Spex Announces Official Grand Opening Event

Spex just announced an official grand opening event scheduled for Thursday, September 20^th from 5-8pm. This grand opening marks their nineteenth location at 5408 N. Clark St., Chicago; 773 275 2020. The store opened May 1st but now hosts a celebration for fans, friends and Andersonville customers. Guests will enjoy light bites and refreshments with a twist. Swag bags valued at $100 will be given to the first 25 guests. A trunk show featuring hand-made Lafont eyewear and sunwear collection will be showcased during the festivities.

Manager Lesley Bramson looks forward to officially launching the new Spex location: “We’re bringing ‘Spex appeal’ to Andersonville! Our team is pretty excited to welcome our new neighbors; the community response to our initial opening has been amazing. We’re carrying some really great eyewear for that on-trend customer though our collections are across the board; we’ve got a frame for just about everyone! Many of our customers appreciate what we’re bringing style-wise to the neighborhood.”

Clients shopping the new Andersonville location will discover a wide variety of eyewear styles and preview collections from Beausoleil, l.a.Eyeworks, Lafont, Lindberg, OGI, and Seraphin as well as Tom Ford, David Yurman, and Ray-Ban sunwear to note but a few available collections. Spex also offers the SpexWellness Exam – a state-of-the-art comprehensive eye exam, from an in-house optometrist to complete the experience

Taste of Andersonville Hightlight: Welcome Johnny Brown Bag and Marigold!

Nothing says storefront Italian restaurant like an espresso machine and chalkboards!

The Taste of Andersonville Dinner Crawl is next Wednesday, August 15, and we have a stellar lineup of delicious food from some of your favorite Andersonville restaurants.  You can choose from one of two routes: one more vegetarian friendly (the SALT Route), the other for the meat eaters among us (the PEPPER Route).  Or you can chose both with a specially priced WHOLE ENCHILADA ticket (quantities limited).   If you don't yet have your tickets, I highly recommend getting them soon!  This event will sell out.  Click here to see the routes and order your tickets.

Something exciting about this year's event is it features two restaurants that as of this writing are not yet open.  Marigold Restaurant was renowned in Uptown for serving delicious and inventive Indian fare, and they are set to relocate this fall to the former Ole Ole space at 5413 N. Clark.  For the dinner crawl, they will be serving their famous Murg Makhni (Butter Chicken) at Urban Orchard.  The second restaurant, which will be serving the addictive and delicious arancini (fried rice balls), is Johnny Brown Bag at 5306 N. Clark. By August 15 they will  be open and able to serve out of their storefront just north of Balmoral.

I recently sat down with Johnny Brown Bag owner John Scalzo in his beautifully renovated space and got the scoop on the new causal Italian spot and why Andersonville reminds him of growing up in Italy.  Read more after the jump!

Welcome Square Nail to the Neighborhood

Recently opened at 4860 N Clark Street, Square Nail is the newest addition to the Andersonville family of awesome home furnishing and custom retailers. In case you have not had a chance to stop by yet and meet the amiable brothers/owners of Square Nail the ADC has a little bit of information about what it is they are up to in their retail space and workshop.

Square Nail makes new furniture from old wood.  Resourcing materials from old barns, the brothers of Square Nail find the reclaimed wood to have a beauty and character that new lumber lacks.  Their reclaimed wood materials are typically walnut, white or red elm, oak, or pine.  Each piece of knotty, warped, nail punctured wood adds personality to a custom made piece. 

The brother are constantly challenged to find ways to incorporate interesting items into their furniture.  Copper tubing, rusty metal, copper plates, aluminum dragons, and an old sink have found their way into recent designs.  In addition they utilize the skills of a stained glass artist, hand wood turner, and welder to assist in these creations.

At Square Nail you will find an assortment of lamps, benches, and tables that include pub, coffee, sofa, end and kitchen styles, all created from reclaimed wood. All items are unique designs that range from clean and sleek to rough and industrial. Current pieces in the shop also include a butcher block island, a bathroom vanity and mirror, and stools. The shop will regularly have frames, framed mirrors and framed stained glass as well as smaller accessories such as vases, bowls, and other items hand-turned from reclaimed wood.

By far the most unique aspect of Square Nail is that it is divided into a showroom and woodworking shop.  A charming reclaimed barn door divides the space while still welcoming curious customers to take a peek in  the woodworking shop. While the brothers have created a number of pieces to speak to their skill and adventure for design, they would love to work with new clients to create custom pieces.  For clients, everything is done on-site and the customer has an opportunity to engage in every step of the process.

Take some time to stop by the shop and see what Square Nail has to offer, it is certainly worth a look just to see what the brothers are working on now!

Enjoy Great Brews and Boutique Spirits for Green Week

Join ADC in having a drink this Green Week by participating in any of our 21 and up events. Activities include a Metropolitan Brewery tour, tours of the Koval Distillery, and the neighborhoods only Home Brew Contest. A perfect way to spend a summer day, sample craft brews and fine liquors all week long.

A Green Week headlining event, the Andersonville Green Week Home Brew Contest is a showcase of skilled home brewers in a showdown to win your vote!


Sponsored by Brew Camp, Mightybytes and Hamburger Mary's, the Andersonville Home Brew Contest features home brewers from across the city competing for the title of "Master Brewer". This year's Grand Prize winner will have the opportunity to work with Hamburger Mary's to make a special batch of their winning recipe one of Mary's upcoming seasonal selections. Other great prizes will be offered by Brew Camp. Fifteen brewers are scheduled to compete in this years event. Entries include a variety of craft beers from Pale Ales and Belgian style brews to hearty Lager, Porters and Stouts.

Hosted July 12th at The Neo-Futurist Theater, attendees will sample craft brews, enjoy music and food, and vote for the best brew of the night. Door open for the event at 6pm. Advance tickets for the Home Brew Contest are on sale now; limited ticket sales will be available at the door. Visit Brown Paper Tickets to learn more about the event and purchase tickets in advance for only $15.

Hamburger Mary's will also host a special after-party following the event. Learn more by checking out their website.

If that is not enough brew for your belly, an exclusive Green Week tour of Metropolitan Brewery will be made available on Saturday, July 14th at 2pm. With very limited admission, entry to the tour is available to advance ticket purchasers only. Your $10 ticket gets you access to the inner-working of our only neighborhood brewery, samples of their full line-up of brews and a special Metropolitan pint glass. Tickets for the tours on sale now.


Maybe beer is not your cup of tea, or your still haven't had enough, well Koval Distillery is offering five separate tour dates during the week. Chicago's first boutique distillery since Prohibition, Koval is a proud supporter of Andersonville Green Week. Sign up for any tour date by visiting the Koval tours website. Dates and times include:

• Wednesday, July 11th at 7pm
• Saturday, July 14th at 1pm
• Saturday, July 14th at 3pm
• Saturday, July 14th at 5pm
• Sunday, July 15th at 5pm

Proceeds from all the events benefit the eco-Andersonville initiative. Committed to promoting sustainable community and economic development in Andersonville, the Andersonville Development Corporation's eco-Andersonville initiative is responsible for streetscape recycling programs, sustainable business certification,  Green Building incentives, and ongoing research and program development to support the responsible stewardship of our environment.

See First-Run Films at Andersonville Green Week!

Some of the most popular events during Andersonville GreenWeek are the screenings of films related to important environmental and ecological topics.  In 2012, there will be three award-winning documentaries shown over the course of the week, and you can find more info below.

Wednesday, July 11^th

7:00-9:00 pm

Bag It

After the Green Week Sustainability Fair ends, stick around for a special screening of this new film, which has been winning awards at film festivals across the country.  Bag It started as a documentary about plastic bags that evolved into a wholesale investigation into plastics and their effect on our waterways, oceans, and even our bodies.  Sponsored by the Plastic BagSolution.  Swedish American Museum, 5211 N. Clark

POSTPONED!  Friday, July 13^th

6:00-9:00 pm

Urban Roots
OUR MOVIE GOT LOST IN THE MAIL!  WE WILL RESCHEDULE SOON.

The film Urban Roots explores the growth of urban agriculture in the city of Detroit.  The film will be followed by a discussion on urban agriculture with local organizations Growing Home, Urban Habitat Chicago and the Peterson Garden Project.  Swedish American Museum, 5211 N. Clark

Saturday, July 14^th

 8:00-10:00 pm

The City Dark

Join us under the night sky for this very special event!  The City Dark is a powerful documentary about light pollution and the disappearing night sky.  Featuring stunning astrophotography and a cast of eclectic scientists, philosophers, historians and lighting designers, it is the definitive story of the disappearing stars.  A must see! Alley Cat Comics courtyard, 5304 N. Clark rear


Sunday, July 15th
7:00-9:30 pm 

Gasland
We celebrate another successful Andersonville Green Week with a closing night celebration and a screening of Gasland, one of the most talked about documentaries in recent years.  From their website:

The largest domestic natural gas drilling boom in history has swept across the United States. The Halliburton-developed drilling technology of "fracking" or hydraulic fracturing has unlocked a "Saudia Arabia of natural gas" just beneath us. But is fracking safe? When filmmaker Josh Fox is asked to lease his land for drilling, he embarks on a cross-country odyssey uncovering a trail of secrets, lies and contamination. A recently drilled nearby Pennsylvania town reports that residents are able to light their drinking water on fire. This is just one of the many absurd and astonishing revelations of a new country called GASLAND. Part verite travelogue, part expose, part mystery, part bluegrass banjo meltdown, part showdown.

Room Service, 5438 N. Clark. 


 We look forward to seeing everyone out and about this week, and we hope you will come and catch a movie with us!

Andersonville Green Week is a program of eco-Andersonville and the Andersonville Development Corporation and highlights Andersonville businesses' and residents' commitment to sustainable living with events, activities, and demos.