Shopping in Village of Campton Hills

Back when Jill Card and her husband were going on their first date, he told her to wear “jeans and a cute top.” More than two decades later, the couple decided that would be the perfect name for Jill’s clothing boutique, where women of all ages and sizes can now find their own jeans and blouse or sweater for a first date, a night on the town with the fellow jury members, or a day spent hanging around the house. Her shop’s apparel quickly earned awards and media attention and enjoyed enough success to launch a second shop just 14 months later and a third boutique three-and-a-half years later. The laudations still pour in; the shop was named the Best Place to Buy Women’s Jeans by West Suburban Living magazine in 2012.

To earn this praise, Jill selects a wide range of jeans from brands such as Silver, Mek Denim, Miracle Body, Jag, Miss Me, Liverpool, and Kut from the Kloth, enabling denim-seekers from multiple generations to find styles they like. Her friendly staff is likewise well versed on the fit and style of every jean in the shop. She also offers free basic hem alterations. To pair with the jeans, Jill's stores overflow with cute tops, sweaters, blouses, and jackets from labels including Dusak, Insight, BB Dakota, Kensie, and Tulle. Jill and her staff also adorn shoppers in necklaces, scarves, and accessories.

Located in a century-old house, consignment boutique The Sassy Fox stocks an inventory of brand-name and designer women's apparel in sizes 0–5X. Offerings range from jeans and casual blouses to formal dresses, and Coach, Dooney & Bourke, and Chico's are a few of the shop's popular brands. Patrons also can procure bracelets and necklaces sourced from Big Bead Jewelry, a company that employs developmentally disabled young adults.

For more than two decades, American Mattress has promoted peaceful slumber in bedchambers throughout the Midwest with their vast selection of mattresses, headboards, and linens. The sleep experts strive to stay abreast of the latest bedding technology: their Serta mattresses are made with gel foam that supports curves, and Tempur-Pedic mattresses repel allergens, mites, and poltergeists looking to spoon. This devotion to a good night’s sleep has helped them earn the title of Best Mattress Store from suburban Chicago’s Daily Herald five years in a row. Additionally, American Mattress doubles down on each of its beds with a 30-day comfort guarantee and a 60-day best-price guarantee.

Matt Puchalski set himself up early for a career in the arts, working as a framer at a nationally renowned studio in high school and enrolling at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. When his workplace unexpectedly went out of business, 20-year-old Matt shrewdly bought up the equipment and customer list, set himself up as the sole proprietor, and decamped to the safety of his parents' basement, where he balanced his coursework with the demands of a small-business owner. Matt's determination and hard work paid off, with streams of repeat customers and corporate clients paving the way for three subsequent business expansions and the company's current success.

A far cry from the shop's humble roots, the current studio shows off the talented staff's technical skill with projects such as a framed flat-screen television or 75-gallon aquarium. Technicians touch up and bring to life faded photographs with restoration projects, and the store's designers craft stunning framing compositions that decorate homes, corporate offices, and even the walls of the White House.

Now that he no longer has to juggle frame crafting and school with the rigors of owning his own business, Matt has time to return to his art, employing brilliant splashes of color to create impressionistic depictions of the stately granite structures, glistening skyscraper lights, and active volcanoes along the iconic Chicago skyline.

Helping customers improve their vision is the main concern of the optometrists and eye-care professionals at Eye Boutique, who provide preventive screenings and help choosing from their more than 1,800 frames at each location. In each shop, licensed doctors of optometry scan eyes with comprehensive exams before diagnosing issues or prescribing high-definition Zeiss lenses and contact lenses from Optix and Acuvue. Designer frames from Guess, Nike, and Kenneth Cole house lenses fashionably, and Teflon protective layers help guard lenses from scratches and reduce glare. Sunglasses from brands such as Ray-Ban and Coach also protect eyes from harmful UV rays, creating an accessory that is both stylish and useful, like a diamond with a job.

Since 1989, Play It Again Sports has been keeping sports green, recycling gently used athletic equipment into new-to-you gear. Products from brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Wilson make up each store's enormous selection of new and recycled gear, which is replenished daily with goods for a wide selection of sports that ranges from baseball and football to snowboarding, skis, and ice skates. Treadmills and exercise bikes equip bodies with muscular suits of armor, and pintsize and adolescent equipment arms youngsters with protective padding until they eat enough bologna to grow muscles of their own. Knowledgeable staffers man each location, ready to answer questions, arrange gear deliveries or pick-ups, and even sharpen skates or wax snowboards. To ensure their stock remains robust, they also encourage athletes to collect their lightly used gear—including bicycles—and bring it into a local store to either sell or trade.