Beyond the Wall

I was so glad I happened upon this store while in the hood. They were having a 40% entire store sale and if it weren’t for the fact that I am moving, I would have bought more.
I found a great odd-​sized frame for a long, skinny poster I have that I thought I’d never find an affordable frame for. And it was 40% off! So I hauled it on the train with me and will take it to my new place!
They have some really great posters of all different sizes and every size frame you could need — at affordable prices. GREAT selection. Turns out, they had 3 different types of the odd-​sized frame I needed — and because of the sale, I got a much nicer one than I would have!
I’ll be shopping the store online for sure, and will stop in when in the neighborhood.
The staff is very friendly, too!

So I thought this store was just all posters… it’s so not! I went in search of western themed postcards and found exactly what I was looking for. It’s a poster, postcard, and greeting card palooza in there! What a great store. Walls of post cards and cards (unique stuff too, not just your boring, traditional stuff) as well as fun and quirky gifts, magnets, toys, books, Chicago guides, all that stuff.
And bonus? The owner is super sweet, helpful, and chatty. A great place for a small gift or any time the urge to write a letter strikes!

I do have to agree with the lower quality of the store over the years– 5 years ago or maybe even 3 I don’t know I’ve been here a while it was a great place for unique gifts and fun inexpensive overall things that made people smile– now it reminds me of a cross between a college décor (stereotypical of course) filled, average to below average merchandise with higher than neccessary prices place– the service is also a hit or miss sometimes they notice you’re there and sometimes you are invisible– even upon check out! I pop in with my out of towners that see something shiny in the window and leave with the same disappointment I feel.

Anytime I am looking for interesting, strange, LOCAL or funny gifts this is the first store I check! Just to the east of the Belmont (Red, Brown and Purtple) CTA station, they are in perfect position to sell their wares. This store has every poster ever made (Almost) and a great selection of magnets, stickers and signs for all of your needs!
Staff is super freindly and helpful and willing to help you find just what you need! Sometimes you can even find local artists work that you would normally have to search
for. Another reason I find this store one of the best is the huge assortment of everything. Decent sized store with a lot of awesome products!

This store is dangerous, especially considering I’m an Elvis and James Dean fanatic. I found more than what I expected to find here. I had to hold back on the Elvis Presley lunchbox however. I mean, that would be taking it too far, right?
On the other hand, this is a great store. If you’re sick of the décor in your house or need some new buttons for your messenger bag or are looking for some fun and funky gifts, this is your place. I also found a Streetcar Named Desire magnet (score!!!) and plan on heading back here next weekend.

This is like a garage sale on crack. Great place to get some unique finds — I have gotten some great Chicago gifts here, including maps, artwork, chess set, monopoly, etc. Yes, I am a Chicago freak.
Prices are fair and competitive with similar stores. Service is great as well! A lot of times they have coupons for 20% off an item so be sure to ask.
Huge postcard collection from things way back in the day. I love to purchase the NKOTB postcards because they are always a hit.
If nothing else, a great place to kill time. I can get off the Belmont L stop, hang out here for a while and then do whatever it is I might need to do.

Nice place, much nicer since they remodeled (or maybe moved?) a couple years ago.
They have a great selection of postcards on the cheap, usually $ 1.25 each. I was hoping to find a postcard of my favorite bounty hunter (Zam) which I knew was kind of a pipe dream but I was surprised they had not one, not two, not three, but… oh wait, yes three exactly. Still pretty impressive!
They have a few domo-​kun things always, too, and when it comes to domo, this place knew the dog BEFORE he came to class.
Some of the neat off-​the-​wall kinda things they have – like shower curtains – are ridiculously overpriced, but they’re still fun to look at.
Something I noticed today which I had not previously is a collection of signs that say things like ‘Employees must wash hands after taking a dump’ and ‘No Masturbating In The Shower, Please’. Really top drawer stuff!
They lose a star because they’re awfully pushy. Who knew the poster business was so cutthroat? Dude asked me if I needed help (honestly dude, help with WHAT? «uhh yes I DO need help, I got LASIK surgery on the way over here and now I can’t see the posters!»), and when I said no, he told me to go their website and gave me something bigger than a business card that I had to throw away when I went outside.

I actually haven’t purchased anything from here yet, but I’m sure I will. They have a lot of fun stuff, from posters to gag gifts to sleeping masks, etc.

Beyond the Wall is one of those store fronts you pass daily and very likely have yet to actually enter. I for one was guilty as charged for years.
The store’s general feel and storefront fit in perfectly with the neighborhood it’s in. It’s fun, post-​trendy and easily accessible.
They recently moved a few store fronts down and I do have yet to check out the new digs. But from what I can see it looks fantastic.
They have a great selection of toys, posters *duh* and the random crap you see at your friend’s apartment and always wondered where it came from. The prices are generally reasonable, the staff is always super helpful and the sales (when they happen) are outrageously fabulous.
My only vice is they never seem to carry John Waters posters, hence four stars.

Ok so I love love love beyond the wall. We used to have one in Lawrence, Kansas, but it closed many years ago. I love the variety and selection they have here and one of my favorite posters I got here. If you look you can find some real treasures.

In a post-​work sleepy haze, I decided to take a stroll along Belmont to wake up. I nearly flipped out thinking that Beyond the Wall was gone! NOOO!!!
But they moved two doors down to a bigger space. Phew!
This is a great place to wander into to browse, find gifts for friends, or decorate your place. I HIGHLY recommend this place for wall décor, especially If you’re a college student who can’t stand the overpriced poster sales at your school.
Items here that I am particularly fond of include the store’s stock of postcards. Beyond the Wall’s new location features an expanded selection of postcards from two racks to four racks and two walls! However, with store expansion comes inflation as post cards are now $ 1.25 a piece from the steady for years low price of 75 cents. Oh well, not like I know anywhere else that beats this place!
Also, if you’re looking for a shower curtain with a statement, this place is for you. You can get plastic shower curtains depicting the famous Klimt masterpiece, «The Kiss»; Japanese Hokusai tsunami painting; or CTA El map.
One thing that I found to be a little odd about the expanded store is the increase in Chicago touristy paraphernalia. It kind of gives the store a more commercial vibe, but I can’t argue with Chicago pride.
Beyond the Wall, don’t you dare ever close down!

If you’re looking for a unique gift, here it is – An urban, less punk & less sexual Spencers gifts. They have the awesome Chicago CTA and world map shower curtains for $ 25, compared to $ 30 elsewhere. They also have fun stuff for the apartment, pranks, dolls, and did I say TONS of posters? Fun music and crowd to shop to.

Awesome prices for an awesome selection. The posters span decades and genres. The prices: I don’t remember anything like this when I was buying posters in Pipers Alley; hell. I think I just paid less for three of my kids new posters than I paid 40 years ago for my Phi Zappa Crappa poster;

Really quite the jem. Lots of cool stuff to be had here, even if you aren’t looking to get anything in particular.
A great place to get movie poster style frames, and I echo Colleen C. on this one… frames for your Chicago ‘hood poster.
Great selection of posters and other stuff. Yeah, I know, not terribly descriptive with the «stuff». But I emplore you to go look for yourself. EL is right outside, but parking on Belmont is predictably a crap shoot. Emphasis on the crap. Worth it though!

MUST BE UNDER 21 TO ENTER
This store has pretty much every poster that has ever adorned a dorm room wall. If you’re still in college, you’ll love it here. If not, you’ll probably reminisce, flip through a few posters of Scarface, Van Gogh, etc. and then promptly leave.
I actually came here for a frame for my City of Chicago ORK poster, but alas all the frames here were crappy and overpriced. Either they were plasticky pieces of crap or they had chipped edges. Yeah, not so much.

I love Beyond the Wall!
I haven’t been to their store on Belmont in a few years, but I buy posters regularly. The store is small and jam-​packed with any poster you could possibly imagine. The selection is amazing and the prices are very, very reasonable.
I will return to the store soon, but they actually set up a booth once per semester in the UIC Student Center East (our student union). They have almost as many posters at the week-​long poster fair as they do in the store! The prices are all the same and they even run discounts and specials for students who stop by to browse and buy. Definitely a great, great place.
I am looking forward to buying a Chicago neighborhood map and possibly a map of Logan Square, and I’m confident BTW can help me! Look back for an update!

First off, you can buy the Chicago neighborhood maps at this store, and for that… I am pretty much just in love with it. I have a slight obession with ‘hood maps. I love mine dearly.
Pretty extensive selection of posters, wall art, random kitsch (think Urban Outfitters, but about 25 percent less on prices), wall decals, funky stickers (a gnome set? score), magnets («Life is Weird»), cards (How I love Quoteables), matted smaller artwork, frames, etc. Just lots of stuff at decent prices to spruce up your pad…
Fun for a stop in, great for home décor ideas or gifts…
It’s location right off the Belmont el stop cannot be beat. It’s literally about 5 steps away.

Yeah, this place seems to cater a bit more towards «dorm life» than anything else, but that’s cool. Where else are you gonna be able to get a Slipknot poster, a car air-​freshener in the shape of a middle finger and a Jolly Roger bath mat all in one place? Prices are a bit higher than what I would have liked, but I hear they have decent sales.

What a nifty little shop. It’s a shame I passed this so many times before stopping in a few weeks ago. They have quite the selection of posters and tapestries, and, of course, trinkets to add to your junk pile. Good place to stop in pre-​apartment decorating.

Ahhhh, posters!
I can never resist the lure of another button/​post card. You can find all sorts of clever little knick knacks that indicate your political awareness, all very tongue-​in-​cheek and hip, of course. Posters range from rock legends like Hendrix to Salvador Dali paintings to Marilyn Monroe pin ups.
Good background music and helpful staff. Fun stop.