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

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. 

Have you heard about our New Mom's Picks?

Want to get featured products delivered to your email every week? 

Sign up for our weekly Mom’s Picks email. We’ve also launched a Mom's Picks Page on Facebook. We will be updating our Urban General Store Facebook Page every week with a recommended product that we think you'll love. Make sure you "like" our page today. 

We will also have a special Mom's Picks Board on Pinterest. We'd love you to follow our pins. 

Or email us at mom[at]urbangeneralstore.com and we’ll add you to the Mom’s Picks list.

2 For Tuesdays: Magnetic Personality

 

Lately we've come across a lot of rare earth magnets being used in unusual and interesting ways. We especially like when magnets are used as a building block for a child's imagination (or the creativity of a grown up kid!).

We love everything about the Tegu 8 Piece Pocket Pouch - Natural Honduran Hardwood Blocks right down to the cute, little felt pouch.

Tegu 8 Piece Pocket Pouch - Natural Honduran Hardwood
Availability: In stock.
$28.00
From Tegu

Tegu blocks are made by safely embedding magnets invisibly inside each block. 

They have created a video feed where a "genius" will take requests on what to build with the blocks at http://live.tegu.com/home.

 

The Buckyballs are 216 powerful Rare Earth magnetic balls that can be shaped, molded, torn apart and snapped together in UNLIMITED WAYS.

Buckyballs Magnetic Desktoy

Buckyballs Magnetic Desktoy
Availability: In stock.
$29.95
From Zoomdoggle

Mash them for stress-relief, mold them for fun, make sculptures and shapes. Once you pick them up, you won't be able to put them down. Please note: Buckyballs are not recommended for any children.

People of a certain age may remember when certain Executive Desk Toys were all the rage. It seems like Trent Reznor does. Check out Nine Inch Nails fascinating video for Only to see a truly artistic and inspired use of retro office accessories.

The subtly sublime "Magnet's Coil" from Sebadoh's 1994 album Bakesale features one of our favorite magnet metaphors "I've gotta find a way to loosen up. I'm wound tighter than a magnet's coil". 

Seems like Lou Barlow could use some Buckyballs!

New Feature: 2 for Tuesdays

We at Urbangeneralstore.com have always fancied ourselves DJs. Be it "radio shows" made on cassette tape recorders in the 1980's, mix CDs for friends in the 1990's or trying to bring a smile (or a chuckle) to the ladies behind the counter at ENJOY, AN URBAN GENERAL with our in-store music.

It is with this love of all things music that we present "2 For Tuesdays"--New Products from Urbangeneralstore.com and Old (and some new) Tunes we love.



Since Mother's Day is THIS Sunday, May 8, we are going to kick this off with All Things Mom.

Our hot seller is the I Love Mom" Gold Necklace with Large White Pearl by Dogeared. It is $46 and is in stock, ready to ship or available for Free In-Store Pick-Up in Chicago at ENJOY, AN URBAN GENERAL STORE.




Maybe your mom is a little less sparkly and a little more flowery. We have just the gift for her--the Pinks Blooms-in-a-Bag from Potting Shed Creations for just $8.95. Order this perennial kit today.







We'd like to dedicate these two awesome songs, with very different messages to Mother, to our moms.  Who are, like these songs, each beautiful in their own way. ENJOY.