Two Girls and a Bike Shop

Slowly but surely, female-centric bike shops have been popping up on the east and west coasts. Seeing an underserved market in the Midwest, Vanessa Buccella and Annie Byrne thought it was about time Chicago got its first store geared specifically towards women. Both are passionate cyclists who ride competitively (Buccella even earned her chops with a stint as a bike messenger) and wanted to create a shop that not only provided gear, but a community for female cyclists.

The idea for BFF Bikes was born, and the shop, located at 2113 West Armitage Avenue in Bucktown, is now set to open on Saturday, March 15. Bicycle brands Public, Bianchi and Giant will be stocked, and the store plans to sell gear and clothing by Riyoko, Iva Jean, Iladora and Giro along with jewelry and gifts for cycling enthusiasts.

Later this month, the fun-loving owners are planning a grand opening party with door prizes, a fashion show, and “Rolleroke,” which—wait for it—is karaoke while riding a bike on rollers. If these two ladies sound like your future BFFs, mark your calendars for the party on Friday, March 28 at 7 p.m.

Top Sales This Week

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Four Chicago Designers Want to Show You What They’ve Got

Why this charity runway show on Saturday is shaping up to be an interesting night of local fashion. Read more.
 

The Best of the Rest

  • The shops on Southport are holding a Spring Cleaning Pop-Up Sale on Sunday, March 9 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the former Candyality space (3425 N. Southport Ave.). Shop clothing, accessories, and other goods marked 30 to 75 percent off from Lake View stores like Free People, Cerato, Bazar, and Mint Julep.
  • Clever Alice holds its quarterly pop-up sample sale with brands from all over the world at up to 75 percent off—including Faubourg du Temple from Paris, Mossee from Australia and Super Trash from Amsterdam. Find the sale at 845 West Chicago Avenue in River West on Friday, March 7 through Sunday, March 9 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Comfort Me Boutique (9701 W. Armitage Ave.) in Lincoln Park is holding a spring accessories trunk show on Thursday, March 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. Shop jewelry by local designer Tania Rodamilans and handbags by Popinjay, handmade in Pakistan by female artisans.
  • Old Town boutique Roam (1419 N. Wells St., 312-664-2222, roamchicago.com) will hold a spring preview event with Cushnie et Ochs on Thursday, March 6 from 6 to 8 p.m. Shoppers will be served wine and champagne while viewing a presentation of the New York-based line, which features body-contouring silhouettes and bold lines.
  • West Town vintage shop Dovetail (1452 W. Chicago Ave., 312-508-3398, dovetailchicago.com) is hosting a trunk show with APORTA, a line of hand-woven textiles by local designer Noelle Sharp on Friday March 7, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Jayson Home (1885 N. Clybourn Ave., 773-248-8180, jaysonhome.com) is discounting all upholstered furniture—both in stock and custom orders—by 20 percent. The Spring Upholstery Sale runs through March 31.
  • Christos Garkinos, co-owner of the Los Angeles-based luxury consignment boutique Decades, will preview his new Eureka by Christos Garkinos line at space519 (900 N. Michigan Ave., 312-751-1519, space519.com) on Saturday, March 8 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Meet the designer and shop the line, which ranges from $59.50 to $119.90.