On Valentine's Day my boyfriend and I did the tufting experience. We were a part of the first…read moregroup upon the establishment opening. Definitely go early if you can! Great date idea! The instructor we had was extremely rude. She had brownish reddish hair. This made the experience high-pressure and felt like we couldn't really ask questions because of her attitude & rushing us. Especially during the demo. Her service was not good making the ambiance hard to enjoy. Once we sat down to tuft our own rugs. The Tufting itself was tedious, but once you get into the flow state, it can be very therapeutic. I'd rate my hands on tufting experience a five out of five. The demo experience was a two out of five. As time went on other instructors came around to give us some tips and tricks they was helpful. You get three hour slots. I do feel like it should be at least 3 and a half hours because once you get the hang of tufting, the instructors will come around to let you know what you need to fix periodically. I would come back, but probably to their other location in Bridgeport.This location Uptown was decent. You do get your moneys worth out of this experience far is the end result.

Absolutely loved Freestyle. Did the small rug tufting and our instructor was so nice and patient…read moreand very thorough in the tutorial. I quite liked being able to trace out my image to tuft. The selection of yarn available is great. The staff did come by often to make sure we're doing fine and checked in to see how we were progressing and gave tips and pointers. The turnaround time to pick up the rugs was estimated to be 1-2 weeks and I got my rug the very next week. They did a great job with making sure the rugs were shaved evenly and the backing was put on properly. I compared my experience here with my rug tufting experience in Dallas a lot during my time, and although I had to wait to take home my rug, I far enjoyed this one more. It was less stressful and the rug came out so nice. I would love to do their ceramic painting in the future.

Definitely one of the more organized craft stores I've been to! And really friendly staff that…read moregenuinely want to help- a rare find in the city. Some stuff, like command strips, have a heavy markup compared to something like Target, but you can't beat Michael's for fun seasonal decor.

I haven't had a bad experience in this store. While the staff has changed a lot since they opened,…read moreI have found them for at least the past 2 years to be very helpful and welcoming. I was looking for something very specific a couple of months ago and the associate took the time to track it down for me. The store is also really well organized. I appreciate how clean it is as well. Love this location.

I decided to walk into Foursided on a whim and I'm so glad that I did! This is one of the cutest…read moreshops I've been to in a while. There is so much to look at and the whole store is curated beautifully, so it feels like a cohesive collection rather than clutter. I found a ton of things that I fell on love with. This is the perfect place to pick up a gift or some artwork. They had a ton of Chicago specific items, so it would be a great place to grab a souvenir. I'll be back here for sure. It is too cute to resist!

This place brings me warm fuzzy feelings just by walking inside. When you walk in you are bombarded…read morewith color, stimulation, and maximalism. Get ready to have fun. Foursided is a great place to get gifts, candles, local artwork, small plant pots, baby books, cards, and more. The people working were talking about House of Dragons while I was shopping and they gave me the vibes that they wouldn't be upset if I jumped into the conversation! Once you make your purchase they take off the price tags in case you are gifting the items which saves me a little time in the long run. They have tons of cards to choose from, making this a prime spot to go to get someone a gift. An extra bonus is a lot of the merchandise is from local artists and Chicago-themed.

I had the best time with Isa at Pottery Studio 1! You should absolutely request her! We did the…read morecombination wheel and painting class and it was totally worth it! Isa was incredibly patient and she made it feel like you were just trying out a new hobby with a friend! She demonstrated and then let us do it and was so so kind even when we messed up. Then when we went into painting and table work she helped me craft a little add on to my dog bowl. She is not only an amazing instructor but she even showed us some of her work and it looks so great! She definitely made my first wheel experience so great!

We came on a Saturday and ended up being the only two in class, but it was still fun. Our…read moreinstructor was Steph, who is a fantastic instructor and very knowledgeable. She made the process incredibly easy and also stepped in to help when needed. The location is pretty new, apparently opening a few weeks earlier. Definitely check it out!

The Uptown Art Fair is part of Uptown Art Week. This is the third year of Uptown Art Week, which…read morewas established during the pandemic as a way for the neighborhood to come together in a safe way and celebrate the public art in Uptown. This year it expanded a bit to include an art fair. I really enjoyed this. I think it has a lot of potential! The art fair itself was held in the Chicago Market space underneath the Wilson El stop. Throughout the week there were various events that took place, and along Broadway from Leland to Sunnyside there were artists painting throughout the week. Some of the artists were creating on sandwich-type boards, and some were creating murals that were hung on walls. All of the artists were working on wood surfaces so that when they're complete they can be moved to their permanent homes. Several of the murals will be displayed at Graceland Cemetery. What I thought is especially cool is that this year they paired a number of Black artists with Black-owned businesses, and several women with women-owned business, to create a mural evocative of the business or a agreed upon theme. That is such an awesome idea. I wish I had known that the art fair was taking place; it was just happenstance that I found out, because I was taking some things to the Salvation Army yesterday and passed by. It was pretty cool to watch the artists at work. I love that Uptown is a getting even more covered in murals and making this an annual tradition to bring so much local art to the neighborhood. I hope they continue to expand it even further into the neighborhood, beyond Broadway, Sunnyside, and Argyle.

Had a birthday party here with a group of girlfriends and did the Friday night class led by James…read more It was so fun and learned so much! Would highly recommend!

We had a great time! Value - good…read moreExperience- great- friendly staff Cute decor I did a girlfriend excursion but I saw mother/daughter duo having fun and a few first time daters. Street parking was available. Restaurants close by to grab a bite before or after. Yolk's test kitchen down a couple blocks and the blueberry hibiscus drink smashed!!

Went walking around Lakeview and Inkling's unique items caught my eye from the window. There are…read morequite a bit of cute and quirky items that have some personality. When you're thinking about holiday gifting items, there's a great variety of decor, trinkets, and jewelry to consider. It can be a bit visually overwhelming to look at everything, but it's well organized by content so it's very doable. The staff I interacted with were very kind and pleasant given it was a busy weekend. Prices aren't terrible, but everything is expensive these days. Will definitely be interested to see what Inkling has in store throughout the year! I'll be back to see :)

What a cute store! Came in here just to browse and ended up leaving with a great vintage scarf!…read morePrices were pretty good. Excellent jewelry selection. If I lived in the area I would definitely stop by to get gifts here!

This place is great. Very liberal, very tongue in cheek, and fun type random gifts. Socks with…read moreswear words phrases. Politician action figures. Decent prices for a range of collectibles. Cool flags for waving beliefs boldly. Excellent gift spot. Friendly service. Everyone just seemed to be enjoying the fun inventory just like the name. I'm definitely going back for gifts.

An eclectic mix of items can be found here, which makes it an interesting place to stop. You may…read morehave fun finding a gift here too. I didn't really expect to find anything here but I've been curious about it for about a decade. There's apparel, mostly with a Chicago bent to it; some children's clothing; cards; snarky socks; and even a large wall of tarot cards, which surprised me. The shopkeeper was friendly as well.

The Ainslie Arts Plaza is a new addition to the Lincoln Square/Ravenswood neighborhood. When they…read moreknocked down the McDonald's and rebuilt it in 2020/2021, they made this strip of parking an arts plaza. It's been fun to see it come to life with the green planters, twinkle lights, murals on the boxes, and now events like movies in the plaza. Excited to see what else they'll think of to utilize this lovely space. The only downside? You're right off the street so you hear all the honking, all the yelling, and all the screeching that comes along with Chicago drivers. Plus, McD's is the only food option (but at least there's something!).

Great place to find niche chicago gifts or just gifts in general! I love stopping by and browsing…read moreat all their cool knick knacks and totebags. Their staff is always so friendly and welcoming and every inch of the store is covered with items. I think there are some affordable things but most are slightly pricey but worth it because most of the time they're one of a kind items you wouldn't find anywhere else. Great place for great gifts!

What a fun store to visit. There are so many stuff to observe, investigate and simply enjoy…read more Puzzles, art, stickers, books, cards and novelty items; whether the gift is for family, friend, special someone like yourself ehem you'll find something wonderful. Staff is friendly and prices are great.so if you've been checking out the window for the cool display. Go on in, you won't regret.