It’s been a WHOLE year since I’ve popped up in the city and baby… we are not sliding back in quietly. Strugglebeard is celebrating Women’s History Month the only way he knows how — with women-owned businesses, good vibes, sweet treats, karaoke, and a lil razzle dazzle.

Location: Strugglebeard Bakery

Time: Noon – 5PM

Karaoke + Drinks flowing

When I say we’re doing it BIG… I’m bringing the entire Kissed By A Bee Organics line. Yes. The whole farm-to-skin apothecary is pulling up. Body oils, butters, washes, deodorant, the works. If you’ve been waiting to smell it, try it, stock up on it — this is your moment. Quantities will be limited!

But wait… it gets better.

• Scent of Serenity By Iesha will be in the building with her candles, room sprays, and incense to set the mood properly.
• Big & Purty Customs is bringing those jaw-dropping Ankara kimonos that make you feel like royalty when you walk into a room.

Strugglebeard Bakery? Oh he didn’t come to play. He’ll be serving baked goods made with my home-grown botanicals and honey. Farm-to-skin meets farm-to-oven. Don’t play with it.

This is community and sister hood and brother hood, and grown.

Pull up. Bring your friends. Wear something cute. Sing karaoke. Shop Black women. Eat good. Smell divine. Leave moisturized.

Chicago… let’s make it a movie.

This month, we’re love-bombing Call and Response Books in Hyde Park, and the timing is intentional.
There’s a big box bookstore opening in HP this month, and we’re diverting the attention from them back to the neighborhood bookstores we love.
Join us on February 22nd for CIRCULATE, Chicago’s Small Shop Rent Party, and spread the word to all the book lovers you know!

CIRCULATE
Call and Response Books
1390 E 51st St. (entrance on Dorchester)
Feb. 22 from 2 to 4 pm

Vintage clothing is living history. Each piece carries a past — stories stitched into every seam — and when it finds a new home, it begins again.

Join us on March 14th at the Arts Incubator for the Forever Fly Vintage Market and celebrate vintage as living history: fashion that keeps moving, shifting and showing up fresh. Discover incredible South Side vintage sellers with curated selections that will remind us all that great style is sustainable, and built to last.The best fashion never really leaves — it comes back around.

Featured Vendors:

Gilda Designer Thrift Boutique

Ruby | Fine Hibiscus Tea

Christopher’s Attic

HML

DJ Tess

Harper Studio Vintage

Miyagi Record Shop

Thrift LLC

Aplomb Creative Salon

Thick Chick Vintage

Gaudy & Luxe Consignment

With music by Kida Darling

Hyde Park Farmers Market Holiday Makers Market

On Saturday, December 20, 2025, Chicago’s Hyde Park Farmers Market (HPFM) will host a day of shopping at The Promontory (5311 S. Lake Park Avenue West), offering a festive indoor experience from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Shop locally this season and explore a range of unique holiday gifts, including packaged goods, original art, jewelry, wellness products, holiday stationery, and custom gift baskets—perfect for seasonal shopping.

The HPFM Holiday Makers Market will also feature raffles and special performances, adding an extra layer of excitement to the holiday shopping experience. Raffles are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. Must be present to win.

Two Raffles • Live Performances • Seasonal Shopping

Packaged goods, unique art, jewelry, wellness products, holiday stationery, custom gift baskets, and more.

Kick off the holiday season with this fabulous bazaar, featuring baked goods, jewelry, handmade items, vintage treasures, a silent auction, and a raffle of gift certificates to local restaurants, stores, and events. You never know what you’ll find or who you’ll see! All proceeds go to our carefully chosen charities, most of which are in or near Hyde Park.

Get ready for the return of Marché Privé this Fall on October 12th, as an official Chicago Fashion Week event! This pop-up will feature a curated list of BIPOC local vendors with a primary focus on fashion and its impact on our everyday lives. Be ready to indulge in ready-to-wear collections from local designers, luxury vintage finds, exquisite jewelry, and one-of-a-kind accessories. Marché Privé (Private Marketplace) is a curated luxury pop-up market celebrating Chicago’s BIPOC creative entrepreneurs. Founded with a mission to provide a platform for local artisans and designers, Marché Privé aims to foster community connections and support small businesses through curated events and experiences.

Join us for Sip + Shop, a series of gatherings at the L1 Retail Store that showcase local creative entrepreneurs with a curated shopping experience, drinks and bites, and good vibes.

Each month, our Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Peter Gaona of Reformed School, invites guest entrepreneurs to share their wares and connect with you. It’s an easy and joyful way to #SupportSouthSideArtists—come sip, shop, and show love to local makers!!

October’s featured guests are Morocco B. Assouline, Founder and Managing Partner of Coalesce, and visual and textile artist IICKOMIQUE

COALESCE is a boutique consultancy dedicated to elevating personal brands, lifestyles, and experiences with artistry and intention. We guide individuals, families, and organizations in curating meaningful expressions of identity—whether through refined personal style, thoughtfully assembled art collections, or interior design that leave lasting impressions. Blending creativity with strategy, we bring clarity, elegance, and resonance to every detail, ensuring our clients’ stories unfold with sophistication and purpose.

Born in Trinidad & raised in the Virgin Islands. iickomique has built a practice bringing together the teachings of his father and being multi-cultural. The artist creates his works from a variety of used and non-traditional materials, motivated by his father encouraging him to “use what you have” and “there are no mistakes”.

Working with tea, watercolor, charcoal, pencil, inks + other materials on new and used paper. Seeking ways to create his work with materials and practices that make the smallest carbon footprint possible & embraces inspiration in the aging process of materials used.

All APL programs are free and open to the public. To help us continue to provide these programs and build a hub for arts & culture on the South Side, we appreciate donations of all sizes. Your support sustains the rich ecosystem of artists that make the Arts Block so vibrant. To make a donation, please visit our giving page.