News |

Andersonville

You could shop all day in Andersonville.

Once a sleepy community dominated by Swedish-owned businesses, Andersonville has evolved into an eclectic mix with a commercial strip on Clark Street that offers a conucopia of possibilities you’re unlikely to find elsewhere.

Studio 90 (5239 N. Clark St.) is the brainchild of designers Jill Hilgenberg and Angela Turley, two 50-year-olds who are sensitive to the needs of middle-age women. They present an abundance of their own separates that can be mixed or matched, dressed up or down, in a varied color palette. In Hilgenberg’s words: “Not matronly, not common, great fashion, funky and arty.” Studio 90 also carries clothing that would appeal to a younger clientele, fashions from other makers, scarves, vintage-look jewelry, footwear and exquisite beaded evening bags.

Surrender (5225 N. Clark) sells wares for many aspects of life. Besides balms for skin and bath, fresh flowers, candles and gift items, there is unusual jewelry handmade by local women designers. Marybeth Cohen works with sterling silver and semi-precious stones. Amy Butts gives antique chandeliers a second life by fashioning their crystals into necklaces, bracelets and earrings (the name as published has been corrected in this text).

Presence, a longtime fixture in Lincoln Park, brought its bright, young (miniskirts galore) fash-ions reminiscent of Betsey Johnson to 5216 N. Clark last year. You might not find much here to wear to a sedate office, but it’s a different story for jobs with-out a dress code and after hours.

Jan Baxter stocks her store Trillium (5245 N. Clark) with clothing from small companies and de-signers, many from Canada, outerwear by Maralyce-Ferre, wearable art, hand-made jewelry and in fall and winter, Icelandic sweaters. Her daughter, Jennifer, owns the beauty salon, Salon 10, upstairs.

If you like to dance all night, check out the jazz pumps and T-straps at Chicago Dance Supply (5301 N. Clark). Chicago Dance sells a lot of stretchy jazz pants to yoga enthusiasts, and also carries a full complement of children’s ballet clothing and videos of great dance performances.

For unusual hand silk-screened paper, handmade stationery, greeting cards and bound journals, try Paper Trail (5309 N.Clark). It has a special section for wedding invitations, and displays samples of bridal gowns designed by Elda Collinsworth whose Elda de la Rosa Designs is open by appointment at 5407 N. Clark (773-769-3128).

If the thrill is in the hunt, visit The Right Place (5219 N. Clark), a crowded little clothing resale shop where you might find an occasional gem like the black silk velvet Donna Karan top we spotted for $6.

Count on Alamo Shoes, a stalwart at 5321 N. Clark, for shoes you actually can walk in by Rock-port, Clark’s, Ecco, Dansko, Timberland, Birken-stock and the like.

It wouldn’t be a trip to Andersonville without sampling Swedish food at Wikstrom’s Gourmet Foods (5247 N. Clark) and Erickson’s Delicatessen (5250 N. Clark). Take home some butter cookies from Swedish Bakery (5348 N. Clark). And stop in at the Swedish American Museum (5211 N. Clark) whose cheery gift shop offers wooden toys, aprons, mugs, Kosta Boda crystal and decorative tiles.

———-

E-mail ctc-woman@tribune.com