Indie shops & books · N Clark St
Andersonville
Clark St, north of Foster.
A Swedish-rooted neighborhood on Chicago's North Side whose main street, N Clark St, is lined with independent boutiques, bookstores, bakeries and bars. It suits a slow afternoon of gift shopping and browsing.
Independents · Bookstores · Bakeries
- In our directory
- 28 shopseach one verified
- Where
- N Clark StIndie shops & books
- Right now
- Typical hours11am–7pm
- Getting here
- CTA Red Line: Berwyn or Bryn MawrThen walk west to Clark Street, or take the #22 Clark bus
The directory
28 shops, all in one place.
Tap a shop or a dot on the map to see it.
Gifts5 places
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Indoor market with more than 200 local artists, makers and small businesses selling handmade jewelry, art, gourmet goods and Chicago-themed apparel under one roof.
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Andersonville branch of the Chicago gift shop that calls itself an urban general store, with cards, books, toys, baby gifts, home and office goods and accessories.
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T-shirt shop that has been a Chicago staple since 1983, selling Chicago-themed and custom-printed tees plus novelty items like Garbage Pail Kids cards and socks.
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Chicago label founded in 2001 that turns CTA maps, street signs, city seals and flags into T-shirts and gifts. It is an official licensed maker for the Chicago Transit Authority.
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Graphic T-shirt shop that sells Chicago and neighborhood designs, including an Andersonville shirt. Its event-weekend "Dumpster Sale" offers $7 shirts buy-one-get-one.
Vintage4 places
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Andersonville branch of the buy-sell-trade resale chain, with secondhand and vintage clothing and accessories. Bring wearable pieces to sell for cash or store credit.
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Antiques shop selling Chicago memorabilia, midcentury modern furniture, vintage clothing and jewelry, artwork and collectibles. Call 773-944-5665 for hours.
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Howard Brown Health's resale shop for clothing, home decor, books, art, lamps and jewelry; all proceeds support LGBTQ+ health care. Staff can't hold items.
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Vintage shop at the north end of the Clark St strip with an in-store coffee counter serving pour-overs and international drinks.
Fashion3 places
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Chicago-made jeans in a softer tri-blend or sturdier 100% cotton, cut from U.S. mill fabric. Staff hem each pair to length in the shop, so you leave with jeans that fit.
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Clothing boutique near the Bryn Mawr end of the strip, listed in the chamber's apparel directory. It also sells online and offers extra event discounts on its sale section.
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Neighborhood shoe store on the Foster-to-Berwyn block of Clark St, listed in the chamber's apparel directory. Holiday sales run storewide during Small Business Saturday.
Books2 places
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Feminist bookstore in the middle of the Clark Street strip that focuses on underrepresented voices and hosts weekly children's readings and evening author programs.
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Comic shop open since 2011 with new comics, trades, graphic novels and manga, a kids' corner and some back issues. It also runs Magic: The Gathering and board-game nights.
Specialty2 places
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Stationery shop for pens, notebooks, journals, planners and bullet-journal supplies, now in a larger storefront near Clark and Foster. In-person only and cashless.
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Family-owned garden center in business for more than 40 years, with plants, garden supplies and seasonal stock. It sells Christmas trees each December, alongside its year-round plant stock.
Kids2 places
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Independent toy and book shop run by owners with more than 20 years in the toy industry. Expect well-designed toys, kids' books and seasonal gift bundles rather than big-box brands.
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Baby boutique selling clothing for little ones, with labels such as Rylee + Cru and seasonal outerwear like shearling zip jackets. Also sells online.
Furniture2 places
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Large furniture showroom open for over two decades, selling custom sofas, sectionals and chairs in hundreds of fabrics, plus beds, dining sets, rugs, bedding and lighting.
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Furniture store that moved from Ravenswood to this Clark St space in spring 2025. Sale events and store updates are posted on its Instagram first.
Boutiques2 places
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Shop selling work from a collective of local artisans, listed in the chamber's apparel directory. Sales during neighborhood events run up to 60% off with buy-three-get-one deals.
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Boutique near Catalpa listed in the chamber's apparel directory. Its end-of-season clearances during neighborhood sales go as deep as 80% off, with extra percentages taken off sale racks.
Dining2 places
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Small Swedish diner serving classic Swedish breakfast and lunch dishes, a reminder of the neighborhood's Swedish roots a few doors from the Swedish American Museum.
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Restaurant known for progressive Southern cooking and a popular weekend brunch, a good sit-down meal in the middle of the Clark St shopping stretch.
Home1 place
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Art Deco-inspired concept store at the north end of the strip selling vintage-inspired home goods and gifts, including art prints, candles, books and barware.
Food & drink1 place
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Scandinavian-leaning bakery and cafe known for its cardamom buns, tebirkes and princess cake slices, plus coffee and retail bags of beans and preserves to take home.
Records & music1 place
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Record shop at the north end of the strip selling new and used LPs, 45s, CDs and cassettes, mostly rock, blues and jazz, plus music books, posters and vintage barware.
Coffee1 place
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Café with a small boutique section, where a $20 boutique purchase has earned a free latte during chamber events. A handy coffee stop midway along the Clark St strip.
No shops in that category here yet.
Insider guide
Shopping Andersonville.
The story
Andersonville is a neighborhood with Swedish roots on Chicago's North Side. Its shopping runs along N Clark St from Foster Ave to Bryn Mawr Ave, a walkable main street of independent boutiques, bookstores, bakeries and bars. It suits a slow afternoon of gift shopping and browsing.
Gifts are the strength. Andersonville Galleria gathers more than 200 local makers under one roof, and Transit Tees, RAYGUN and Strange Cargo all print Chicago T-shirts. Women & Children First is a feminist bookstore in the middle of the strip, and Lost Larson bakes cardamom buns and princess cake. There is also furniture at Cassona Home and District, resale at Buffalo Exchange and vinyl at Rattleback Records.
A Little History
The Swedish roots are still on display. The Swedish American Museum, founded in 1976, moved to 5211 N Clark Street in 1987 and hosts Midsommarfest, Santa Lucia and the Julmarknad holiday market with neighborhood groups. The Swedish-flag water tower above Clark Street came down after winter damage in 2014 and went back up in 2017.
What to Expect
The 5200 block, at the Foster end, holds the most shops. Dearborn Denim (5202) sells Chicago-made jeans and hems them to length in the shop. Paper & Pencil (5208), with pens, notebooks and planners, shares the block with RAYGUN (5207) and Chicatolia Artisan Collective (5209). Strange Cargo (5216) and Transit Tees (5226), an official CTA licensee, sell Chicago tees. Then come Women & Children First (5233), Andersonville Antiques (5234), Cassona Home (5241) for custom sofas, Andersonville Galleria (5247) and Buffalo Exchange (5252).
On the 5300 block are AlleyCat Comics (5304, in the rear), ENJOY (5307) for cards, toys and home goods, *play (5311) for well-designed toys and kids' books, Kopi Cafe (5317), Alamo Shoes (5321) and Sandbox Baby Boutique (5349). Gethsemane Garden Center (5379) sells plants year-round and Christmas trees each December. The north end has Rattleback Records (5405), District (5430), Rare Form (5438) for Art Deco-inspired home goods and gifts, and Violet Hawthorne (5447). Lilla Barn Clothing is at 5535, near Bryn Mawr. The strip keeps going past both ends: Milk Handmade and Foursided sit just south of Foster, and Winifred Grace and FOLK just north of Bryn Mawr.
Best Time to Visit
Most independents open around 11am and close between 5pm and 7pm, with shorter Sunday hours. Many shops here don't post hours, so call ahead for a specific stop. Watch a few schedules: Women & Children First opens at noon on Monday, *play is closed Monday and closes at 4pm Sunday, and Strange Cargo does pickup and phone orders only on Tuesday. Andersonville Galleria opens at 11am daily.
Two chamber events are worth planning around. The Insidewalk Sale runs Friday to Sunday in late March, when Cassona, Violet Hawthorne, RAYGUN and others take up to 70 to 80% off. Late Night Andersonville in mid-December keeps Clark St shops open into the evening, with sidewalk pop-up vendors from 4 to 8pm and roasted chestnuts.
If You Only Have an Hour
Start at the Swedish American Museum (5211 N Clark St), where Mormor's Café has cardamom buns (the museum opens Tuesday to Sunday). Stop at Paper & Pencil (5208) for stationery, then walk north past Transit Tees (5226) to Women & Children First (5233). Finish at Andersonville Galleria (5247) for Chicago-made gifts.
This week
In Andersonville this week.
Typical hours
Most shops keep the hours below.
Hours vary by individual store. Always check with specific retailers.
Eat, drink, stay
Between shops, close by.
Top restaurants nearby
All of Eat →- SveaSwedish · Small Swedish breakfast and lunch room on Clark; order the Swedish pancakes with lingonberry jam, falukorv sausage or meatballs with gravy.
- Big JonesSouthern · Southern restaurant with Louisiana influences; order the house pimento cheese with tasso ham and the crawfish étouffée, or come for brunch beignets.$$
- HopleafBelgian / beer bar · Belgian-leaning beer bar and gastropub with a long draft list; order the mussels and frites and the cashew butter and fig jam sandwich.
- Lost LarsonBakery / cafe · Scandinavian-leaning bakery and coffee shop; get the breakfast sandwich, a cinnamon roll or croissant, or a slice of the marzipan Princess cake.
- FIYAMiddle Eastern · Levantine restaurant cooking from a wood-fired oven; order pitas, the whole roasted chicken, or the shakshuka khachapuri at weekend brunch.
- Uvae Kitchen & Wine BarAmerican / wine bar · Wine bar with a long bottle list and a full kitchen; pair a glass with the short rib wellington or the mushroom maltagliati.
Ratings are the scores saved in our directory and are not live. Check the listing for the current score.
Getting here
Parking and transit.
- PParkingMetered street parking on Clark Street and the side streets. The CTA #22 Clark bus runs along the shopping stretch.
- SCTA Red Line: Berwyn or Bryn MawrThen walk west to Clark Street, or take the #22 Clark busCTA fare
Keep exploring
If you liked this block of the city, try these next.
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Guides for Andersonville
All guides →
The Andersonville Indie Shopping Walk
One slow afternoon up N Clark Street from Foster to Bryn Mawr: the Swedish American Museum, glögg at a 1934 tavern, Chicago-made jeans and T-shirts, a feminist bookstore, a market of 200-plus local makers, records, toys and cardamom buns.
Read guide →
Chicago Holiday Markets and Lights, 2026
The confirmed 2026 dates for Christkindlmarket and the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, plus Andersonville's Julmarknad and Lincoln Square's holiday nights, with what to buy and the shops nearby.
Read guide →Vintage Shopping in Chicago: Where to Buy and Sell
Wicker Park's Milwaukee Ave resale row, Pilsen's Knee Deep, Andersonville's Brown Elephant, Logan Square's Vintage Frills and the Randolph Street Market.
Read guide →Stay in the loop
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