The Haymaker Shop

Last year on 12/​21, I drafted a review for this store that began, «I wish that I had stopped into Haymaker before completing 98% of my Christmas shopping this season.» Then I figured, why bother, and put it back into my pocket for the next holiday season.
So this year I visited at the beginning of December. Previously, I thought that the place looked more like an art gallery, because there were so few goods and so much empty space. But in the meantime they have renovated to devote more floor and shelf space to merchandise. It’s still roomy, so there is no inconspicuous shopping here. But anyway, they have many handsome, locally produced items for the home (e.g. scented soy candles and reclaimed wood picture frames), particularly the kitchen (cutting boards are a specialty); various random crafts such as wallets, keychains, and shoulder bags; a few neat toys for small tots; vintage decorative pieces such as amusement park signs; handmade Christmas ornaments; and so on.
It’s a cool store. You may or may not walk out with gifts, but it is worth a look for almost anyone on your list who might enjoy that handmade aesthetic. And shopping local is a bonus.

I love, when traveling, to visit homeware stores and, let’s be honest, isn’t shopping one of the best parts of vacation? A great place with great staff, the products are all (okay, mostly) locally made and are truly a demonstration of why American home décor. One visit is all it took for me to fall in love. I’m sure you will too.
(P.S. Totally picked up a print from Know Your Flag. So beautiful, it really was love at first sight!)

Great place for unique handmade goods. Just got three vintage nutcrackers and a beautiful clock

This store is wonderful. One day, when I can afford such efforts of design and style, I will get much of my furniture and art here. Especially if you are a big fan of our lovely city, you will find much to adore here.

A very nice some what new store front in Aville. We have stopped in on multiple occasions to look at the new items they have. We have bought three posters from there that are Chicago themed and will mist likely be back to pick up the food track one as well. We always get compliments on the items we have purchased from there.
Friendly owners and staff, I haven’t made it to one yet but they throw some pretty sweet parties to that include food trucks, beers and spirits… how can that be bad?

Artful sweet stuff. Spaciously exhibited with careful attention to design, detail, and simplicity. I happily left with a very haute couture candle after drooling on some seriously exquisite coffee tables, side tables, and wall art.
We were greeted warmly, our questions about the art and space were enthusiastically answered. This is a beautiful store with great design aesthetic. I am now the proud owner of a blue spruce candle that I may never light because it’s so pretty!
I need to come back and shop for some really sweet presents soon. Delighted to now know Haymaker Shop is worth it’s hay!

I went to visit the store for sake of scoping out their craftsmanship and didn’t walk away too happy. My friend and I were the only pair in the store at the time we went and you’d think that between two employees on the floor that someone would say hello. Just hello. We were there for about 20 minutes and didn’t get an ounce of attention which made me feel exactly how I often feel when I travel to many north side shops– that this place was too uppity and full of itself to bother with the customers.
There was a stark difference between what the owner is like and what the employees deliver in the store. Perhaps a difference the owner isn’t yet aware of???
As well, my last email saying (in more detail) that there are some things they need to take care of and will get back to me about the piece I want to have made. It’s been 9 days and I haven’t heard from them yet.
I had a great first impression and it’s been downhill ever since.

Cool stuff designed and produced by local artisans. Everything from furniture to dishware to fun things to make your apartment a little hipper, and your wallet lighter. Cute, friendly staff, I hope this place survives in Andersonville’s burdgeoning interior design district.

I recently bought a great Know Your Flag print here. I was kicking myself for recently having bought a new chair elsewhere when I saw the ones they had. There is a lot of great stuff in here and the people running it couldn’t be more friendly.
This is a great neighborhood to find cool things to liven up your apartment and I would highly recommend checking out Haymaker if you get a chance. It’s hard to say enough good things about it.

Cool shop and I’m glad to see the new addition to the neighborhood, especially so far north on Clark. I hope the migration continues!
The products looked cool and really ranged in price. My only issue is that I spent about 10 minutes in the store and no one said word one to me until I was walking out the door.

This store had like a billion things I wanted so badly but can’t afford. It’s like torture walking through there. That said, the pooch loves to stop in and say hi and there was a cute, friendly guy at the counter, so I highly recommend… but keep your mitts of that gorgeous kitchen block! I may start working nights just to make it mine…
Oh and everything is local/​reclaimed/​upcycled so it’s all unique and charming. Love. Pricey but worth it for something interesting and handmade.

This has got to be my favorite store in Andersonville and maybe even all of Chicago. With a mission to support and showcase independent artists, craftspeople, builders, makers, etc. this store is a treasure trove of awesome finds. From stackable wooden clouds, mountains and rainbows, wall art, pottery and beautiful pieces of furniture, there is something at every price point for the home, and also something for everyone. All the wares are made locally, meaning in Chicago or the Midwest. I have been to the shop a few times and can never walk out empty handed. I’ve purchased a stackable rainbow as a gift and a wooden cookbook holder that I love. My favorite item is the Vegetabowls though. I can only dream of the day of being able to purchasing a piece of furniture from here. The shop owner Arrin is very nice and can tell you about everything housed in the shop, which reflects the care, time and energy put into the store. If you do not walk out with a great piece for your home, you will at least be inspired to create something yourself. I really hope this place does well. It is a great addition to the neighborhood.

Yes, yes, in so many respects, YES.
The longer I live here, the more besotted I become with this neighborhood. Even though Transistor moved, and even though we narrowly missed getting a Trader Joe’s instead of a Walgreens on Clark, new businesses like Urban Orchard and more specifically Haymakers keep sprouting up that do more than enough to rectify our losses.
I probably walked through this shop on three or four different days before actually coming in to make a purchase. Those first visits were just to admire the gorgeous wood and steel furniture pieces and run my hand across the soft, yummy surfaces.
Almost everything in the shop was made in Chicago, and no farther than St. Louis otherwise. My grandfather was a carpenter and some of the achingly beautiful tables, benches, and stools in this store are of the same caliber as the once-​or-​twice-​in-​a-​career creations that he would make exclusively for family. Instant heirlooms, just about any of the big-​ticket items are guaranteed to be such.
But there are also selections for any price-​point: serving platters, cutting boards, bamboo wine racks, pedestals made of tree trunks, posters, frames, coasters. All immortalize the trees they came from in a manner both visually poetic but also practical and interactive for everyday use.
A note on the posters: I love them. I went in to buy one of the Shakespeare series, but then wavered in my choice when I noticed the Chicago Flag series (four poster series with a different image for each red star/​major city event). And then a third stunning image, totally unrelated to the first two, caught my eye. My resolve to buy wall art imploded at this point and I returned to perusing more earthly products.
Last, never least: the owner is possibly the nicest person I’ve ever first encountered upon entering any shop, nevermind in a pricey boutique or specialty shop of this ilk. Really helpful and enthusiastic in his mission to help me find a perfect wedding gift, and also funny and cool. As if I needed more reasons, it made me extra committed to supporting his business with my money, and with an excess of compliments heaped upon Haymakers via the internet.

I heard about this place through one of my favorite websites for home deco and shopping and had to go the next time I was in Chicago. I am so glad I made it to Andersonville to check out this gem!
The owner is super friendly and nice without being over-​bearing. It seems like he has carefully thought out exactly what kind of products he chooses to carry and he chooses them wisely. He even chatted with me for a bit and gave me tips on how to reno a retro desk I have back in Phoenix. He was great!
I wanted everything in the store! Too bad my wallet wasn’t in agreement!
Great place… check it out if you are in the Chicago area.

I stumbled across this store on a recent stroll through Andersonville and was very pleasantly surprised to discover it! It’s only been here (next to Edgewater Produce) since June, and I hope it’s here to stay.
The store is a fairly large space that has beautiful pieces by local artisans. Much of it is wood furniture and accessories (such as coasters, bowls, etc.), but they also have jewelry, pottery, pillows, prints, and more.
I love all the vintage furniture stores in the neighborhood, but this is a new addition that adds something a little different. I definitely plan to be back on gift-​buying missions in the future.

Very cool, very new shop in Andersonville.
Really nice owner. Super friendly — told us what the store was all about. It’s a store that showcases local artists — prints, reclaimed wood, candles, vintage aprons, furniture… huge variety.
We purchased a poster that broke Chicago down into cuts of meat, which is awesome.
I’m glad this place opened and I hope it does well.