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you can sit and sample different flavored juices—they’ll even loan you an e-cig—and inhale the pleasantly sweet vapors without hacking up a lung. I hung out for a while and talked to some experienced vapers about how they liked it, and the consensus was that it’s a great way to kick cigarettes (granted, for another type of cigarette). I was just about to thank everyone and leave when Alan, the director of operations, looked me dead in the eye and said, “I just really want to see you quit smoking.” Alan, you’re good. I’m now the proud owner of a red e-cig and a bottle of tobacco-flavored juice to go with it. The kind with nicotine. —Gwynedd Stuart
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312 ·2 5 4 ·7 3 9 9
308 WEST ERIE ST · SUITE 300 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60654
CREATIVE CLAYTHINGS Teaching in Chicago Since 1983 You’ve been wanting to take a pottery class... now you can afford to! 8 Weeks for $160 with this ad.
Materials included. Handbuilding and Wheel 8 Finished pieces to Take Home
Classes start Tues. & Wed., July 1 & 2
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CreativeClaythings.com 36 CHICAGO READER • JUNE 26, 2014
continued from 35 creation are inextricably linked.) Sexy Girls in Albany Park sets itself apart by having a name that’ll get people through the door—people like me, who think a totally unnecessary “the” (what the hell is the Hollywood?) is hilarious and then come really close to buying an $8 pair of jelly sandals that look like they were made by and for old Asian ladies. I know for a fact that one of these days I’m going to need a bigger butt and a wig and fishnets (a sexy Delta Burke Halloween costume? a disguise if I’m on the lam from the law?), and I’ll be glad I know this place exists. —Gwynedd Stuart
Best Antismoke Shop
Vape312
3221 N. Sheffield, 773-975-3400, vape312.com When I entered Vape312 I had half a pack of cigarettes on my person and zero intention of buying anything. If you’re not familiar with “vaping,” it’s the act of puffing away on a long electronic cigarette that’s actually a lot like smoking a hookah. Vape312 is cornering the market on the trend early by stocking the smoking devices and a way bigger and higher-quality selection of vapor “juices,” with and without nicotine, than you’d find at a regular old head shop. (Frankly, I can’t imagine bothering buying an e-cigarette or juices unless you were getting some nicotine out of the deal, but you’re talking to an addict here.) The chalk menu has dozens of flavors, from tobacco blends to candy-sweet ones like Tropical Toucan and something called Belmont Brew, but Vape312 is as much a hangout as it is a store. There’s a bar where
READERS’ POLL
CONTINUED
Best Bargain Alterations
Best Home Furnishings
Oriental Fine Tailor
Greenheart Shop
2956 S. Wallace, 773-742-8782
1714 N. Wells 312-264-1625 greenheartshop.org Runner-Up:
Jayson Home
Best Garden Store
Gethsemane Garden Center 5739 N. Clark 773-878-5915 gethsemanegardens.com Runner-Up:
Sprout Home
Best Florist
Fleur
3149 W. Logan 773-395-2770 fleurchicago.com Runner-Up:
A New Leaf
Best Sex Toy Shop
Early to Bed 5232 N. Sheridan 773-271-1219 early2bed.com
Runner-Up:
Tulip
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Far be it from me to tell Diane von Furstenberg how to design a dress, but the purple silk number I got for like six bucks at a thrift store a few months ago just didn’t work for me. It was open in the front and drapey enough that it covered everything, but a gust of wind was a guaranteed ticket to titty town; inadvertently exposing my breasts in public is a thing I try to avoid. Even though the dress only cost me a few bucks, it’s von Furstenberg and it’s silk, so I wanted to take it to someone who wouldn’t botch it. And even though I live over in Avondale, I’d heard from a fashionable friend that Oriental Fine Tailor was worth the trip to Bridgeport. She was right. Open for around a decade, it appears to be a mother-son operation (she does the altering, he does the translating), and the two make an efficient team. It took her less than a minute to find a perfect spot to place a snap. She also recommended sewing the front of the dress closed below the new hidden snap, which turned out great. The price on my invoice? Four bucks. I figure $10 total is a pretty awesome deal for a designer dress. And a small price to pay to keep my dignity intact. —Gwynedd Stuart J