The #1 Reason We #ENJOYChicago is... LINCOLN SQUARE

The #1 Reason We ‪#‎ENJOYChicago‬ is... 

LINCOLN SQUARE

Call us homers, but we love Lincoln Square. From its namesake president to its German heritage to its ever-evolving culture and endless list of things to do, eat, drink and celebrate, Lincoln Square offers the best of what we love about Chicago—a small town main street in the middle of a major metropolis. ENJOY opened 10 years ago in Lincoln Square. It was where we wanted to be and where we wanted grow. And we still ENJOY it.

Selected items from our Chicago Natives section at ENJOY, AN URBAN GENERAL STORE and online at Urbangeneralstore.com

Hot Doug's Legacy Lives on in "Hot Doug's: The Book"

Do you know that there are children being born RIGHT NOW who will never get to taste a hot dog from Hot Doug's!

While lovers of encased meat mourn the closing of Chicago's own "Sausage Superstore" Hot Doug's on Friday, October 3 we can help you relish the "old days" of "waiting in a 2 mile long line" for an exotic wild game hot dog and some duck fat fries. Share this great book with your offspring and show them what they missed.

Hot Doug's: The Book
By Doug Sohn with Kate DeVivo.
From Agate Publishing.
$24.95

Available online at Urbangeneralstore.com and in-store at ENJOY, AN URBAN GENERAL STORE.

Announcing a new gift store concept. All Bacon.

Yes, this was our April Fools joke.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Wilbur Jamón

bacon@urbangeneralstore.com

www.urbangeneralstore.com

Chicago Gift Store Succumbs to the Power of Bacon

CHICAGO, April 1, 2014 — ENJOY, AN URBAN GENERAL STORE, a gift store in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood known as a "one-stop shop" for gifts for all ages and occasions, is announcing their re-concepting. Effective April 1, ENJOY will become an all-bacon store or ENJOY, AN URBAN BACON STORE (urbanbaconstore.com).

On the hooves of successfully selling bacon-themed novelties since 2005, ENJOY’s owner Rebecca Wood has decided to go whole hog with the concept. "Sure, we can offer our customers a tin of bacon flavored mints from Accoutrements or a pair of socks from Portland-based Gumball Poodle emblazoned with ‘bacon,’ but what if everything in the store was bacon or, even better, if the store actually became bacon?”

ENJOY's brightly blue colored walls will be re-painted a red and white marbled color to resemble bacon, and the floors will be carpeted in a red and white shag to invoke the feeling of walking on meaty strips. ENJOY’s jewelry cases will be converted to meat lockers.

Wood hopes to make the store into a multi-sensory experience. “If it truly is an Urban Bacon Store and you leave without feeling hungry or your cholesterol levels spiking, we've not done our job," she says.

Bacon-scented air fresheners and incense diffusers warming bacon grease will fill the store with a smoky, intoxicating aroma of just-fried bacon. 

Hungry shoppers can pig out on sizzling bacon candy, bacon cotton candy, savory bacon flavored bread sticks and Pig Boogers—a bacon bits flavored treat. To wash down the salty snacks, customers can make their own fizzy Bacon seltzer water.

To make the experience complete, ENJOY’s employees (ENJOYees) will wear life-like pig head masks and greet customers with a cheerful snort. New company uniforms will be accented by bacon candy necklaces and cuff bracelets made out of bacon.

Stephanie Edwards, manager of eCommerce and Social Media, says the new retail concept is in response to the seemingly never-ending allure of the meaty treat. “We were bacon ourselves crazy trying to answer the question… how can we offer customers a more bacon-driven experience? The answer became as clear as rendered fat, we needed to become bacon... be the bacon.”

Because only a fool believes that this new store concept will stay fresh longer than an order of crispy bacon, ENJOY, AN URBAN BACON STORE will re-re-concept as an Urban General Store, featuring 1,000’s of gifts (bacon-themed and not), on April 2, 2014.

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ENJOY, AN URBAN GENERAL STORE and Ubangeneralstore.com will be celebrating “One Nation Under Bacon” throughout April, culminating with participation in the 6th annual Baconfest Chicago on Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26. 

Our Lucky 7

When we opened the doors of ENJOY, AN URBAN GENERAL STORE on a hot day in July 2005, we could have never imagined that we be so welcomed and embraced by the residents, businesses, and visitors of Lincoln Square.  We sought to open a shop with a rotating mix of unexpected, fun, and affordable items that offer the perfect gift for any occasion. We strived to embody the spirit of general stores of the past, becoming a familiar, friendly place where the neighborhood goes to pick up what they need and discover what's new. We didn't want to just be located in Lincoln Square, we wanted to be part of it. We have seen the neighborhood change (and grow) in the past years, and we are excitedly looking forward to what the future holds.  Thank you for 7 amazing years. Without your support and patronage we, literally, would be not be here today. Here’s to many more lucky years. We hope you'll help us celebrate our birthday all month long.

Vote Today for Merch Madness Final Round

Vote today!

Merch Madness 2012 Final Round. 

The hipster cool Winestein Beer Stein Wine Glass is taking on the venerable Grand Dame the Mini GurglePot. Vote online at http://a.pgtb.me/cJ9q or in-store at ENJOY, AN URBAN GENERAL STORE. All voters will be entered for a chance to win one of the champion products AND the winning item will be 20% off in April.