Shopping LOCAL in Chicago: Clark Street, Milwaukee Avenue and the winter markets

Chicago's downtown has its flagship stores, but much of the city's independent shopping happens out in the neighborhoods, along the old streetcar streets where a bookstore, a record shop and a bakery share a block. Each district has its own personality, and most are an easy ride on the L or a bus. Here is where to start, and the markets that keep going through the cold months.

Andersonville: Clark Street's shop-local stretch

The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce calls its neighborhood the Shop Local Capital of Chicago, and a walk up North Clark Street shows why the chamber leans on that idea. The district is built around locally owned shops, restaurants and bars, and the chamber manages a special service area and publishes an annual neighborhood guide to them.

Women & Children First, at 5233 N. Clark St., is a feminist bookstore with new books, audiobooks and its own merchandise. It runs author talks, poetry readings and book groups, hosts a free storytime for little ones on Wednesday mornings, and supports Chicago Books to Women in Prison. A few doors north, Andersonville Galleria at 5247 N. Clark St. gathers more than 200 local artists, makers and small businesses under one roof, selling clothing, jewelry, art, home goods, vintage finds and treats. It is a good place to find a gift made by someone who lives in the city.

The neighborhood's Swedish roots show up at the Swedish American Museum at 5211 N. Clark St., whose Kerstin Andersson Museum Store sells Scandinavian goods alongside the exhibits.

Wicker Park: books, records and zines

Where Milwaukee, North and Damen avenues meet, Wicker Park has long drawn readers and record collectors. The Wicker Park and Bucktown Chamber of Commerce manages the area's special service area, serves as a city-designated business development center and runs the Wicker Park Farmers Market and Wicker Park Fest.

Myopic Books, at 1564 N. Milwaukee Ave., is a used bookstore open every afternoon and evening that also buys books from the public, so its shelves change constantly. Reckless Records keeps its Wicker Park store at 1379 N. Milwaukee Ave., with vinyl, CDs and DVDs and a counter where it buys from sellers; it also has shops on Belmont Avenue in Lakeview and on Wabash Avenue in the Loop.

A short walk west on North Avenue, Quimby's Bookstore at 1854 W. North Ave. specializes in comics, zines and small-press books, with prints, stickers and used records and tapes. If you have never held a zine, this is the place to start.

Lakeview, Lincoln Square and Logan Square

Unabridged Bookstore, at 3251 N. Broadway in Lakeview, sells new books and gifts, hosts in-store book clubs and is open every day. Farther northwest, Timeless Toys on Lincoln Avenue describes itself as the independent toy store of Lincoln Square, with educational and wooden toys and classic games for children and families.

Logan Square's main shopping draw for food lovers is its farmers market, which moves indoors for winter. Lula Cafe, on Kedzie Boulevard just off the square, cooks a market-driven menu built around seasonal ingredients and makes a natural stop on a Saturday market morning.

Markets and shop walks this season

The Logan Square Farmers Market holds its indoor winter market on Saturdays from November 28 through March 27 at Avondale Collective, 2800 N. Milwaukee Ave. Green City Market finishes its outdoor Saturdays in Lincoln Park and the West Loop on November 21 and reopens indoors at 3031 N. Rockwell St. on December 5.

Andersonville marks Small Business Saturday on November 28, with Late Night Andersonville evenings on December 4 and 18 and a holiday trolley on December 6; the chamber notes that dates can change. Downtown, the One of a Kind Holiday Show fills the seventh floor of the Mart from December 3 to 6 with more than 600 artists, designers and makers.

Why it matters here

Chicago's neighborhood shopping streets are organized by the businesses on them. The chambers in Andersonville and Wicker Park exist to keep those blocks healthy, and they plan the tree lightings, trolleys and street festivals that make a shopping trip feel like a neighborhood event. Many of the shops above do more than sell: they buy back used books and records, host storytimes and book clubs, and stock the work of local makers. Buying a gift on Clark Street or Milwaukee Avenue keeps those places, and the street life around them, going for another year.

Before you go, check each shop's own site for current hours, especially around the holidays.