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| - Mission: Find Damian a warm winter coat.
Qualifications: No puffer jacket, shop local, great price
9 days ago I took my beautiful, loving, sweet as anything puppy out for a potty break when it became clear to me that HOLY CRAP IT'S COLD IN CHICAGO. Turns out my wool topcoat doesn't really cut it in these frigid temperatures and, with the almanac calling for one of the coldest Winters on record, it was about time I invest in an amazingly stylish, comfortable, and WARM winter jacket. Since I exhausted nearly every option in Chicago I thought I would give my search a whirl at home. A quick Yelp search led me to Appalachian Outfitters...
...which I have passed by hundreds of times. I went to high school down the road and my former-athlete self used to frequent Virginia Kendall on a regular basis. Who knew this place was such a treasure?
I was impressed with how busy the place was on a Saturday but given that it was sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday it seemed there were many looking to score some great deals. I found my way over to the Men's section (which loops around the left side of the building from the entrance) to see what I could find. There are your more well-known names: North Face, Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear, etc. along with several lesser-known (read: smaller operations and foreign) brands. I wanted something to mix up my excessive amount of North Face and Mountain Hardwear jackets in my closet and was excited to see that they carry the Jack Wolfskin line. When I was in Germany a couple years ago I noticed EVERYONE was wearing this brand and, although I am not fashion forward, I thought it strange I had never heard of it. I really liked the style but had not seen it anywhere else until I stopped in this store. Since most of the jackets are locked with cables I had to wait a few minutes before an associate came by to try it on. Soon Andrea, one of the associates, stopped by and we spent a bit of time talking about the brand, other stock they carry, the weather, and a bunch of other things. Admittedly I tend to avoid store associates like the plague but this was a time that I really needed some help, and Andrea was there to help out. Even the SO ended up walking out with an impulse buy. If only she were to have gotten a commission on the sales!
This store has a wide selection of items for all your outdoorsy activities. Even before the Black Friday discount I thought the prices were completely fair and was happy that they have a rewards program (which calculated to approximately 2%) for repeat shoppers. The added bonus was that I was able to support a local business. Win-win for all!
Though distance will prevent me from making this a more regular go-to for my outdoors needs I will definitely be recommending it to friends and family in the area. I am looking forward to staying warm all Winter long!
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