UPCOMING EVENT - October 4 & 5, 2024:
In our 11th year, the Vintage Shop Hop is now "Semi-Annual"!!!! Our 2024 events are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, March1 & 2 and October 4 & 5. Hailed as the 'mother lode' of all vintage road trips, it's a self-guided two days to any number of the 400+ participating VINTAGE shops, ANTIQUE malls, ladies BOUTIQUES, BARN SALES, ODDITY shops and HOME DECOR stores throughout northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.
WE provide a master list of all the participating shops, and YOU provide the shenanigans! You will find:
- farmhouse chic
- true & authentic antiques & vintage from every era
- industrial and automotive relics
- architectural salvage
- barn wood
- piles of windows & doors
- vintage & new boutique clothing
- boho decor
- jewelry old and new
- vintage cottage finds
- cabin goods
- fun junk
- collectibles
- and everything to deck out your she shed, man cave or outdoor bar!
Each year the 400+shop owners roll out the red carpet for you by hosting a fun promotion inside their store. It might be anything from chalk paint demonstrations to jewelry-making demo or music on-site or a parking lot sale. Others may host a "pop the balloon" to determine your discount. Others give away swag bags to the first people in the store each day. It's entirely up to the shop owner to decide what their promotion is...but all make it worth it! Event hours are 10am to 5pm, but shops can open earlier and stay open later if they wish. Some will even begin a day earlier on Thursday, and later on Sunday! Be sure to check the Master List of Shops or our Google Map for the exact hours of each shop. But at the minimum, they'll be open from 10am to 5pm.
We suggest you take a look at the list often as it grows daily, and decide if you want to shop in your own backyard or venture out a little further and make a day or weekend of it. Then, take a few minutes to check out the shop Facebook pages, check their hours, and plan a route for your day! Maybe even spend the night and do it all over again the second day!!
Follow our Facebook page often where you'll find all the details, all the fun shop flyers with details on those who organize town-wide events--and other appropriate posts from the shops themselves. So check our page every day! There's an interactive Google Map for each event! You can click/tap the map locators and see detailed information on each shop. That means while you're out on the road, you can open the map to see what your next shop will be...and that works year 'round. Just open your Google Maps, go to MY MAPS and it will be listed there forever! The map is posted to the Facebook page every few days.
A MASTER LIST OF SHOPS and interactive GOOGLE MAP links can be found on the page tabs at the top of this page...even after the event! If you are viewing this on a smartphone, you may have to tap the HOME button on your screen to navigate back to see the page tabs. Or click the links above.
To participate you must own a vintage shop/antique mall, vintage barn sale event, locally owned home decor store or women's boutique in northern Illinois or southern Wisconsin. The map tab will give you a general idea of the boundaries the event covers. If you're in a rural area without many vintage shops, we can allow other types of shops, but you must contact us first before applying. No box stores, no national chains, no thrifts, no floral/yarn/spice/quilting/ or single item shops or non-profit thrift/resale shops. Registration begins on January 1 (spring event) and August 1 (fall event) every year and ends two weeks before the event.
SHOP OWNERS...if you're interested in participating, you must register. If you are unsure if your shop would qualify, jump to our FB page and send me a private message first). Otherwise...
REGISTRATION: To register your shop, please visit our Facebook page where you will find a link 'pinned' to the top of the page on or after January 1 (spring) or August 1 (fall).
LODGING:
Extend your Road Trip experience by making it a full weekend with friends. Check out your options--many rural areas now have AirB&Bs or bed & breakfast inns to make your stay cozy and fun. Click below links for details.
Illinois Bed & Breakfast Association
Wisconsin Bed & Breakfast Organization
AirB&B listings
Bed & Breakfast.com Illinois
Wisconsin Bed & Breakfast Association
Bed & Breakfast.com Wisconsin
Illinois Office of Tourism
Wisconsin Office of Tourism
Now, grab your friends. hit the road. shop hard.(TM).
Extend your Road Trip experience by making it a full weekend with friends. Check out your options--many rural areas now have AirB&Bs or bed & breakfast inns to make your stay cozy and fun. Click below links for details.
Illinois Bed & Breakfast Association
Wisconsin Bed & Breakfast Organization
AirB&B listings
Bed & Breakfast.com Illinois
Wisconsin Bed & Breakfast Association
Bed & Breakfast.com Wisconsin
Illinois Office of Tourism
Wisconsin Office of Tourism
Now, grab your friends. hit the road. shop hard.(TM).
