A unique mash-up of jewelry store, art gallery, event space, and classroom, the Silver Room—perhaps best known for its massive annual block party—moved from its 17-year home in Wicker Park to Hyde Park last April. “I feel like the store has more meaning to the people who live on the South Side,” says owner Eric Williams, 45, a native of Robbins. Here you’ll find everything from a spare brass and silver neck cuff inspired by classic Roman architecture to instruction in printmaking, dance, meditation, French, and more. For a look at Williams’s personal aesthetic, check out some of his favorite things from the Bronzeville apartment that he shares with his young daughter, Sage.
Yoko Devereaux suit
“It’s very soft, and there’s so much attention to detail on the inside.”
4Hero’s Play With The Changes vinyl album
($130, amazon.com)
“This group has a way of making older genres such as soul and jazz sound new.”
Sinmi chair by Norman Teague
($600, plank22b.com)
“It has this cool industrial design, and it’s made by a Chicago artist.”
Framed slipmat from DJ Ron Hardy
“I found this slipmat [a cloth used on a turntable] in an album I bought shortly after he died.”
Wool felt Carga bag
($265, cargabags.com)
“I love its slick architectural look and its durability.”
Art by Krista Franklin
“The mixed-media collage she made of my grandmother has a great deal of sentimental value.”
Books by José Saramago
($13 each, barnesandnoble.com)
“I love [the late Portuguese novelist] Saramago’s writing style.”
Technics vintage turntable
“Back in the day, you weren’t considered a serious DJ if you didn’t own a pair of these.”