making things and doing the rounds.

today i got up early to make all the stuff i have promised to stores in chicago. invite us into your home, and i will make a mess like the one above on your floor.

with no offense to all the amazing stores i deal with coast to coast, i have to admit a very special fondness for my chicago shops, their managers and staff. these were some of the first stores that ever stocked my stuff and they always take care of me.

aitor and i were reflecting on how we come through chicago and do the same circuit of store visits every time. after asking ourselves if we should bother trying to do any new things in town, we decided that as it stands, our little routine feels like coming home. besides, these are the shops and people we would want to visit regardless.

so here's how it goes:

we started the day off with a visit to quimby's bookstore where we always spend too much money on zines and the the other ephemeral literature that one can easily feel won't be around next time. they also have a photo booth now. then we went to renegade handmade (the newest of my chicago shops). the last time i went there the store was very new and it's really growing and filling up with some truly exceptional handmade stuff from all over the place. i especially liked their growing collection of prints. then to paper boy where we buy our favorite notebooks every time we come through. we finished the day off at chicago comics and filled our bellies with thai food at cozy noodle house. as we noticed more and more people showing up in cubs jerseys, we knew our time in wrigleyville was drawing to a close so we piled into the car to escape the drunken mess we knew was soon to come. besides, the skies were getting dark in a stormy kind of way.



we got back to pilsen and spent our evening doing laundry and reading all the new comics, books and zines we had picked up.

a great, full and tiring day. minus getting swamped by cubs fans, these are all things i recommend you do when you visit chicago. okay, you don't have to do your laundry, either, but clean clothes are always in good fashion.



good night, chicago. we quite adore you.

post script of note: renegade handmade and paper boy each took some of the framed assemblages and prints from the misanthrope specialty co. so there is now a non-craft fair source for these thing in chicago. you know, just sayin'.