During the first week of the program, Madison Kane’s friends came running back to her dorm room from Evanston talking about a unique jewelry store they had found in Evanston.
So Kane of Long Island, New York, went to Cloth + Home on Chicago Avenue. The store has a homey ambiance with soft music and friendly salespeople. They sell unique pieces that are ethically produced.
“The saleswoman told me how all of the necklaces, jewelry, pajama sets, jackets, everything is one-of-a-kind and handmade,” Kane said. “It’s not mass-produced, and that stood out to me.”
Down the street from Cloth + Home is Ten Thousand Villages. The shop has everything from carefully crafted cards to organic wool socks with a mission to promote fair trade, which appealed to Yisu Zhang of Great Neck, New York.
“I like their mission, and it is different from every other store,” Zhang said. “If you look at the tag of every product, they are made from everywhere in the world. I find that there’s a story behind every product.”
Heyday Vintage Collective is a popular stop for cherubs shopping second-hand. Zoey Sternoff of Brooklyn, New York, frequently shopped there with her friends to browse the unique pieces.
“When I walked in, it reminded me of the thrift stores and consignment stores near my home in Brooklyn, so I instantly felt at home,” she said.
On the opposite side of town, Crossroads Trading is another well-known shop for cherubs who want to thrift. Kaelin Braverman of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, likes to shop there because of the second-hand nature of the clothing.
“It is a good way to keep reusing clothes that other people don’t need anymore,” Braverman said. “It supports other businesses, and it’s cheaper.”
Fiona Hagen of Alexandria, Virginia, said she enjoyed experiencing the shopping environment of Evanston.
“It has been good to explore new places with friends who aren’t from here,” Hagen said. “We have been mostly thrifting and vintage shopping, so we have been able to experience things we haven’t done anywhere else.”
