Locale // Gather Home & Lifestyle in Wicker Park, Chicago

Gather Home & Lifestyle is making waves as a seriously beautiful little shop in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. If you haven’t seen some photo of the space on instagram, then you might be living under a rock because everyone who stops in can’t help but take a snap before leaving with their cute home good purchases.

It amazed me that owner Kristen just opened up the space last December, because it seems like overnight it’s one of the most popular spots to visit on the West Side. That might have something to do with her amazingly curated home goods selection but I think an awful lot of the credit goes to her impeccable minimalist taste when it comes to interior design. Which, speaking of, can you believe she designed the entire space herself?! Talk about a baller shot caller. Yeah, I went there.

I got the chance to hang out with her a bit as I shot photos and she is really the sweetest girl, so make sure you stop in and have some chats with her on your visit! I was also lucky enough to interview her a bit on what goes into being a bad ass boss lady, so be sure to see what she has to say!

Q. When did you know you wanted to open your own shop?
A. Opening my own shop was something that came really naturally to me. I had been working as a Visual Merchandiser for several years for corporate companies and it just seemed like the right time to transition to my own shop.

Q.  How do you go about finding the vendors to sell in GHL?
A. I initially started by reaching out to some of my favorite small makers that I was already familiar with, whether from Instagram or because I already owned some of their products personally. From there I scoured other shops from around the country that fit the aesthetic of how I envisioned the shop to look and used them as resources.  Now it’s a little bit of mix – some vendors reach out to me, some I see on social media, and others get recommended.

Q. Is the aesthetic of the shop similar to the aesthetic of your home?
A. Absolutely! It’s always easiest to do what you know best and that’s essentially how the shop came together. I really admire modern, neutral interiors and I think that shows.

Q. What is your favorite item in the shop right now?
A. These are always the hardest questions to answer. Everything I put in the shop is hand selected and are items that I would personally own, suggest, or give as gifts to friends, so there isn’t much that I don’t really love. A Questions Of Eagles out of Los Angeles is probably my favorite maker currently, but I’m also really excited to collaborate with Hackwith Design House this summer.

Q. What’s the most exciting thing about having your own retail space and also the scariest or worst?
A. The best part is being in complete control of the vision. I spent so many years working to create things that others wanted created and now I create for myself. At the end of the day everything in the shop comes back to my final stamp of approval. The scariest part is the idea of not being successful. Just because I’ve created a space I think is great, it doesn’t mean other people will come shop it.

Q. And just for fun what’s your favorite thing to do in chicago??
A. I love going out for drinks or meals at local spots. At the end of the day it’s the local places that make the city a great place to live and unique city to visit.