More than a shop and teahouse, the Shadow Emporium is a community. The staff and other visitors are…read morealways warm and welcoming, and that keeps me coming back for my occult needs, despite it being further from my home. With a space with amazing personality, lovely events, and personally enchanted (and customizable!) wares, this is one of the best spots to check out for your occult needs, have your cards read, or just enjoy a hot cup of tea. They also throw awesome events and parties - check them out on facebook for events!

I had a $25 detox bath and it was the best! This is a hidden spa in the middle of the city. My…read morefacial features we're literally singing. I felt totally comfortable with Norma taking care of me. And, had more than enough privacy. The bathroom is also exceptionally, clean! Treat yourself

This store is the main reason we went to 18th street. All the photos on yelp show an organized…read morebeautiful 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.

I would give this place 10 stars if I could. There's literally the perfect gift for any occasion,…read moreeverything 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

Such cute clothes and items!! the owners are so nice and…read morehelpful. definitely recommend.

I love finding shops that sell Mexican Imports! This store has a wide selection of Mexican blouses…read moreand dresses for women and kids sizes. I have purchased a dress and a beautiful black blouse with bright flowers on the front. This is my go to store if I need something to wear to a cultural event. Henry and his mom (the owners) are very warm and welcoming. They always help me find what I need. Follow them on Instagram too!

Very nice shop and friendly too. We happened upon this shop after leaving another where we weren't…read morespoken to at all actually not even acknowledged. The ladies in the shop were welcoming and helpful. I needed a vessel to burn copal in for Dia de los Muertos. I was taken to the terra-cotta cups that she said she used for burning her items to welcome past family back. She also had lots of various sugar skulls, religious icons, Catrinas and some beautiful embroidered clothing. Totally recommend shopping here.

Cute place to get Mexican pottery, high-temperature ceramics, papier-mâché, and embroidery shirts…read moreamong other cute folk art stuff but one of the women working in the store was quite crass and talking on the phone/cursing loudly even though (we) the customers were browsing, she clearly did not care and was not very friendly. She was more interested in talking to her daughter (I understand Spanish) than helping people in her store.

DONT COME HERE! I came here and asked if she had fresher herbs, she told me no and 2 minutes later…read moreafter looking around the store she asked me to leave. RUDE!!!

I love the store and I love Christie; I just don't like driving all the way over there and they're…read morestill not open and it's near noon. I'm on the hunt for a new botanica, because my time is far too valuable to waste.

Pretty new cute shop that recently opened up on 18th in Pilsen by the Pink Line…read more The owners are super friendly and the items they sell here are very unique. I bought my friend a gift from here that I know she'll love. I love the Latina bruja energy that they sell here. Will definitely be back! Make sure to support your local businesses.

I am a big supporter of Latina/Woman owned businesses. I came across Angie's Instagram while…read moresearching for "hand made jewelry" I love the few pieces I bought from her. Highly recommend you visit her business in Pilsen.

OMG this is an amazing small, family business that is the backbone of Chicago. They are friendly,…read moreengaging and their chocolate are of the highest quality .

I visited a shop in my neighborhood that sells local and specialty foods, and they were selling a…read morevariety of Veruca chocolates. They didn't have the salted caramels I wanted, so I picked up a cocoa bomb by Veruca Chocolates instead. I got a few of these last year and they were fun. And this one is blinged out with brightly colored, glittery chocolate, so definitely I had to try it. When I prepared the cocoa bomb, I decided to make it as decadent as possible and went with cream as the liquid. It was too large to put in a mug and pour the hot liquid on top, so instead I put the cocoa bomb in the pot. It had a lot of cocoa inside as well as some marshmallows, and the of course the chocolate of them sphere itself made it all the more rich. The resulting cup of cocoa was deliciously chocolatey and thick. It made two five ounce cups, and given how rich it was that was plenty. They used very nice ingredients, as well. The marshmallows that were inside were dense and didn't melt as quickly as store-bought marshmallows, were not as chalky, and were overall more pleasing. After having the chocolates I bought at the neighborhood shop, I headed down to the Veruca Chocolates storefront in Lincoln Park to buy try a broader range. They have some really fantastic house-made chocolates, as well as caramels and some seasonal goodies. They have a Chicago series of chocolates that are really good (the ones I've had, anyway; I don't like beer so the Goos-Island-inspired one isn't something that will be on my test-taste list). Their sea salt caramels are so good. That's my favorite item from here. I got several chocolate treats, and ended up buying some drinking chocolate to send to friends and family for the holidays as well. Veruca Chocolates has really nice, high quality products and I can't wait until they are able to reinstate classes (and I'm comfortable attending in-person events), because it would be really fun to learn how to work with chocolate and establish some level of expertise in that area! Review #622 3/2022

This is quite a large antique and vintage flea market within Chicago, much of it being inside the…read morePlumbers Union Hall on several floors as well as the back lot outdoors. Pros were: - A lot of vendors! - A variety of items - lots of food trucks so you won't be hungry - Legitemately most of the items for sale were antiques and vintage along with some artisans and food merchants (coffee cakes, toffee etc). But not booths of 3D printed stuff. Cons were: - it seemed like whenever we were interested in inquiring about something, the vendor was not at their booth... - Prices were pretty high (especially in comparison to The Pec Thing which I just went to the previous weekend), and not every vendor was willing to dicker (I have never been to a flea market where this is the case unless an item is marked "Firm") - We arrived at opening and some of the vendors weren't set up yet. It had also rained the night before so a lot of the outside people had put tarps over their merch but items still got wet. Caveat emptor. Overall, it was worth checking out but we only bought one small item. Maybe next time!

This market advertises that they have about 200 dealers, and that it's a "destination". Hmmmm…read more.. On the plus side, if you're into vintage clothing (everything from band tshirts to vintage designer) you will love it. Guessing 50%+ of the dealers were fashion related. There were a few MCM places but honestly not much beyond that. I didn't expect to be accosted by window and gutter salesmen but here we are. The building is beautiful, there were a good number of food trucks and places to grab refreshments, and it was well organized. No WAY we're there anything close to 200 dealers - maybe half that? (If we don't count the gutter dudes) Not for me, but if you love vintage fashion, it's probably your jam.