If you shop in Wicker Park long enough, you learn to look for the staircase. At Una Mae’s (1528 N. Milwaukee Ave.), a neighborhood staple for almost 30 years, the draw is the basement vintage selection, accessible by an unmarked corridor. It’s the speakeasy of Chicago’s thrifting universe. It’s also a fitting counterpoint to the upstairs, which has evolved with Wicker Park, mixing modern labels like Dickies and Rhythm with vintage housewares and name-brand athleisure.

The basement hums with nostalgia: a Coors sign from a long-ago bar and a wall of VHS tapes with an old-school TV playing nothing but static. Clothing racks are organized by color, which makes it dangerously easy to drift from a cherry-red knit bralette to a lineup of camel blazers and gem-speckled denim shirts. Labels read like a 1970s sewing circle — Carole Little, Geraldine Peterson — mixed with slinky slips that double as dresses, faux-leather bags, and deep-cut graphic tees (yes, even a Queen Mary cruise shirt circa the ’80s).

Prices range from $18 to $50 and fresh stock arrives weekly with the best selection early each season. As vintage shops multiply up and down Milwaukee, this one endures by staying unpolished, a little weird, and reliably great.