By Nicole Cash

Smitten Boutique
1047 W. Madison
www.SmittenBoutique.com

There is a multitude of cute and fun shops around Chicago, but Smitten Boutique is especially awesome. The shop has an entire wall lined with greeting cards, fun Chicago items like a pillow in the shape of the Sears Tower, and Chicago necklaces, baby goods and wedding necessities for the bride and bachelorettes.

“We specialize in the milestones in your life,” sales associate Chelsea Stephens says. “Baby section, wedding section, gifts for the bride or anything she may need the day of. We also do customized wedding invitations.”

Even if you’re not celebrating a special milestone, the store still has fun stuff for anyone and anything. Stephens says the Kate Spade line is very popular, as are the Jellycat stuffed animals for kids. I personally loved the Chicago items and the variety of Kate Spade gifts, such as the bow-shaped paperclips and the gold stapler because, really, who doesn’t need a gold stapler in their life?

The store offers plenty of individual lines in addition to Kate Spade, and Stephens says the lines carried are “curated” for any shopper’s needs. The layout of the store is neat and organized, making it way too easy to find things you’ll want for yourself, let alone for a bride or new baby.