Shop Like a Pro: Post 27's Angela Finney-Hoffman Shares Her Secret Sources

1:00 PM, December 20 2010

By Anna Blessing

We're big fans of Post 27 (1819 W. Grand Ave., 312-829-6122), an eclectic home store filled with vintage goods and furniture, as well as accessories and jewelry from some of Chicago's most-wanted indie designers. So when owner Angela Finney-Hoffman offered to share her favorite shopping sources with us, we were ready to take notes. Check out her picks here--and to find out more about what sparks her great taste, read her new "inspirations" blog, Outpost, which lives on the Post 27 site.

Great Local Home Shop: "Morlen Sinoway Atelier, named after its owner, carries a mix of classic and modern home pieces and small-production-run items tastefully selected from Morlen's travels. He has an exquisite eye for well-designed objects."Morlen Sinoway Atelier, 1052 W. Fulton Market St., 312-432-0100

Best Off-the-Beaten-Path Boutique: "Agent Galleryis a small, well-edited Chicago shop with an intriguing dark edge. It's filled with vintage furniture, architectural artifacts, objets d'art and various found curiosities for the home." Agent Gallery, 916 N. Damen Ave., 312-498-6818

Fave Local Indie Designer: "Annie Novotny is the owner of Workshop boutique, and I love her style in every way. From her own line of clothing, Frei Designs, sold at the store, to her vintage collections, she has supreme taste."Workshop, 818 W. 18th St., 312-226-9000

Best Gift-Buying Resource: "Brilliantly designed and conceived, my favorite place to shop is from the 'walls' at supermarketsarah.com. She creates incredible online tableaux, set up like rooms, where you can click on individual objects--from art to frocks--to shop right from the site."

Local Accessory Whizzes: "Winter Sessionmakes chic but always practical tote bags, scarves and aprons, mostly from surplus and well-worn materials, so its items have built-in history. Plus, the products are designed, made and remade in Chicago."

Favorite Jewelry Site: "My favorite place for ogling one-of-a-kind vintage jewelry is Erie Basin. It has a well-edited collection of pieces featuring interesting textures and materials."

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