BESTof GOODS &
continued from 41 things that don’t look possible. The stylists at Strange Beauty Show can be similarly adventurous, especially with color. They can tone it down, too—I totally ripped off a classic angled bob my friend got at the salon last year (alas, it looked way better on her). “Sportin’ Waves” ended in April, but there’s always something on the walls to look at while you’re waiting for your bleach to process or whatever. Last time I stopped in, the salon had an exhibit of really neat paper sculptures of the stretch of Ashland Avenue it sits on (Strange Beauty’s good at finding self-reflexive art). —Gwynedd Stuart
Best Reason to Impulsively Spoil Your Dog
Fido to Go
fidotogo.net
My dog, Abby, lives an orderly life that hews to a regular routine. She gets up at the same time, takes the same walk most days, eats the same kibbles for breakfast and dinner. I don’t think she minds it, but I’ve also observed that, like anybody, she enjoys variations. Why else would she squeal like a teenybopper the second she realizes we’re on our way to Montrose Dog Beach? Fido to Go, Chicago’s first
STEFFANY AUGUST
SERVICES
food truck for dogs, is the best sort of variation, a mix of serendipity and a reminder to live in the moment (like a dog). If it’s here on Tuesday, odds are it’ll be gone on Wednesday, so carpe diem. Plus, what dog will argue with a treat? Owner Donna Santucci developed the recipes for gluten- and allergen-free cookies and frozen yogurt herself; they come in a dozen different flavors, and Santucci is generous about supplying free samples so each dog can decide which she likes best. Abby, we think, is more of a peanut buttermaple bacon than a bacon cheeseburger kind of girl, but we’ll be keeping our eyes out for the big yellow Fido to Go truck—oh, hell, we’re stalking it on Twitter—and she’ll keep tasting, just to be sure. —Aimee Levitt
Voted “Best Apartment Finder”
YEARS
2010-2013
Best Real Estate Agent in a Tough Market
Wayne Beals
947 Garfield, Oak Park, 312 772-3257, waynebeals.com If you’re the type of home buyer with buckets of money to put down and the means to bid significantly over the asking price for that perfect West Loop loft or Logan Square two-flat, this is the real estate market for you. If you’re not that person, be prepared to hustle—and to have an open mind. Real estate agent Wayne Beals might be based in Oak Park, but the man knows every corner of Chicago (and beyond) inside out, and he will
patiently explore your housing options in any of them. Traipsing across the city with Beals is like embarking on a live-action history lesson, and examining a home with him is a learning experience even if you think you already know your fair share about vintage fixer-uppers. It helps that he’s a native Chicagoan and a former contractor, and has served as a historic-preservation commissioner. But Beals’s real gift is his combination of downto-earth work ethic, sweet-natured calm, and tolerance for a client with Veuve Clicquot tastes on a PBR budget. The only downside to working with Beals is that, once you end up with something you adore, you no longer have an excuse to tour the city with him. —Mara Shalhoup
TheBleader.com
Come in, go home
Apartment People Lakeview
River North
Evanston
800.447.3684 apartmentpeople.com
42 CHICAGO READER • JUNE 26, 2014
Read it or we’ll kidnap you.