Haus

Haus and Home    

A visit to Haus is like going to a great crafts fair, but without the crowds, heat, dirt, greasy food, overpriced beverages, and all-too-redundant merchandise. Haus is strictly about the crafts, and a well-edited assortment at that.


Owner Greg Steffens is a potter by trade, and last fall gave up waiting tables and selling his work on the festival circuit to open this Andersonville boutique.

“Artists all talk about how difficult it is to do fairs, so I decided to open a space that focuses on one of a kind, handmade items,” he explains. “To bring it all together and help make art an integral part of everyday life.”  

The domestic arts and everyday crafts on display range from handmade ceramics to blown glass lamps and vases. More unusual objéts d’art are displayed on carved wood occasional tables, and a selection of handmade jewelry rounds out the shop’s collection of unique pieces. Signs encourage customers to interact with the merchandise. “Objects should be handled, touched and used,” says Steffens.   

Affordability is important too, and the majority of pieces at Haus range from $50 to $150 dollars. Some items, such as ceramic cups and plates, cost less than $25, while a handful of larger pieces lean toward the more expensive.  

 

But the art is accessible, which is exactly how Steffens likes it. “A lot of people don’t feel comfortable buying art but they do feel comfortable buying a bowl and maybe hanging it on the wall,” he says. “In my opinion, that is art. I want people to feel they can pick up a piece they like and become a collector.”   

The one thing not available at Haus is work by its owner. “I haven’t been in the studio in two years,” he says. Not since conceiving and launching his own shop. He currently has no plans to display his own creations, choosing instead to focus on the works of others – bringing them together in a comfortable space and ultimately getting them into people’s homes, where the art belongs.  

 

Haus

5405 N. Clark St.  
Chicago, IL 60640
773.769.4000

www.hauschicago.com

 

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SeeMore Shopping Contributing Writer – L. Heller.
 
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Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. SeeMoreShopping incurs all expenses associated with reviews. Publ.  07/07.