Reclaimed Artisans Inc. — Local services in Libertyville

I've watched my fair share HGTV shows where the designer goes to some kooky place filled with trinkets and treasures of times gone by. This place is a bit like that but mixed with the early days of Etsy. "Designers" can rent an 8x8 or bigger "storefront" to showcase their unique designs. Mostly stuff reclaimed from decades gone by and redesigned with some kind of flair. There's generally a theme to the different storefronts: women's vintage clothing, funny and lovey-dovey sayings regarding dogs and cats, plastic and silk flowers, dairy and farm, sarcastic sayings, whiskey barrel designs for the men dragged into this place, etc.

My wife and I found a whimsical chip and dip bowl. It was nice and will replace one of the blander versions we have at home.

Truthfully, there were quite a bit of items that were perfect housewarming gifts and gifts for people who have specific decor tastes.

It's also a decent place to just kill some time browsing through all the stuff people have created to get your own creative...

Cool shop with antiques, crafts, repurposed items, glassware, knickknacks, jewelry, furniture and more. Prices are surprisingly good. I spent just under $30 on 5 decorative things. The couple that appears to own it are very nice and seem like a fun team. I hope this place stays around... make sure you go in the back room, past the check out counter, and not just the large room you where you enter the store.

I didn't buy the sign pictured here but it amused my husband. The majority of the other items are chic and stylish but this was too funny not to snap a picture. Plenty of wall decorations, paintings, metal art and sentimental signs. They also have large pieces of natural wood for sale to create a shelf or do your...

Reclaimed Artisans is a surprising gem. There are a lot of talented local artists that have booths there, as well as refurbished works, different antiques, and more. It's fun to just go in and have a look around. Often, you can find things that make perfect gifts that you would not have thought of. I personally like the Sparkleopteryx booth. There is crazy amazing art on all kinds of mediums. My favorite are the wicked cool coasters but her jewelery and canvas paintings are really beautiful too. I've got a Dutch pour style painting in my office that I love to look at. It's like a...