvenir! read more

Lots of decorative ceramic tiles, which is what we were looking for. Glad we didn't resort to placing an order by internet and having to wait for them to be shipped from Florida or something. Very helpful, happy proprietor. read more