Sometimes the best places are found just slightly off the beaten path. It would be easy to spend an entire day wandering through the shops on Clark Street in the Andersonville neighborhood on Chicago’s north side, but in keeping to the well-worn path you risk missing one of the area’s treasures. A brightly colored façade with cheerful mosaic adornments welcomes the curious wanderer a half block west of Clark Street to GreenSky on Balmoral Avenue. Your detour is well rewarded in this charming shop where whimsical artisan crafts are all sustainably sourced, environmentally responsible and handmade. More than 80% of the items are sourced from artisans in the Great Lakes Region within 250 miles of Chicago.
I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with Nadeen Kieren who owns GreenSky along with her husband Thom. Each item in the shop offers a uniquely interesting story and Nadeen positively bubbles with enthusiasm as she shares them. After spending more than two decades in the corporate world, Nadeen created GreenSky to fill a niche in the neighborhood she clearly loves.
LM: What inspired you to start your business?
We got here somewhat by happenstance. We’ve always enjoyed the “localness” of where we live and at the time had lost a couple of great gift stores in our neighborhood. We wanted to boost the retail presence in the neighborhood as we had been losing more and more of our storefronts to bars, restaurants and banks. We decided to create a little shop that you could visit whenever you needed a gift or wanted to treat yourself.Thom and I enjoy exploring new places and we always seek out those small, interesting little mom and pop shops along the way. We thought that kind of place would be good for our neighborhood. We are all about local and wanted to bring some of that local-ness to our neighborhood.
LM: What’s the story behind the name GreenSky?
“GreenSky” comes from the name of the Ojibway Indian church where we were married. It was founded in the 1860’s by Peter Greensky in Charlevoix, Michigan. We’ve always loved the name!
LM: What are some of your favorite items in the shop?
There are so many! I love the milk jug furniture – colorful year-round outdoor furniture made from recycled milk jugs. Our handbag room holds many fair trade items like the Imaginart handbags made by women in Mexico from recycled soda pop tabs. Our license plate art is always popular. Anastasia Mak’s art is special to us. We commissioned a piece from a photo of the Andersonville water tower and street sign. The original hangs in the shop and high-quality prints are sold here exclusively. Gabriel John candles are made right here in the neighborhood. Each one is set in a wine or cocktail glass that is reusable after the candle is gone. As a proud Michigan native, I love the Cherry Republic Sweets and Leland Blue and Petoskey stone jewelry. I could go on and on! They are almost all favorites! That’s why they are here!
LM: How do you find so many interesting products for your shop?
We actively seek out our artisans, mostly in small art fairs and handmade shows. We look for what is interesting or a “delighter” in some way. We curate our offerings based on their stories, where and how they are made the good it does in our world. We get a kick out of folks who have a vision for things that are about to be thrown away and who then transform them into things that are both functional and put a smile on your face! They are all things that you can feel good about buying because it is does something good. If an item has a story it has a soul. More than 80% are sourced within about 250 miles of us, many items are made within blocks of our shop and we carry lots of Michigan products, (it’s our home state!).
I found a few favorites of my own at GreenSky. The beautiful lamps made of fallen cocoa leaves caught my attention right away. I’ll be back for one of those. I also loved the intricately hand-crafted cutting boards inlaid with several types of wood. They are made by an artisan in Grand Rapids from virgin wood scraps from furniture manufacturers in the area. I left with two John Gabriel Lake House Collection candles. How was I supposed to choose between the Beach and Bonfire scent? Easier to just get both.
When you’re in the Andersonville neighborhood I hope you’ll peek around the corner on Balmoral and head over to GreenSky. You’ll leave with a smile and story.
This article appeared in the Spring 2015 issue of Lakeshore Magazine. Subscribe HERE.
Click the cover image above to read the full issue.
