Art Effect

I absolutely love this store! It’s the perfect place to buy a gift for any lady in your life! This is where I usually come to buy a birthday or engagement gift.
The staff is friendly and they gift wrap like no other store! Whenever I give a gift to someone, they always compliment the wrapping and save the little ribbon with eucalyptus. Yes, the candles are way over priced, but they make quite the impression on the person receiving it. :)

The store itself is cute but the service is horrendous. I am not a fan of being treated like the staff is doing me a favor by allowing me to shop in their store. I worked in a retail for a long time in high school and college — even back then I understood the value of being polite and welcoming to customers. There are so many other options along Armitage and Halsted, there is no reason to frequent a store where the staff is so rude and condescending to customers.

Art Effect is a must-​stop along the Armitage boutiques in Lincoln Park. In the front room you’ll find pretty home goods, cute soaps and candles, and a nice assortment of stationary and cards. The stationary and knick-​knacks are very affordable, but the majority of the home goods are on the higher end.
As you walk up several steps to the next room you will see jewelry. This section of jewelry is definitely the cheapest within the store, so if you’re sticking to a budget, this is your zone!
In the next room you’ll find clothing and pricier jewelry. There’s everything from tees and basics, to going out dresses and skirts. The casual clothes are normally around $ 60+ and the dressier clothes $ 100+.
Overall, Art Effect has some great items and is always very fun to peruse. It’s hands down one of the best boutiques in Lincoln Park.

The inventory of boutique-​y items here is just great. This is a go-​to for me for engagement party and birthday gifts for my girlfriends. If I’m going to buy you stuff you definitely don’t need, at least if I go to Art Effect I know it’s going to be quality, attractive stuff that you would legitimately want.
I sympathize with what I can only assume were ongoing problems for the store that led to some of its polices (i.e., no outside drinks, must put small items you plan to buy at register while browsing, store credit only 7 day return policy). As others have mentioned, I’ve found that the staff varies widely in level of tact and helpfulness. I love that they gift wrap for you, and I love being able to support a local business.

Amazing unique selection of products. Very reasonable prices. Service however was terrible. While I can appreciate the policy on outside drinks, they could definitely improve the delivery of that message. Haven’t been treated this way by multiple store attendants at a store in quite a while. Purposely bought less in response to this negative attitude.

Very overpriced. The staff is uncaring and rude. One time I had to circle the store 3 or 4 times before anyone acknowledged me. The stuff is cute, but not worth the time or the money, I’ve had better.

Some great pieces of clothes, art, home décor, jewelry. It’s fun just to browse. You’ll find many items that you will love and just as you’re about to buy out the store, they will tell you they do not take Discover. That hasn’t happened to me in a while. It’s a pricey store. Many of the beloved items are both expensive and made in China. I will never understand that.

My favorite little boutique in Chicago. a range of price points and products: I’ve picked up my favorite jean jacket, a print of Florence, and range of gifts at this spot. The individuality of each item in this store makes it a great spot to look around and be inspired.

I think the stuff in here is cute but way over priced. We went in browsing today, and had small sealed coffees with the lids on them, and the owner promptly ran after Us saying they don’t allow drinks and we need to leave them on the shelf near the doorway. I understand having this rule, however we were calm adults slowly walking with drinks that had lids on them, and she ran after Us and scolded us as if we were children. Just kind of turned me off from the whole store from then on. I felt she had a very rude tone and heard her act that way towards others as well. I think this store thinks it’s a bit higher class than it actually is. If you’re looking for a 90 $ butter tray though, head on in!

This little gift shop is in my favorite place in town and has a lot of unique gifts. I love the selection of candles they have and other fun things. I picked up a package of three Tocca perfumes here yesterday and they all smell wonderful. The clothing is a bit pricey for flowy generic looking pieces that al twenty-​somethings in Chicago wear but that’s ok because I wasn’t really shopping here for the clothing. The home décor and other gifts are fantastic. I will continue to stop in when in LP.

This place is so artsy fartsy but in the very best possible way. I’m fanatically addicted to absolutely anything that has some artsy fartsy DNA, which is why this place is sort of perfect. I was astounded by 1) how big the store was and 2) how many items they had ranging from home décor to stationary to jewelry to clothes to things you couldn’t even imagine you’d need in this lifetime.
Gosh, if I’d had thousands of dollars of to spend and a huge apartment to store everything then I would have walked out of that store with bags galore. There were some items that I definitely considered way over-​priced, but not everything was. One of my favorite set-up’s they had was a display of Chicago everything — decorative trays, beer glasses, decorative Chicago maps and so much more. The store also had some awesome Chicago tshirts (that were super duper soft) which again I’d have bought if I had money. I’m sort of obsessed with my city of Chicago so when I see a store that carries cool Chicago stuffs I transcend into my happy place.
Apart from that, the clothes and jewelry are really pretty… I would say that the prices of these are comparable to somewhere like Anthropologie. I wish the items were not as expensive as they are, but you could walk in there just to enjoy all of the nice things. Window shopping can be fun (and saddening but mostly fun).
I will definitely be bookmarking this store as a favorite go-​to when I get a good paying job.

I LOVE this place. I just happened to pass by and walked in. They have a bunch of scarves that are different from the ones you usually get at department stores. I also loved their clothing selections; it’s simple, basic and cute. Definitely going back when I move to Chicago in May.

If I were a girl, I’d love the great location and spacious layout Art Effect has.
If I were a girl, I’d love all the tchotkes and whimsical stuff Art Effect has.
If I were a girl, I’d love all the travel diaries and related travel stuff Art Effect has.
If I were a girl, I’d love the room scents, perfumes and candles Art Effect has.
If I were a girl, I’d love the helpful and attentive salesgirl Art Effect has.
But I’m a guy who found a perfect thank you card out of all the cards Art Effect has.

As many times as I’ve been in Lincoln Park, I had never heard of this store until yesterday! I was in Lori’s and the woman who rang me up had on the cutest purple nail polish. She told me she got it ‘down the street at Art Effects’. When I left the store, we kept walking down the street, just kind of venturing out and lo and behold, there was Art Effects.
First off I love the set-​up. Second of all I love the uniqueness of the items… I fell in love with some coconut mango bath salts that I wish I had purchase. I’ve never smelled anything so DEELISH… I’m debating on going back in a week when I’m in the city for a salon appointment… because what girl doesn’t love good bath salts!
There were some pricey items in the store for sure. But there were also a lot of really cool items to give as gifts too… a new store to add to my list of favs!

It’s a cute, independent boutique store locating in the heart of Lincoln Park neighborhood. We went in and checked it out before heading to our dinner reservation. They have lots of novelty items, as well as fashion apparel and jewelry featuring the local artists. Prices are a bit steep, but honestly, I didn’t think it was unreasonable. I did a quick browse throughout the store. However, I will keep in mind when it comes to holiday shopping. My new year’s resolution was to shop more local. I believe shopping here definitely helps stick to my resolution, so I will be back!

This is kind of a no man’s land of stores for the average guy out there — chicks man. Besides picture frames, I was out of my element here. Lots of girl stuff, jewelry, clothing and the whatnots to accessorize. The staff is very friendly — which was nice. The quality seemed very good and the prices reflected that, not to mention being in Lincoln Park.

This boutique is super cute and fun to browse at. I love their random selection (dish ware, clothes, purses, jewelry, hostess gifts, lingerie, cookbooks, notecards) you name it they have it and their selection is unique and cute. I love that they have Tai jewelry as well as various other obscure brands and local designers. Perfect place to find a gift for a friends birthday or bridal shower.

Art Effect is my favorite store in Chicago! I may be a little biased since Esther, the owner, is my aunt’s friend and my cousin works there. The store has very fashionable clothes, accessories, kitchenware, and books. Esther and the sales people who work there are super nice and helpful. I’ve bought several pieces of clothing that have resulted in plenty of compliments.

Expensive. Depending on your budget. But I think most ladies I know would consider the merchandise to be expensive. That’s not to say that it isn’t worth it.
I fell into lust with a picture frame, but with a $ 129 pricetag, that’s more expensive than the photos my wedding portraits were framed with. The clothing is also quite pricey, as I did not even try on a colorful top that I liked — once again, for $ 129.
There’s lots of things that are affordable though. Lots of nice things to smell at the perfume counter, and those were pretty reasonably priced. There were a few that were made from Chicago flowers, which would make lovely gifts for anyone, out of town or not. I had some fun with the «I Am…» perfume line. There’s one called «I am… Naked,» which is so amusing to say aloud in the store.
In the back of the store, there are some fun, kitschy housewares and other giftable items like a unicorn shaped sprinkle shaker ($ 15), notepads, charcuterie boards, aprons, and of course, solar-​powered Queen Elizabeth figurines.
I love this place, and I’d stop in again. It’s a really good spot to start your window shopping in Lincoln Park.

This is a cute store to check out if you’re in the Lincoln Park area. They have teapots, home décor, cushions, figurines, jewelry, greeting cards, little trinkets, stuffed toys, mugs, as well as an eclectic selection of clothes and shoes. Rummage through their sale bins as sometimes you can find a great scarf or a pair of shades. There are things here you can purchase for gifts or for yourself. If you sign up for their emailing list, they sometimes send you notifications of in-​store discounts and sales.
+clothing, home décor, and gifts