Personally, I think Chicago has one of the best vintage furniture scenes. There are so many stores riddled on the West side that just have insane finds. Here’s a sneak peek at some of my favorite furniture stores in the city.
1. Circa Modern
1114 N Ashland Ave
Circa Modern is truly just one of those vintage furniture stores that has it all. Every time I visit, the store has a completely different layout and a whole new set of eye candy. This place is truly timeless and classic. You are bound to find something you like at Circa Modern. Whether it be a new lamp, one of a kind silverware, or a piece of art Circa has it all.
The storefront itself is fairly small but they have an entire “warehouse” space down in Pilsen that houses all of the goods they don’t have displayed at their Ashland location. While I have not yet tried to book an appointment to check out their warehouse, I am sure they would be more than happy to take some serious shoppers for a look!
Their prices are also very reasonable for the items that they are sourcing. Now this does not mean these items come cheap. But the prices really reflect well the rarity of these pieces. It is truly a big goal of mine in life to be able to get a piece from Circa or really any of the stores on this list. I really admire their dedication and love for the pieces they find 10/10 recommend Circa Modern.
If you’re like me and have some coins left in your wallet, but still want to enjoy and appreciate all that Circa Modern has to offer, check out their Instagram here!
2. River Otter
918 N Ashland Ave
River Otter is probably my favorite on this list. I hate to be one to pick favorites but this place just has something unbeatable. From my experience shopping for vintage furniture in Chicago, River Otter has the most unique selection of them all. Where else can you find a 6 ft long massive foot just hanging out in a storefront window? Nowhere but River Otter. This place is packed with the COOLEST pieces. There are some that are more reserved and classic but plenty that are eclectic and eccentric. Catering to the minimalists and maximalists all at once. I really have no words to describe this place but magical.
Let me not forget to mention that the owner is just the nicest guy ever. He really will sit there and talk you up about all the pieces and how busy he is sourcing. He has some really cool stories and is just a great guy to sit and chat with. Overall 10/10 recommend making the stop at River Otter for some of the coolest vintage furniture finds!
3. Dial M for Modern
1818 W Grand Ave
Dial M was the first vintage furniture store I visited upon moving to Chicago. Originally, they were located on Milwaukee ave right in Logan and I had randomly stumbled upon it one day. It was the most unique store I had seen in the area. It was packed to the brim and styled to perfection with 2 floors of all you could need furniture and knick knacks.
Dial M was the place that opened up my love for vintage furniture truly. I had only seen pieces like this on Pinterest and to me they were rare and super hard to find so stumbling upon a store full of all of the pieces I had seen online was mind boggling. (you can see what i mean on their ig here.)From the second i entered that store it’s like I opened up a whole new avenue of passion for vintage furniture.
This store inspired me so much that I even went on to start a small furniture reselling business on my own. O.O.AStudios. I would say my store was like the baby cousin who just learned how to walk compared to what Dial M was. Truly I had no idea what I was doing but man did I love it. I wrote a whole journal entry on the business that you can check out here. It talks about how naïve I was and how much time and effort me and my partner put into this little business. It’s basically all about the fails and the wins and ultimately why we stopped doing it.
Anyways Dial M for Modern was the place that made me fall in love with all things furniture and I can guarantee it will do the same for you!
4. Spot !
1301 N Central Park Ave
Spot! is a really coo store run by come really cool guys. I stumbled upon Spot! during my vintage furniture reselling days. Me and my partner were coming out of an estate sale when we saw some young dude loading a Milo Baughman etagere into their van. That was the exact piece we came to this sale for and ended up missing it! We ran up to him say hi and congratulate him on snagging it! He was THE NICEST guy ever. He started to talk to us about how he is in the reselling business and we exchanged instagrams and now Spot! was on my radar!
i have seen these guys grow from their facebook marketplace days to the start of their brick and mortar through their change over to a warehouse location. These two guys have seen no shortage of success and I am really lucky to have met and found out about them when I did. Now I get to share how cool they are with all of you guys!
You can shop their site here!
Bonus!! 5. Moonshop Vintage
2135 W Chicago Ave
So I have never actually been to the brick and mortar for Moonshop. I actually just came across them on IG the other day and felt the need to share. It’s hard to find vintage furniture stores in the city that have their own vibe and Moonshop definitely does!
I really love how bight and airy their storefront feels and the furniture the source carries that same appeal. I really appreciate the way they set up their business and their IG. It makes the store really easy to navigate!
It is on my list to visit this place soon! Hope to see you there!