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Categories: Women's Clothing, Men's Clothing, Accessories [Edit]
Neighborhood: Ukrainian VillageMon-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Personal Privilege has clothing for every budget, and they assure customers that they don't need to look like millionaires to... more »
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Penelope's is a fantastic neighborhood boutique; it's the type of unique gem that I search for when I travel.
The clothing and items in the store are distinctive and merchandised in a way that makes the space easy and fun to shop in. It's great that they have brands that are difficult to find in a retail setting, like Built by Wendy and Freitag. Penelope's does a great job outfitting the store with items of different price points as well. I've picked up quite a few things here; from dresses to tops to jeans and stationary. Oh, and the sale section is awesome!
The employees are helpful when you have questions or would like to try something on, but remain laissez-faire as you shop. I appreciate this.
Absolutely the best clothing store in all of Chicago. The brand selection is flawless, despite what others are saying, the prices for these pieces is reasonable and expected. All the APC items for example cost just as much they would from the APC New York store. The owners are great and have lived in the neighborhood for forever and their knowledgeable staff has always been friendly to me. Really, Penelope's can do no wrong in my mind. If you're a fan of current/ young-minded independent fashion designers, get over here.
great for reasonably priced really cool, casual clothing. probably one of my favs in chicago. it's more expensive than target or h&m, but for the quality and style, i don't think the prices are too bad. they also have shoes, kids clothing, a few home items and paper goods.
Even though I do like some of the clothes here, they are overpriced- and recently the attitude from the staff and the lingering pretentiousness in the air has become too much to take. I mean, I don't understand being blatently rude to customers during a recession especially when you already charge alot for your merchandise. Its not like there aren't tons of boutiques in that area that i can just as easily give my business to that won't go out of their way to be rude to their customers. It's really too bad.
I love the people who so arrogantly imply that anyone spending money here is doing so for hipster cred- guess what you sound like? Yes, a hipster. And I totally agree with you Crystal M., people who constantly complain about how expensive everything is just come off as poor and bitter about it. The world doesn't owe you anything.
That said, I think Penelope's is amazing. The girls that work here are always friendly and helpful, there is a good rotation of merch so there's usually something new and cute to check out. I am a Spiewak freak, Cheap Monday is a nice alternative to dropping $100+ on denim and I got simply the best... planner... ever. I am sooooooo happy to see they have an online shop now since I am stuck up here in Nano Cericho until I make my way west next fall.
*lol- just realized I'm wearing a tee from Penelope's in my pic :)
Penelope's, was another store I went to when I visited Chicago. It's really charming and cute. All of the clothes are really simple- not over kill. It was pretty expensive though, that's why I didn't like it. I got a skirt there, that was simple but really cute and I hadn't bought anything yet, so I got that, it was $68, which is something i would usually not pay for a simple skirt, but I really liked it and, and... what can i say, i just couldn't resist :) Anyways, the stuff was overpriced I must say, but I liked the vibe of the place, and I really liked the quirky style, the people were nice too. I would go back but most likely wouldn't buy anything. oh ya, and it's totally hipster
EXPENSIVE!!! Ok? If you can't afford it, move along. I don't think that means you should give a place a bad review. It just means that you can't buy anything there. Sacks 5th Avenue is too expensive.
I'll tell you one thing, their Freitag bags are cheaper at penelope's than buying them from Freitag online. Their Zuriick shoes are quite affordable. I found a ton of shirts in their sales boxes (in the back of the store) that were 80% off. That's getting pretty close to affordable.
Okay, make that, "I'll tell you 3 things." So I bought some shoes, a bag, and shirts, and then an APC coat which was way too expensive, but where are the dirt cheap APC coats? APC is always over-priced, but not because Penelope called them up and made them charge a lot for their clothing.
They have a little pug that runs around there, smelling your toes. For some reason, that's a plus.
I think that for a boutique it's pretty awesome, the staff was friendly to me, and it wasn't torture to shop there, which is great for a guy.
I could give them 5 stars just for the cute little pugs that sit by the owners feet but they stock some pretty unique pieces too.
It's a bit overpriced as you're paying for hipster cred - if you want it that badly, this is a good place to go. I like to sit in the authentic bubble chair and maybe pick up a cute top. And pet the adorable pups, of course.
My bad, they DO have a sign up that says exchanges/store credit only. I saw it when I went in to use up my remaining credit. It probably was there all along but unless you're paying attention and looking for it, you'll probably miss it. They should still make a point to tell you at the register, seeing as how you're overpaying for everything in here.
I saw a dress for $20 more than what I paid for it at Urban Outfitters(last Summer) and shirts from American Apparel for about $10 more.
I was walking from BobSan, drunk off wine and impulsed bought a $135. dress. The salespeople were… Read more »
Penelope's is pretty much your standard independently-owned hipster/trendster boutique: kind of like an Urban Outfitters with higher prices, less fugly clothing, and a bit more street cred. The store is basically a large room filled with a few racks of clothing and several random counters of trinkets, indie magazines and accessories. I've found that a small ratio of product to store square footage is an almost-foolproof predictor of high prices, and Penelope's definitely follows this trend--if you have money to burn on $50 mittens and $16 notebooks make from grody recycled paper (I shit you not), you'll be in your element here.
To temper the negative with something positive, I will admit that I did happen to find The World's Greatest Hat here (which I've been wearing almost constantly over the last few days) at a pretty reasonable price. Definitely not worth a special trip to Wicker Park, but if you find yourself wandering aimlessly through the neighborhood and want to view a great example of gentrification, you should definitely drop by.
Yes! A brown sound dealer outside of the internets and new york.
Grand shop and great selection of clothing for men and women. Although i didn't buy anything, i will surely be back. Quaint atmosphere- doesn't feel cramped or over designed. This is a great store, tell your friends and check it out.
Expect an update the next time I walk out of there. Hopefully not broke.
Probably the best boutique in town. Not only do the have a wide variety of prices to accommodate a myriad of shoppers, but they have the latest in French street fashion with labels such as Sessun and APC. The staff is amazingly friendly and not obnoxiously helpful. They emailed me when the new spring 09 Sessun line came. The sales are great. Other boutiques around the city carry the standard few lines that are ubiquitous in the United States and its nice to fine a boutique that carries unique finds that are not all made in China (why I won't buy a Marc Marc Jacobs dress ever again.) I shop at a boutique to find unique clothing and not to look like a j crew catalog.
I love this boutique. I am a TOTAL sucker for APC and they have the best selection i've seen in the city. The girls that work here are super cute & friendly and always helpful without being intrusive (great since I'm a wierdo and was probobly here for more than an hour once or twice :p ) Found a great pair of not cheapy plastic but NICE plastic wayfarers for $10 that i sadly left inside a locker at six flags.
There's always local art hanging on the walls and it changes up every so often. All the clothes are super cute and they have lots of smaller, lesser known indie designer clothes. Lots of cute trinkets (great for gifts!) and also super cute jewelry. Great selection of guys clothes here as well.
In the back there's always a great selection of sale merchandise that is definately worth checking out.
For those who are from out of town they now have a webstore :)
I love Penelope's.
At first it bothered me, it reminded me of every little store in Japan that I couldn't shop in because all the clothes would be too little on me, and that annoyed me. But, luckily the sizes here are more fitting.
It's expensive..yes, but they have some pretty cool stuff...and lucky enough for me, it's right around the corner from my house, so when they have a sale - I'm all over it. The sales are always pretty great, so watch for them. Some of the things I have bought here on sale have become permanent staples in my wardrobe.
When in doubt this is where I get my husband a little gift for any occasion...he loves the mens clothes in here and any other little doodad they may have.
It's like a mini Portland in a storefront.
Fits my ideal style to a T. I feel whimsical when i come visit..Love the layout, cleanness, staff, and selection..
Though I can't always get my pockets to fork out the cost..I still love seeing what's new in there..
This place stocks a very good selection APC as well as other lesser known brands of the same style.
Friendly staff with cute dogs and free pins with the dogs on them. Amazing right?
Definitely my kind of store.
From APC to Shinzi Katoh thermos,
this place makes me want to cry because it's so far away.
I've worked retail before and managed successful boutiques - I know how tiresome it can be, especially on a slow weekday... but my sister and I came in to shop, and even though we were the only ones in there, the aloof, snotty hipster at the counter refused to acknowledge us or say hi, which just suck.
And I hope you're not anything but an extra small, or nothing will fit you. I guess I'd be bitchy, too, if I was hungry all the time, maintaining that size "0."
The stuffs are cute but the prices are not. I know that much. Sometimes I also question the quality of the products they carry. I know it's probably not their fault but it just pissed me off when I purchased a $120 worth of lamb skin ballet flats and I got holes after wearing them for 2 weeks. WTF?!!
Customer service was okay. I've never felt that I was ignored. Maybe I just paid more attention to the clothes than to them. So I can say we're even. What I love most about this place? The fact they have miss pac-man and 2 cute pugs!
I wish everything in the store was like 20- 50 bucks cheaper. Youll find the cutest dress and itll be just over priced. I don't know whose fault it is- the designer or the store? or maybe it is me for not having enough money but really admiring it?
Ugh- they had all these really cool paper rad tshirts the last time i went in there.
Love it.
Walked in here randomly one cold Saturday night. Sales people were "eh", but I sort of like them that way. I like to shop by myself with myself ... it's "me" time.
The clothes are fun. I like simple clothing -- this place worked out great for me. Simple and cute with being too boring.
The prices, oh the prices. Such is life.
Can't wait to go back!
This is by far my favorite boutique in the neighborhood. I LOVE their style, everything in there is so cute and they have a fantastic selection of datebooks, notebooks, photo albums etc. Even though I can't afford to buy the clothes here it's a great place for gifts or fun little things for myself. And if I ever start banking I will definitely shop here for clothes! Actually not all the clothes are super expensive I'm just in the very low end of the clothing budget spectrum myself. Great selection of guy's clothes as well, they always have tshirts I really like that I don't see anywhere else.
The staff is friendly when you ask for help but never pushy which is great. ALSO bonus star for having two adorable obese snorty pugs that live in the shop!
I'm surprised to read reviews saying that the staffers here aren't so nice. Part of the reason I like Penelope's is that the people who work here are always friendly--particularly Joe and Jena, the owners. I remember about two years ago, there was an aloof dude, but he's been gone for a while. Everyone else is helpful and sweet.
I actually think the prices are pretty reasonable. I mean, yes, APC is pricey, but it's pricey anywhere (weak dollar, duty fees). Plus, I just picked up an APC jacket for half price, which made it a lot easier to swallow. Shoes on sale for $29, a necklace for $30--this doesn't seem outrageous to me, particularly when you look at the other boutiques in Wicker Park.
So, yes. I love Penelope's. If I had limitless cash, I'd buy out the store. Everything has something about it that feels special, but not overly trendy or Nylon-magazine. Plus, the pugs are cute. And I don't even like dogs.
The attention to detail here is impeccable. Buy something for your hipster girlfriend. If she looks anything like the girl working there, she deserves it.
Like everyone else said, Penelope's has great clothes but prepare to go home with an empty wallet. Penelope's carries a lot of hard to find small labels that I wish I could afford, most of my time there is spent browsing. Occasionally, something will go on sale and be alllmost reasonably priced but still kind of a splurge.
This is definitely not the place for everyone but it's fun to look around and pet the pugs or try on something you know you can't buy. It's also a good place to get some inspiration if you do a little sewing at home.
Very hip clothing store for men and women. The clothing are by a lot of unknown designers so they tend to run on the expensive side. A lot of the pieces in the women's section are reminiscent to those of the Marc Jacobs and Chloe lines. If you like the way Sofia Coppola dresses, you'll probably like something from here.
The men's clothing is very hip/club/untitled store type stuff. Cool indeed but also pricey.
The accessories they have here are the draw. They've got guitar straps, wallets, shoes, bags - all one of a kind.
Enter with $200!
This is a place for very fashion concious people who must have just the right piece for just the right event. Very casual stuff, very cute, very young oriented. My gils found it wonderful, but Dad has no money! Ugh!
This is one of my favorite Division Street boutiques.
It's a little on the expensive side, but the owners are very friendly & have given me discounts when I've purchased multiple items at once. They carry clothing & accessories by brands that are on the harder-to-find side like A.P.C. & Angela Adams.
Definitely worth a stop when you're cruisin' the Division Street shops.
I bought my Spiewak jacket here, as well as three Frietag bags. The staff is really friendly and helpful. They did some digging for a Spiewak item I wanted. The dogs are cute. It is hipster, for sure, but I am okay with that. They should however, order more +10 sizes, and, yes, they are pricey. I would like to see a resale rack, where everything is 10-20$. Moreover, they could have layaway. Consider it, Penelope's. Thanks!!
My homegirl and I stopped in Penelope's with my delicious latte from Milk and Honey still warming my cold hands. I was in hyper shop mode from the coffee and actually tried things on! I wasn't impressed with the quality of most of the stuff I tried, but did find a great wool coat on sale.
The staff said nothing when we walked in and nothing as we browsed, but did compliment me on my jacket choice. They seemed insecure... most non friendly ppl working in retail don't think they're too cool for school, they just think they're s'posed to ACT that way. Maybe it makes overcompensating ppl buy more? I don't know. Either way, I *am* too cool for school, so I didn't trip.
My only other complaint is their men's sizing. My husband is a solid mass of muscle and 6'2" (see why I'm so cool NOW? It's cause my husband is HOT), and in these kinds of stores... there's never anything for him. Enough with men in ass-tight pants and nipple chafing shirts already! It's not sexy!
98% of the women's clothes are to die for: a lot of classic silhouettes, cutesy dresses and the like. Painfully out of my price range, but believe me--if I could, I would!
I am way too (a) old and (b) stout to shop here myself, but I shop here for my EXTREMELY tall and skinny husband who has almost no clothing options.
The store is definitely trendy, and some things are clearly overpriced. However, other items, like men's dress shirts, really aren't.
If you are the kind of guy who knows the frustration of trying to find XS shirts or 28" x 34" jeans, this is the place for you. You may have to search to find anything simple enough to wear to a semi-professional job, but when you find it, chances are they will have it in your size.
Lots of CUTE clothes to covet, but the prices are high. I'd like to think that if I was rich, I'd spend a lot of money here, but I'd probably just forgo my urban hipster aesthetic and spend the money on high end designer stuff instead. Who wants to spend $30 on a silk screened t-shirt? Still, you can find some good deals on the sale rack.
I've always found the staff helpful, but one time I was in there and they were playing some David Bowie over the speakers and one of the SAIC student cashiers exclaimed, "Wait, who is David Bowie?!" Hmph. Kids today.
GO! this place is marvellous. i think it might be the only place in chicago to carry built by wendy.
i remember visiting this place 5-6 years ago when i was in high school, working part-time at a greenhouse, and actually being able to purchase something. ugh...thank you college.
I just moved here and this is pretty much the only store I've been to that I like and would make an effort to return to. The staff has been consistently awesome - friendly, helpful, unobtrusive - including the 2 cute pugs that run around the store. I don't know a lot about fashion, especially small boutique labels, all I know is that I wanted to buy almost everything in the store. They had the cutest bags and trinkets. I've already shopped there a couple times, got a good deal on sale things, and my BF got a nice coat which was under $200. I don't give it 5 stars because the coat that my BF bought, well, when we got home we noticed all the buttons were ready to fall off. It wasn't a huge deal, just sewed 'em back on. Compared to the other little shops in the area, this one is by far the most interesting, varied, and welcoming.
Reading the reviews, I guess I'm not the only person hesitant to walk in, though I think it has more to do with the prices than the staff, who have usually been pleasant enough and hands-off. The price hike makes me sad, b/c when I first moved here a few years ago, I could definitely afford to splurge (and by splurge, I mean even considering buying anything) more often. Now, I don't even bother looking, unless the big red Sale letters are in the windows. Still cheaper than New York...but Chicago ain't New York.
If it weren't for the snootchy-bootches that work there, I'd probably visit more often. I find un-customer-friendly people to be extremely annoying when they are working in the customer-service industry. This ain't Reckless Records people, it's fashion. If you can't be bothered to do your job or you hate your job, move on. I used to be that person too and then I got a new job, see how that works?
Penelope's is a cool alternative to mass produced clothing stores like the Gap or Urban Outfitter's. They predominantly sell women's clothing, but also have some choice stuff for men. They sell jewelry made by local crafters. They also sell Lomo cameras and Freitag bags as well. The clothing here is top notch; stuff that I would love to be able to wear, but that is where my complaint lies. I am a Size 16 and it has been nearly impossible to find anything there that fits me. It's disheartening that many of the boutiques, especially independent ones, don't cater to the average sized woman.
Lots of cute crafty t-shirts and odds and ends that will make anyone who wears their personality on their chest delighted. As soon as I lose a few decades, gain several inches in height, and decide that I want to look like everyone else in the neighborhood, I'll start shopping here.
the only thing i will say:
do not leave work early on a friday, go have a few drinks with a friend, and then tell each other that "we should just stop in and take a peek."
i want to live in this store.
Neighborhood: Uptown
Category: Women's Clothing
Neighborhood: Wicker Park
Category: Women's Clothing
Neighborhood: North Center
Category: Men's Clothing
Neighborhood: Wicker Park
Category: Men's Clothing
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Men's Clothing
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