Antique Shopping in Chicago

I have always wanted to go to Warehouse 55 in Chicago. I have a lot of dealer friends with booths there and I love seeing all of their Instagram accounts!  So instead of spending more time thinking about going, I put it in the calendar, and we went.

Let’s Take An Antiquing Road Trip 

Hubby and the kids had spring break, and for the most part, we had no plans this year.  Our daughter was gone to Copan, Mexico for the week for a high school exchange program, and our youngest was getting his license. But that was all we had planned.

Now, hubby doesn’t particularly like antique shopping, but thanks to technology, he can be entertained on his phone!

With family in Chicago, we had a free place to stay, and we made plans to hit up as many antique stores as possible in three days.  My youngest had no desire to go to Chicago with us, so he made his maiden voyage to my parents’ house, where my mom kept him well feed while we were gone.

Antique Shopping Game Plan

Hubby and I typically are up and to the gym by 5, so we slept in a bit, but still managed to get on the road by 6:30am. It’s about a five hour drive to Chicago, so we were able to get in a full day of shopping once we arrived.

I had been watching Instagram for Illinois dealers that I follow and mapping out their booth locations. If a booth was near where we were headed, it was added to a folder on Google Maps.

I gave myself a couple hours to shop at each location, mapped out the distance between each shop, and allotted time for meals.  If hubby had to entertain himself while I was shopping, at least we could have a couple decent meals each day.

Spring break also happened to be St. Patrick’s Day weekend! Now while we aren’t into parades and big parties, we did make a detour downtown so that we could see the Chicago River turned green!  Hubby also enjoyed a Guinness about everywhere we ate!

In addition to the planned stops, I knew we would discover other places along the way.  Often, where there’s one antique shop, another nearby. I expected to come across a few thrift stores, so, I left some flexibility in our schedule.

Day 1

Stop 1 – Antiques of Winfield. 27W461 Beecher Ave, Winfield, IL 60190

First we stopped at Antiques of Winfield. I know three vendors in this mall: Leslie of Little House Vintage, Nicole of Little Bird Finds, and Courtney of What Knots Chicago. This antique mall has three floors of well curated booth. Of all of the places I visited, this was probably the most affordable.  Most vendors had collectable, trending pieces, rather than unusual vintage and antique finds. There was a nice assortment of styles including retro, farmhouse, antique holiday collectibles, rustic, shabby chic and primitives.

One of the special touches this store had was providing vintage baskets for you to use while you are shopping! 💕

Lunch – Berger Bros Pub. 0S050 Winfield Rd, Winfield, IL 60190

At this point, we needed food, so we stopped for lunch about a block away at Berger Bros Pub. Because it was St. Patrick’s Day they had some specials which included a Reuben. Hubby ordered the Reuben, sweet potato fries, and a Guinness. I got the American Berger and fries. The food and service were AMAZING!!  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Extra Stop – Rejoice Resale. Winfield Market Square. Winfield, IL 60190

On our short drive to lunch, we spotted a couple of other antique stores. Since we didn’t have much time, I opted for the smaller, more affordable-looking shop. Rejoice Resale appeared to be a newer secondhand store. It had booths, was small, but had one booth in particular that was fantastic. I fell in love with a beautiful bar cart!

Stop 2 – Affordable Antiques & More. 1508 N Naper Blvd, Naperville, IL 60563

Next, we went to Affordable Antiques & More in Naperville. This shop didn’t look very big from the outside, but it was packed full! There were a lot of very unique, one of a kind pieces in this mall. Prices did reflect the rare finds, but there were a lot of good buys to be had as well. Definitely the place to go if you want to find something no one else has!

A special touch this shop provides are gift wrapping your items in vintage hankies!! 💕

Extra Stop – Family Shelter Service Resale Shops. 1512 N Naper Blvd, Naperville, IL 60563

This thrift store, Family Shelter Service Resale Shops, was in the same parking lot as Affordable Antiques & More, so I had to stop!  It was small but very busy, which makes me think it’s a popular spot for thrifters.

Stop 3 – Jackson Square. 112 E. Burlington Ave #1, La Grange, IL 60525

Next up was Jackson Square, an antique mall located in a huge, beautiful, old building. They have shopping on two floors and appeared to be hosting a live sale. I know one dealer here, Liz of Relic Refurbishing.

Some of my favorite booths were in the left corner when you walk in.  I would say this antique mall was a mix of the first two with a combination of really unique, one of a kind pieces, and more common pieces that are trending right now.  Prices seemed to be typical, with some booths more inexpensive and some more expensive. 

Sightseeing – Wolf Point West Riverwalk

There is a North Side parade on Saturday and a South Side parade on Sunday. Saturday was sunny and over 60 degrees, while Sunday it snowed all morning! The Chicago River is typically green for the entire weekend, but it’s only a small section that changes color!  When we first got a glimpse of the river, I think we were less than a mile from our destination, it just looked like a regular river! We were a little nervous that we were going to be disappointed, but as you got closer, you could definitely see the change!

Dinner – Wild Onion Brewery. 22221 N Pepper Rd, Lake Barrington, IL 60010

Sadly, dinner at Wild Onion Brewery was not the greatest.  I think what set the tone was that no one brought us water or greeted us for a long time so I eventually went up to the hostess to get some service. We got our food quickly, but didn’t have silverware, and again, I had to get up and ask someone for it.  Hubby and I were still full from lunch, so we just split a Brisket Grilled Cheese and their house BBQ chips.  Hubby tried some local beer and I had a Mule. ⭐️

Go Antiquing Chicago With Me On YouTube

Day 2

I only had one stop planned for Day 2.  I figured I would do a little thrifting near where we were staying in Fox Grove, IL., and then check out other antique stores around our planned destination. We started the day by thrifting at a couple different Goodwills, followed by a St. Vincent de Paul, before heading to our planned stop, Great Lakes Antiques & Boutiques 2.

Extra Stop – Reclaimed Artisans Inc. 302 Peterson Rd, Libertyville, IL 60048

This antique mall, Reclaimed Artisans Inc., is much bigger inside than it looks from the outside!  Not only did it have a lot of live-edge, handmade boards and furniture, but also a lot of great booths of vintage and antiques. Later, I found out that I know a dealer here, Erin with Blackdog Creations.  Sadly, I didn’t get a video of her booth because I didn’t realize she had one!  You can see short videos of all of my friends’ booths from this trip HERE.

I did fall in love with this antique paper punch needlework piece, however we couldn’t make out what it said! Can you tell? Tell me down in the comments!

Lunch – First Draft Grayslake. 250 Cty A27, Grayslake, IL 60030

For lunch, we went to First Draft Grayslake.  They had a special limited menu for St. Patrick’s Day.  Hubby got a Reuben, sweet potato fries, and another Guinness, while I got another Cheeseburger and fries. Everything was good, but not as good as Berger Bros! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stop 4 – Great Lakes Antiques & Boutiques 2. 15 Commerce Dr Ste 105, Grayslake, IL 60030

It was snowing when we arrived at Great Lakes Antiques & Boutiques 2. Yes, this is their second location. The girl working that day happened to be from Ankeny, Iowa, which is where we currently live! Small world! This antique mall had a wide variety of vintage, antiques, and handmade items. There were a mix of highly curated booths and others that were more random. Pricing seemed consistent, with the other antique malls we’ve visited, with things for every budget.

Extra Stop – The 1908 Antiques. 291 W Belvidere Rd, Grayslake, IL 60030

I found The 1908 Antiques, just by doing a Google Maps search before we left GLAB. I would definitely go here again! This is a converted building on the shop owner’s property.  It’s a neat old building filled with great vintage and antique finds!  I especially fell in love with a Baroque fabric he had hanging in a corner – I can see that spread out over my couch!

Extra Stop – Ole’ Time Antiques. 16 W Belvidere Rd, Hainesville, IL 60030

This was one of those times where the outside looked much bigger than the inside!  Not really my style of vintage and antiques, but the shop dog was a cutie, and the owner was insanely nice!  She holds LIVE Facebook Sales weekly.

Extra Stop – Volo Antique Malls. 27640 Volo Village Rd, Volo, IL 60073

I was so disappointed that I hadn’t scouted this one out earlier because we ran out of time for the day and only made it through ONE of THREE buildings full of antiques.  The first building was three floors, and I tried my best to speed-shop it!  This building, at least, screams old-school antique mall. Things are dusty, not curated, but jam-packed with lots of treasures to be found!

In addition to the antique malls, there’s also a car museum, and Jurassic Park exhibit. I think this might have been featured on American Pickers at some point.

Dinner – Chilo’s Mexican Grill

We met up with my aunt, uncle, and cousins for dinner at Chilo’s, which is located in an old Pizza Hut.  It was great catching up with everyone because we only see each other once or twice a year! This Mexican restaurant lets you order fajitas for two! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Watch Day 2 of Our Antiquing Trip on YouTube

Day 3

Breakfast – Country Donuts. 181 W Virginia St, Crystal Lake, IL 60014

On our way home from Chilo’s, we saw Country Donuts, which got a good review from my cousin and his partner. They have red velvet donuts, which were definitely calling my name. I also enjoy the old-fashioned. Hubby’s were jelly-filled and Bavarian-filled varieties.  We tried five different kinds!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stop 5 – Warehouse 55. 55 S Lake St. Aurora, IL 60506

This was the main reason for the trip, Warehouse 55!!  I saved the best for last!! I reached out to my vendor friends to see if anyone could meet up with us, but only Jen, owner of Beth Hampton’s Home, was available.  Jen and I met a couple of years ago while shopping at the Elkhorn Flea Market. She even gifted me some porcupine quills, which are now displayed on my fireplace mantel.

It was great having Jen there to introduce me to Mark Allen, the shop owner. She also pointed out all of the owners of the vendor booths, which made it much easier for me to feature them on Instagram and HERE.

Jen hates getting her picture taken, but she made the sacrifice and took one anyway!!

Warehouse 55 did not disappoint!!  The booths were beautifully curated with vintage and antique pieces, featuring eye-catching displays!  It’s no wonder the store is amazing! Almost all of the dealers are active on social media which really helps market the shop!  If you haven’t been, then you need to plan a road trip.  And if you are less than 5 hours away from this amazing shop, then I am officially jealous!

Vendors I know here: Jen – Beth Hampton’s Home, Katie – Swoon Vintage Market, Chris & Missy – C&M Vintage Finds, Ashlee – Barn Chic, Joceyln – The Green Door, White Dog Vintage, Melissa – Megillicutti, Jen – Jen’s Fresh Vintage

Lunch – Giardino Trattoria & Pizzeria. 12 N River St, Aurora, IL 60506

After shopping, Jen, hubby and I walked down to Giardino Trattoria & Pizzeria. Hubby and I split a Buffalo Margherita Pizza and the Prime Steak sandwich with fries.  Everything was amazing!!  Jen got a pizza and split the Anitpasto Salad with my hubby. I highly recommend this place for the delicious food,  beautiful atmosphere, and great service. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Day 3 of Our Trip To Chicago

Plan Your Trip

We talked to a lot of people heading to Chicago for spring break and they all mentioned wanting to go to antique shops!  Saying you have a lot to choose from is an understatement. I don’t think you can go wrong with any that you choose!! I am already planning my next trip, so if you have a favorite shop that I didn’t visit, please tell me in the comments!

If you watched the YouTube video from Day 1 of our antiquing trip to Chicago, then you may have seen that my mom is ready to part with an old lamp and ashtray that has been in our family. I would prefer local pickup in the Des Moines, Iowa area, but if you are interested, please let me know. Email Brooke@thejunkparlor.com

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