An Antiquer’s Paradise on Lincoln Avenue

One of the things we consistently find amazing about the Northcenter neighborhood is that there is something for everyone, right in your own backyard. If your something happens to be antiquing, then you’ll find your Heaven in Northcenter--and all in one block, no less! The 3800 block of North Lincoln Avenue is an antiquer’s paradise, with vintage furniture, art and accessories to appeal to collectors at all experience and budget levels. We poked around in a few shops to see what treasures they held inside.

Smythson Yeats (3851 N. Lincoln)

Ask Smythson Yeats’ Richard Rosen and he’ll tell you he’s “been a garbage-picker since kindergarten.” Once a collector of stamps, coins, rocks and seashells, in his retirement, he brings in furniture, art and decorative items from across places and times. Whether it’s his collection of Charles Gatteau ceramics or an Art Nouveau glass window set from 19th-century Belgium, a unique light fixture or a set of Chinese Checkers from the 1930s, you’ll find it in Rosen’s treasure trove.

But what really catches the eye are the globes. Rosen has amassed the largest collection of antique globes in Chicago, and appropriately enough, they’ve come from all over the world. The spheres show a world with long-gone countries and territories from the Ottoman Empire to Rhodesia, with the oldest dating back to 1912. Travel through time and place by just going down the block!

Old Sau’s Resale and Antiques Shop (3854 N. Lincoln)

Old Sau’s has gotten local and national attention alike after being featured on blogs like the Chicago Reader and Apartment Therapy. Walking into the shop (after being greeted by the owners’ fluffy white dog that patrols the premises), it’s easy to see why.

The furniture and products are handled with great care, most notably a beautiful restored and reupholstered Victorian loveseat from 1910, a solid walnut chest of drawers and other pieces from the late 19th century. If you’re not looking for furniture, it’s easy to get lost in the wide variety of accessories, from handbags and early-20th century hats to jewelry to political buttons from local and national campaigns.

Isle of Man America (3856 N. Lincoln)

The Isle of Man TT, located on the island in the British Isles that bears its name, is the oldest and most dangerous motorcycle race in the world. This treacherous road race inspired the rugged vintage aesthetic of Northcenter’s Isle of Man store. The shop carries apparel, shaving kits and other accessories, but what really wows passersby are the vintage bikes.

With the help of Restoration Cycleware and Motoworks Chicago, the IOM team restores, displays and sells vintage British motorbikes. Shiny Triumph, BSA and Norton bikes from the 1960s and ‘70s can be seen in the windows and around the store, and have become a great conversation starter and destination marker for IOM. “When we get the new ones in, it’s like Christmas,” Isle of Man employee Catherine Pham told us. “Everyone’s so excited.”