Just got some artwork framed beautifully at Starvin' Artist, for a great price. Excellent selection…read moreof mats, moldings and glass. And you wouldn't believe the customer service: the woman working there (Judy) actually called the framer (Brock) at home to see if he could meet with me before their usual opening time (it was the only time I was available) -- and he did! Then, he went out of his way to offer me less-expensive (but still archival quality) options; when was the last time anybody tried to down-sell you instead of up-sell? Truly refreshing. Finally, he proceeded to complete the job at double the estimated speed! Whether you're an artist or just have some items that need framing and hanging, this is the place to call.

Never open. Came by at 1:30pm on a Tuesday and it was locked. Why even bother pretending like…read moreyou're a legitimate business?

The Oak Park Fine Arts show is sponsored by the American Society of Artists. The show is always…read moreheld in August. This year, it is August 16 and 17 (Sunday, 9 am to 5 pm). We have been to this art show several times over the years. I love this art show for many reasons. First, the Artists are very creative and down-to-earth and excited to discuss their art pieces. I always enjoy hearing the story behind HOW an Artist got the inspiration to create a piece of art. I always ask the Artist questions and they are always happy to answer them which I appreciate. Second, this Art show is just the right size and you can actually view all art exhibits (from beautiful Artisan sterling jewelry to sculptures, to photographs, paintings and art work made from tiny tiles creating an actual picture as well as beautiful and colorful handmade unique tote bags, handbags, scarves and so many other things) in under 2-hours! Third, parking is easy and, best of all, it is FREE on Sunday (if you park on the street). This Fine Arts and Craft Show is now in its 40th Year! We checked it out on Saturday, but it was too hot/humid so we left within 45-minutes without a purchase. There were less than 50 exhibits/artists which made the event nice and easy for viewing all the exhibits. This Art & Craft Show is held in Scoville Park at the corner of Oak Park Ave and Lake Street. Although we didn't stay long we stopped off at our favorite Venezuelan restaurant, Aripo's on Marion Street, and enjoyed a very good lunch. The food is hearty, incredibly reasonable and service is always hospitable and warm. This is a mom and pop operation. Best of all, the food is incredibly flavorful, perfectly seasoned and the meat is melt-in-your mouth tender. It is worthy of 4-stars! We found a free spot on Oak Park Ave on both days. We were really lucky! I also like the fact that there tons of restaurants nearby. We returned Sunday, and stayed for 2-hours. It was an overcast, dismal day, but there was a nice breeze which made it nice for staying longer. Afterward, we walked over to Erik's Deli (I wrote a review for Erik's Deli) for sandwiches. There are so many art and craft exhibits in Chicago and the suburbs during the summer months. My two favorites are in Oak Park, IL and Evanston, IL. The price-point for the arts & craft shows varies from moderate ($$) to expensive ($$$$) depending upon what you purchase at the Fine Arts Show. This is a great Fine Arts Show, because it is family friendly and dog friendly. There were so many beautiful pieces of Artisan jewelry, but I didn't purchase any jewelry. We ended up purchasing a beautiful Fall painting with bold colors. The Artist was very friendly and took the time to talk with us about her work. If you cannot find legal parking spot on the street, head over to the Oak Park Public Library (Lake Street just a bit west of Oak Park Ave), and walk over to the Art & Craft exhibit. I am not 100% sure if parking is FREE at the library parking lot on Sunday. However, I do know that if you are at the library parking lot less than two hours it is only $1 -- if you are there for over 3-hours it is 5 bucks-- still a lot cheaper than getting a parking ticket from an Oak Park cop! If you missed this show, you can always check out the Park Ridge Art Show which is also sponsored by the American Society of Artists, September 20, 2014 from 9 to 5 pm.

GP Tetrev Pottery is my absolute favorite place to shop for beautiful, functional pottery for my…read morehome and also gorgeous pieces to gift to others. I've purchased over a dozen pieces since the shop opened earlier in the year. My plan is to buy a few more each month while I build up my kitchen collection. I want a whole set of dishes from here. And I plan to buy more holiday gifts here too. The large bowls, vases and tumbler sets make great gifts. The $20 bowls and mugs would be perfect to bring to all those work holiday gift exchanges where you are supposed to spend $20 on a gender-neutral gift and 90% of your co-workers wrap up a Starbucks gift card. Trust me, a $20 piece from this shop would be a way better gift!! I used to use glasses and plates from Pier One -and in a house full of busy teens and clumsy me many end up chipped or broken and we just toss them out- but this year I've been eating and drinking out of the hand-crafted mugs, bowls and plates from this shop. It makes a difference in how I approach meals and care for the items!! I get excited to eat off these truly beautiful creations and it makes me smile to know that each was crafted intentionally by a local artist. And I'm extra careful doing dishes now as I've grown so fond of each piece and I've watched the potters in the shop actually making the items so I know how much care and attention go into their work. I love how several different artists contribute to the inventory at the shop and I'm pretty sure I have items from everyone by now. Different colors, glazes and forms appeal to me in different ways and I always find something when I visit. Like I just learned the owner Gabe can do dog bowls! The prices are really amazing. Today I got 3 stunning pieces- bowl, mug and tumbler- for $50. They were supposed to be gifts but I've already put them in my dish cabinet. Gabe can do custom orders too. I encourage everyone to stop in and see this place in person. Shop local. Spread the word.

My 8th wedding anniversary was coming up and Bronze/Pottery are the Traditional materials. I…read morenormally search Etsy to find something unique for my wife, but I walked past this pottery studio recently and thought keeping it local would be nice. Gabe, the artist/owner, was amazingly accommodating to work with on a commissioned piece. I loved the original piece so much that I added on 2 additional smaller pieces that he had in the studio ready for sale. Everything was affordable, unique, beautiful and made by hand! I highly recommend checking him out if you are in the market for shelf decoration or really unique cups, bowls, etc.... Such an awesome experience that I came out of Yelp retirement to post! #SupportYourLocalArtist

Terrible... some workers helpful, but most very rude. and lazy. 3 times Ive done pickup orders here…read moreand I almost always get cancelled orders here.. and when I went in I found most of my order in stock.. so yeah lazy..

Dont get anything delivered here - super un professional and not helpful. Zaria stole my package…read more happy Mother's Day!!!!! had to select a star but honestly no stars!!!!!!!

Thank you for opening this place. What a great idea to help recycle art supplies. I find it a great…read moreplace to pick up materials for my kids.

Wasteshed staff are friendly and helpful. They were glad to take the art supplies I brought in.read more

RUN AWAY! DO NOT DO BUSINESS HERE! I was given a receipt to wrap 10 gifts for $291.00 which I…read moreagreed to. The next day when the gifts were ready they said it was $453.00. I lost 6 hours of my life driving back and forth and spending time at the store for nothing. Emma the manager is a criminal, trying to extort money out of people. No call about the increase in price. She just thought because everything was ready someone was just going to pay $160 more for the same thing her manager agreed to with me the previous day. Horrible place, ripping people off. Wanted $45 to wrap one gift.

Cute little shop I accidentally found! They have a lot of misc things in there, but I eventually…read moresettled on some new planners, journal and a bunch of gel pens. A bit pricier than I expected but still not much more than what you'd find elsewhere.

The store is nice and organized how ever the cashiers are always upset. It's pretty upsetting every…read moretime I visit the store there's the same employees being rude to customers. I have been avoiding going even though I'd like to go since hobby lobby offers so many products. I had enough of their bad attitudes.

I went in to Hobby Lobby to get some framing done for a picture, I Rand the service bell and…read morewaited. Rang it again, and an employee yelled from one of the isles that nobody would be there for another hour. I was irritated that she had to yell across the store, didn't ask if she could help me in anyway and just started to walk away. I did ask if she could answer a couple questions, again she yelled across the store What?!? I was just so irritated. Clearly it was a complete bother for her. I wasn't going to scream across the store to have a conversation. I left, I didn't talk to the manager or get her name, but I won't shop there again.

I am taking their summer sweater class. They helped me pick pit a yarn, suggested I do a swatch,…read morethen theu suggested I use smaller needles( a good idea). The class was difficult at first, but they heped so much, and I am learning a lot.

My old yarn store closed and I lost my little yarn community. I haven't been able to find another…read morespot that felt like home until Firefly. The shop is so cute, the people are lovely, the selection is gorgeous, and they even sell amazing non-yarn makes from local artists. They also have classes and awesome community events. Can't give enough stars #blessed

We are absolutely over the moon with the beautiful work Paul and Jude did to create a memorial…read moreframe for my mother to honor my dad, who recently passed. Exceptional customer care, too! Thank you both for your kindness and compassion, as I was a bit emotional when I dropped off the materials. My mom loves her gift. It was ready in just over two weeks. It came in under the price point I needed to stick to as I'm on a budget, so that was awesome. I will definitely return with more frame projects. So grateful!

I cannot say enough great things about my experience from start to finish with Frame Warehouse,…read morespecifically with Paul and Ava! I went to 3 other frame stores before I found them. I brought in a large textile that I wanted framed and every other store I went to found an obstacle with everything due to the size of the piece. The biggest difference with Frame Warehouse was that they said "yes!" And found ways to make my requests happen, which turned into a piece that is unique and that I truly LOVE! Thank you, Ava, for your knowledge and guidance. Paul went above and beyond from the moment I called him to see if they could work with a piece this size, to the moment it was delivered. Yes, delivered, which we never discussed, but I got a text from Paul saying that they were renting a truck to bring it to me. I didn't even have to ask, they just made it happen at no extra cost to me. I about fell off my chair- the customer service was SO spectacular and is rare these days. All of this to say, I cannot recommend Frame Warehouse enough. I am SO beyond thrilled with my piece, my experience, and with Ava and Paul. Save the time that I spent looking at other stores and go straight to Frame Warehouse. I cannot say enough great things about my experience from start to finish with Frame Warehouse, specifically with Paul and Ava! I went to 3 other frame stores before I found them. I brought in a large textile that I wanted framed and every other store I went to found an obstacle with everything due to the size of the piece. The biggest difference with Frame Warehouse was that they said "yes!" And found ways to make my requests happen, which turned into a piece that is unique and that I truly LOVE! Thank you, Ava, for your knowledge and guidance. Paul went above and beyond from the moment I called him to see if they could work with a piece this size, to the moment it was delivered. Yes, delivered, which we never discussed, but I got a text from Paul saying that they were renting a truck to bring it to me. I didn't even have to ask, they just made it happen at no extra cost to me. I about fell off my chair- the customer service was SO spectacular and is rare these days. All of this to say, I cannot recommend Frame Warehouse enough. I am SO beyond thrilled with my piece, my experience, and with Ava and Paul. Save the time that I spent looking at other stores and go straight to Frame Warehouse.

Last week we had my daughter's twelfth birthday party at Stencib's on Madison st. in Forest Park…read more Stencib is an artcraft/boutique type store that specializes in stenciling. The boutique sells clothing, boots, antiques etc that have been stenciled with unique original patterns and designs. Primarily though, Stencib functions as an art studio where you can obtain original art stencil patterns and design and all the materials to stencil your own objects, clothing, furniture, etc. You can stencil literally anything! So my daughter and five of her friends brought in t-shirts, jeans, Ug boots etc. for an afternoon of stenciling. The owner Linda provides a large work space along with original stencil designs, paint, rollers, and all the other appropriate materials.We brought in the cake and drinks and ordered pizza from across the street. Linda, Joe, and Kate also demonstrate and assist with the stenciling. It's really quite easy and the girls got it right away. And let me tell you the girls loved it. My daughter stenciled a pair of those drab Ug boots with a floral vine type pattern in green and yellow. The results were astounding. My eight year old daughter who is obsessed with sharks asked if they had any stencils with a shark design. Linda, an artist and designer, created by hand a stencil of a shark on the spot. My daughter stenciled a large scarf with happy sharks! Each girl also got to stencil a scarf that we purchased as part of the party package. One girl stenciled her scarf with a Christmas tree pattern to give to her mother as a present. Even my teenage son who was there just to hang out got caught up in it and bought a sweatshirt that he ended up stenciling. My wife is going back to stencil a red table cloth with a festive holiday pattern to use for thanksgiving. In short this a very cool boutique/art gallery to have a birthday party or really any kind of event gathering. The people there are quite helpful with great ideas. My daughter and her friends had a wonderful time and had some cool new clothing that they created to show for it. I recommend checking it out. I might even stencil my man cave!

From the owner: We are a new easy great way to Stencil and silkscreen. On walls, fabric, furniture glassware…read moreclothes...almost anything. Our product comes in sheets and rolls..35 designs and more being added. We customize. Anyone can do it, young and old: Great for the crafters, do-it-yourselfers, and pros. Stop in or visit with the chief stenciling officer in person or online