Renegade Handmade

Tucked away and quite small, but they have a really unique selection of gifts. If you’re looking for something original, give Renegade the honor of your business.
Edit: Was blasting through review drafts the other night and just realized it is closed. Quite sad to hear.

From a distance, Renegade Handmade seems like trendier Hallmark store with t-​shirts bearing screen-​printed owls, abominable snowmen, and other hipster motifs. But, once you step inside and see the work up close, you realize that the store makes a concerted effort to carry quality (read: non craptastic) handmade crafts and clothing. The t-​shirts, for example, are cute but not cheesy and they’re made of pre-​washed cotton, so it’s soft soft soft. The greeting cards and other paper goods are remarkably well put together. The only other store I can think of that carries a similar selection is Paper Doll, straight west on Division St.
One shout out: the Renegade Handmade Fair is pretty rad. A good place for local artisans, artists, and craftsmen to sell their (mostly awesome) wares.
If I have one complaint: sometimes, the visual merchandising can be a bit overwhelming. With everything splayed out, you get sort of bowled over and distracted.

Great selection of local goods! You will certainly find unique gifts for all!

Super cute store with a lot of quirky, craftsy offerings. I got some nice cards the last time I was here. Some of the items are pricy, as expected, but a lot of things were affordable as well. Recommended if you’re looking for a handmade gift.

This is a gem of a place. A lot of stuff to buy– not all of it great, but a lot of it is. The cards are the best, in my opinion– there’s something for everyone. A lot of the stuff here is just way too CUTE for me. Lots of owls and typewriters and bicycles yadda yadda, but gotta love that local artists and craftsmen and women are able to sell their wares in a local shop at reasonable prices. An A for ideas.

Yesterday, on my trip to the Chicago area, I drove an hour out of my way to the Renegade arts store out of recommendation from a few friends. Wow was I disappointed when I saw a sign on the door saying CLOSED while right above the sign, it said hours 10 – 7. Important point: It was 12 noon. The website also lists those same hours. For a high-​frequency store with what I’d imagine would have several employees, that is unacceptable. They wasted pretty much a few hours of my precious vacation time. Very upset.

Just an amazing place. I love the fair they have but sometimes it can get to crowded and a bit overwhelming in size. So, this store is a beautifully curated one stop shop all year long.
Highly recommend this for small unique gifts. If you have a DIY’er birthday coming up please just go and browse, I guarantee you will find something.
If your looking inspiration for craft projects visit this place its the best!

Where I come when in need of an earring fix. Also where I come when in need of a crafty gift.
I always leave with more than I should and am always blown away with the amount of local talent on display.
Glorious.

Cute little boutique with handmade items. There’s great gift ideas, or small «i’m thinking of you» gifts like magnets, jewelry, cards and some tees and one of a kind print posters that I love!
Not too much of a variety, but prices are alright. Some of the look is artsy, some is woodsy (owls and birds and forests) and some is just for fun!

On a recent business trip to Chicago, I had two stops I wanted to make – and Renegade Handmade was one of them.
My expectations were high – and they were met. I was delighted that a show I’d read about from Heidi Kenney was still up in the back room. Everything was gorgeous (and most of it was sold out), but it was a real treat to see it in person.
The selection of merchandise was great, and there was an excellent range of price points. I bought myself a silver squirrel necklace. I couldn’t stop myself from picking up a heap of assorted cards. And some soap. And a Heidi Kenney softie for my mom (a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows). I happily gave most of my spending money to Renegade Handmade. Also, the salesperson was completely nice and gave us a great suggestion on where to go for lunch.

I was slightly afraid to go into this store. It seems like a lot of the other reviews were horrific and everyone had a horrible time in this store. So when I walked in and there was a friendly face and a happy «Hello!» I was kind of shocked. The woman was super friendly, very talkative and very attentive. The prices aren’t bad due to the fact that everything is handmade. I got some greeting cards and a big felt pin for $ 8. Not bad.
I asked the woman about the scathing reviews on here and she informed me that they were under new management and that I wouldn’t find a horrible store clerk in there from then on. I’ll go back all. the. time. It’s like the Renegade Craft Show year round!
Yay!

I had gone the the Renegade Craft Fair in LA just to escort my girlfriend last summer and found it to be pretty fun. When we were visiting Chicago recently she said we had to stop by the retail store and I agreed… I ended up spending the most money between the two of us.
If you are a fan of crafted or handmade items, Renegade is the place for you. It is mostly stuff that women would like, but they have a few cool items for guys as well. I picked up a couple of small, handmade card holders for work in addition to a picture frame made from reclaimed barn wood and a hand blown glass flask. As you can see, it is a unique, little place. The prices might be a little higher than you’d expect, but that is the cost to having something handmade and truly unique. Definitely worth stopping by. The staff that works there is friendly and helpful too.

Hi. Can I marry you?
But seriously. In DC we have to wait until the annual Crafty Bastards fair to get some of this hand made, one-​of-​a-​kind stuff. Crafty Bastards then becomes like Christmas. Renegade Handmade is like having Christmas EVERY DAY.* This is the best place for unique gifts that no one else will have and particular pieces that will make your friends seethe in jealousy. The best kind of seething there is.
*Yes I know I could just get this stuff off Etsy but that’s not nearly as fun, for my wallet or my retinas.

I don’t get to make my way out to Renegade very often, but when I do, I’m never disappointed.
I used to work around the corner and would frequent the shop to browse such delightful crafts. My favorites? Shawnimals. I was able to find Pocket Pork, Pocket ‘Stache, and Pocket Ninja all in one location. Excellent.
There are too many cute and clever items to list. If you are on the lookout for funky and cute items with little details that make them stand out, this is the place for you.
Some of the items are a bit pricey, but if you really want it, you probably won’t find it in any other shop in the city. Just buy it. You won’t regret it.
I’m a «leave me alone» browser by nature, and so I am okay with the customary greeting and then silence. I prefer it that way — more time to concentrate on browsing the variety of items. When I do have a question, I ask, and I always get an answer.
Cute local store. I’m a fan!

ATTENTION SHOPLIFTERS:
Like handmade jewelry? Cute ugly dollies? Lovely hand printed posters? Yummy smelling soaps? Handmade cards?
Well, guaranteed you can stock your purse full of all those goodies since NONE of the employees here really care!
In fact, they probably won’t even notice this review! (On second thought, since they always seem to be doing something more worth their time on the fancy mac, guess there’s a chance they’d be reading Unilocal…)
10 times out of 10 times I’ve walked into this place since it opened, the individuals working in this shop have failed. I’m completely appalled at the absolute lack of customer service. Have ANY of these employees or the owners EVER worked in retail or any sort of customer service industry? I cant’ imagine so… Maybe this is where you get a job because you begrudgingly unite with fellow employees to work as a retail renegade…
You basically have to BEG them to acknowledge your presence. I’ve hesitated to write a review since they opened, b/​c I wanted this store to survive. But I give up. I feel horrible for anyone selling at Renegade because the are doing a complete disservice to the artists. Unfortunately, I’d rather just purchase from these sellers directly or wait for the fair.

I absolutely love stores like Renegade Handmade that cater to my desire to have unique items, support local business, and buy things that were lovingly handmade. This store is full of cute cards, t-​shirts, magnets, journals, and a potpourri of other goodies — a treasure trove for unique gift purchases.
I suppose, like all places, your experience at Renegade Handmade depends on during whose shift you have the (mis)fortune of shopping. I’ve never had a problem with the girls who work here. On my most recent trip, the saleslady was especially helpful and friendly.

The renegade craft FAIR is awesome and wonderful and buying original handmade things from independent crafters is very important and good.
The renegade handmade store on Division street, however, is absolutely not up to par. That’s not to say the store isn’t great and doesn’t contain all the cute things the craft fair has– because it does– but the people working there are so terrible. I was in there a few months ago and a girl was working behind the counter. I was browsing around and she asked me «um, are you going to buy something or what? i kind of want to go get my lunch…» You don’t have to let her be rude to you– go on on the beautiful
, or just wait it out for the craft fair.

Just like pirates, lolcats, and thinking the word ‘pants’ is somehow hilarious…
owls are so played out.
If I’m going to spend my money at a business that claims all of their items are original and handmade, I’ll go to
. Now THAT’S a woman who knows what she’s doing… and not for the wrong reasons.
Plus, who wants to buy from someone who clearly would rather be doing something else than interacting with customers who take time out of THEIR day to come in and peruse?
I’ve been to the Renegade Craft Fair… Twice as a matter of fact… once in the actual Wicker Park, where I found some great things, but the store really didn’t seem necessary to me. Keep it DYI… that DOES mean DO IT YOURSELF, right?
Maybe I’m missing something.
Blah.

Having absolutely no artistic talent myself (I can’t even cut in a straight line) I’m in awe of the Renegade Handmade store where everything is… yep, you guessed it… handmade! I’ve been to their summer festival a few times in the past (one of my favorite summer fests), but just made it in to the store for the first the other day!
There’s all sorts of fun things here: t-​shirts, cards, jewelry, etc. We even discovered some cool looking gloves– not the kind that keep your hands warm in the winter, but the ones that go all the way up to your elbows! Not for me, but I’m sure they would look fab on somebody else.
Shop here to support your local artists and then head next store to Coco Rouge for the most delicious chocolate ever… oh, how I love Division Street!

Great store focusing on handmade (obviously) items of all sorts. As a crafty person myself, I can appreciate the effort that goes into making handmade things and like to come to places like this to buy gifts because you know you’ll find something unique.
I know the overhead is higher for small-​business artisans, but some of the prices seem high here at times. For example, I would not pay $ 16 for a pack of 4 postcards, which I saw the last time I was there. Still, there are a lot of reasonable items as well.
Something great about Renegade: a couple of times a year they sponsor a craft fair. I went to the summer one in 2007 (Division Street was shut down and something like 200 artists from all over the place had booths; I got most of my Christmas shopping done then and there!) Even my hard-​to-​buy-​for brother was taken care of with an awesome screen print.
So check out the Renegade Store the next time you’re in Division Street, and be attuned to their craft fair schedule! You won’t regret it.