Isle of Man

I can’t wait for the day I get to step inside this place.
I’ve gone twice now and paid street parking only to find the doors closed when they are «supposed» to be open. It’s a bummer but actually, I’m totally ok with this because I used to frequent this record store that was run by one man and he’d only open the shop when he felt like it and that was his choice and I thought it was funny and kind of adorable.
The problem is they don’t seem to pick up their phone either? So there really isn’t a way to confirm whether they’re going to be open or not and when you live out in the burbs like me and muscle thru traffic just to get here, it sucks.
Maybe, just maybe, this is a sign that I do not belong here…

What a great store. Barbour, triumph, and other cool brands filled with wood and leather products. I liked the beard products along with the new and small selection vintage products. The décor is filled with other vintage products too.
Go there when in town.

Came here again next week and once again closed during posted hours.
Seems like they don’t want the after work crowd business.

Enjoyed browsing the excellently curated selection of vintage home accessories and manly man accoutrements; but this is not a clothing store. There is no men’s clothing aside from the limited selection of store branded tee shirts. Very disappointing!

Great store in Chicago. I agree with someone who said the name was terrible, but inside the place is pretty awesome. Tons of great stuff, very well edited. I bought a pair of sunglasses here. The woman was super patient. Vintage leather jackets, great sunglasses, old books. Great for gifts. Nothing like it in Chicago. Something unique. Check it out.

You get what you pay for and this store is worth every penny. For the most part people have forgotten what being a guy is all about. This store is here to remind everyone of the necessities. Perfect ideas for any man on your list.

I’m a lady who prefers gentlemen on motorcycles. Preferably a gentleman with a 57′ BSA B31 or a 69′ Triumph TR6. I may not ride motorcycles myself (I’m a long time urban bicycle girl) but I can appreciate and have been around dudes and motorbikes for a good long while…
Which is why I feel totally comfortable shopping at Isle of Man. The products are top notch. I love that they carry local artisans. And the staff is always friendly, knowledgeable, warm and welcoming. For my vintage motorcycle man, it’s just the right place to indulge in some fun products for him… Although, he’s usually busy spending most of his time riding, working, and working on cycles and doesn’t seem to ever need to shop, but that’s what I’m there for…

I want to send every guy I know here to stock up on «MAN STUFF.»
And I don’t mean «Oh Bro, we’re going to the bar later to watch State U and U of State play football and drink a million bomb shots» MAN STUFF.
I mean «Steve McQueen fights a bear with his hands while getting a straight razor shave and riding a motorcycle» MAN STUFF.
You know — MAN STUFF.
REAL MAN STUFF.
There are old steamer trunks and Pan Am accessories and leather jackets and the sexiest Alden boots (look ‘em up if you don’t know) you’ve ever seen.
Ladies, send your men here. You’re welcome.

I really wanted to hate this place. Kind of a terrible name, right? And the whole idea of «accessories & apparel for men of character» turned me right off. But that was before I walked in the door.
Yeah, okay, this is where Steve McQueen might’ve shopped, though it pains me to imagine Steve McQueen driving to North Center to pick out his motorcycle gear. But you know, it’s cool. Really cool. A lot of the goods, I’ve never seen anywhere else in the city. That alone is saying something. I spent more than a few minutes fantasizing about the fella whose home I might fill with this stuff.
Isle of Man, you just might bring out the sugar mama in me for the next man in my life.

This is the type of place a guy goes to to be a guy. Guys don’t typically like to shop, but if they come here, it’ll be an eye-​opening experience.
The layout is fantastic. From antique gas station signs, mounted antlers hanging over the register, and steam punk looking lamps available for purchase, I am am not sure how any guy can not like this shop.
My boyfriend was attracted to the custom shoes and the wide availability of shaving products. He was like a kid in a candy store. I was thrilled to find several moleskin journals that I immediately latched onto (I am partial to journals, and although I am a horrible artist, I love writing random tidbits and doodles on the train going to work). There are very few products for women here, but they did have some shirts (but if you’re like me, you’ll also want the men’s messenger bags as well).
The cashier also informed us that the space next door is a gallery and available for private parties and events. Exciting!
For the guy who has everything, I now know where to go to find the one thing they don’t yet have.

Expensive but cool. And any place that would have straight-​razor shaves during their opening party is cool in my book.

This place is sick.
They have the most random things like Vosges Haut-​Chocolat bacon choco chip pancake mix, porcupine quills, barbershop chairs, and legit chef knives.
I thought everything would be overpriced, but definitely not the case, everything was moderately priced.
But to sum up my experience … penis envy.

GENTEEL, adj. Refined, after the fashion of a gent.
Observe with care, my son, the distinction I reveal:
A gentleman is gentle and a gent genteel.
Heed not the definitions your «unabridged» presents,
For dictionary makers are generally gents.
— Father Gassalasca Jape, cited in The Devil’s Dictionary, published by Ambrose Bierce, roughly between 1881 – 1906, mostly in «The Cynic’s Word Book.»
Great paraphernalia for man… mostly overpriced but not by much. I was browsing, not shopping so didn’t have a reason to engage the boss on the subject of negotiation. I have a hunch for higher end items they would negotiate.
There are old playboy books, leather clothes and coats; shaving chotschkes and a lot of other miscellania ranging from drek to chazerai, and then to very good, very good enough, and downright excellent, like the restored circa 1970 Honda mini-​bike…
I have seen nicer brass clothing stands, but maybe they weren’t for sale, officially.
Great assortment of sunglasses, too.
AWESOME kitchen knives — worth going just to see them.
I will be back, surely.

A dream toy store for men. Probably as close as Chicago gets to London’s Dunhill store.

I really enjoy this store– I feel like the value on the items you see in there is better than a lot of similar stores. I really think it would fit better in Andersonville but I guess. I got a cool shaker– I will add a picture and the shaker and 4 glasses was $ 35 so I think that was a great price.

«What the heck am I doing here? I don’t belong here.»
Not because IOM (and yours truly) is not a hot piece of real estate, but I don’t shop. Ever. It’s not in my DNA. I eat. I drink. I write. I mock. I laugh about mocking. I side-​eye. I see. Sometimes I move it, move it. I pass out. That’s pretty much sums me up. Shopping is not a part of the repertoire. But, when shopping is combined with a cool, WWII-​era shop with motorcycle jackets, motorcycle helmets, MOTORCYCLES, classy (seriously) Playboy coffee table pictorial histories, shaving kits, and moisturizers (!)… well, I might have to change my mind.
I’m usually wary of ‘man shops’ because I think they try too hard. IOM doesn’t try. It just is. If I were as old as some think I am, I imagine that I would relate its coolness to Steve McQueen. As it is, the only reference I have is a Sheryl Crow song. But, I think McQueen was pretty cool. He’d shop at IOM. Or, maybe he’d just be seen here. In any case, he’d hang out. And, that’s cool. IOM IS cool. You’ll feel cool walking through the doorway. You’ll look cool with a pair of its vintage aviators. You’ll be cool once you give me a gift certificate. You want to be cool, don’t you? My IOM shaving supplies adds to my air of mystery (just touch that smooth, yet masculine skin), but I need hats and sunglasses (throw in a jacket, too), if you’re really going to buy my love.
There’s no other place in Chicago like IOM. Be an original. Shop local. Support cool shops.

cool, cool place. If the most interesting man in the world owned a shop it would probably look something like Isle of Man. Part history museum, part contemporary male haberdashery, you can tell that every item from old to new has been carefully selected. Thanks, I’ll be back.

This place is fantastic. To use the «parlance of our times», it’s a well-​curated collection of male interest. From the art to the display pieces to the cufflinks and even candy, it’s well played. The clothing is either hand-​picked IOM-​tagged vintage or vintage-​look t-​shirts. I wish they’d expand the clothing a bit, but they have a lot of non-​clothing sweet spots.
One suggestion, Gents, handkerchiefs and pocket squares. I’ll be back soon to check on that.
Prices are boutique-​level, but there’s nothing else like this place in Chicago.

This is a fabulous store for all things man, however, the gals can wear the hats too. Hit this place for your men this holiday season! Great vintage-​y tshirts and messenger bags and of course, amazing shaving sets.

Very cool bachelor-​themed, toys, antiques, furnishings, clothing, the list goes on. From vintage motorcycle helmets to antique, fine leather, vintage Louis Vuitton luggage and vintage Playboy magazines this place is truly unique. Chicago has nothing else like this store.
If you’re a designer looking to complete an upscale bachelor pad with a touch of class and novelty with a nod to masculine sexual irreverence this is the place. Described in the Sun-​Times as a «man-​tique» they carry everything man. Shaving brushes, cuff links, fedoras and bomber jackets.
You’re sure to find some rare, unique things in here you won’t find anywhere else.