Charming Charlie – South Barrington

I can see why people (my girlfriends) go nuts for Charming Charlie. At first glance, it looks amazing. Loads of handbags, necklaces, bracelets, scarves and dresses, all color-​coordinated and beautifully-​arranged. Oooh! Aaaaaaah!
Upon closer inspection, the stuff is cheaply made, and it even looks cheap when you look for more than a second. The prices don’t reflect this, though. They are easily 50% higher than they should be. I can buy higher quality merchandise for less at stores such as H&M and Forever 21. Charming Charlie nails it on presentation, but the substance is lacking.

*SHOPAHOLICS BEWARE*
Enter at your own risk. for once you enter, you may never want to leave!
This place is truly charming. And nothing brings out excitement in my fluttering OCD heart than walking into this adorable shop, with its color coordination and seemingly never ending trinkets, jewelry, shoes, scarves, and hidden treasures. I can (and have) spend hours in this store going rack to rack, finding the perfect accessories to go with every item of clothing I own. picking out some pieces for a night on the town, or just browsing simply to spend money on something I probably don’t really need. Either way I fell in love. Charlie, you have got a hold on me with your talent for matching and inviting décor. If I could just get my hands on a black AmEx card, we could live happily ever after.

Something about this location doesn’t do it for me like their other locations I’ve been to (Woodfield & Randhurst). The workers here just don’t seem as nice here and stay behind the counter instead of being outgoing and friendly.
I have to agree with Erin that the more I go to Charming Charlie’s, I’m becoming more disappointed in things. I’ve bought many earrings and other jewelry pieces that break after a couple of wears or before I even get to wear them! Very sad situation.
The being said, I still love the color coordination at CC making items easy to find plus their prices are fabulous!

Let me just say I fell in love with this store yesterday!
My husband and I were taking a walk around the Arboretum while we waited on our movie to start. I just so happened to walk by this store and with all the pretty colors popping out I had to go and check it out.
I’m not the best at picking out clothes and was ready to leave when my husband asked one of the ladies for help. Her name was Caitlin she was absolutely amazing. She helped me pick out so many great dresses, shirts, sandals and accessories and she was so nice. She should be a personal shopper b/​c every thing she handed me I was like, Yes I’ll get it. I spent over $ 200 and it was well worth it. Can’t wait to go back next weekend :-) I will only be working with her!
Oh and everyone else there was really nice too! :-)

Another great Charming Charlie’s! I do love this store… almost to a fault. It’s hard not to walk in here without buying something! This location is pretty big with lots of shoes, clothing, purse, and of course jewelry! They also have a really large clearance section. They are always getting new merchandise, so you can always find something that wasn’t there the last time. They also have added a lot of stud earrings. Love.

Apparently, the girls here have put me on the «charming charlie’s anonymous» list. Yes, it is THAT dangerous for me to go here. I easily recruit more and more of my friends and family to obsess over this gem with me. You can easily outfit yourself head to toe here, and it’s all pretty affordable. It can be a little overwhelming your first go around, but you’ll definitely find great statement pieces that no one else has.
It’s okay. you can be peer pressured into going here. you won’t regret it.

Need that one accessory that wont break the back to make that perfect outfit look even more perfect? Don’t walk — RUN HERE!
I could spend hours perusing their color coordinated shelves. HUGE selection of purses, jewelry, hair accessories — even clothes and shoes!
The quality of the items is decent. What I have purchased so far has held up well. If you go in there expecting Tiffany’s and Michael Kors — you will be sorely disappointed.

How is it I have never heard of this place until a few months ago? With that question, I will also admit that this review is a little past due. I went here after hearing about it from a co-​worker. I checked out the website first and was shocked to discover it was a large chain of stores located in quite a few states. I muse be behind on the times. Enough about me, onto the review.
After reading the reviews, I had an idea of what to expect, a color coordinated store with a gigantic about of accessories. A majority of the floor is purses, purses, and more purses. There is also a large selection of jewelry, watches, shoes, and even clothing. Most handbags range in price from $ 25-​$ 40. The quality is not top notch but you get what you pay for. At 40 bucks, I am not expecting Coach or Prada. I expect a cute bag to hold up but if I get a few, I won’t feel guilty.
Something to keep in mind, every location does not carry the same thing. This location is a flag ship location, so they have a lot of stuff some smaller stores do not but, a few associates at different stores have told me each store has slightly different inventory.
Overall, I really like this store for fun, trendy items that won’t hurt my wallet. They may or not be those staples that will last for years but it allows you to play with the trends and not cry if it goes out of style in a year.

*love* If your looking for that certain thing to bring a cute outfit together then you need to come here to find it!!! They have everything that you could be looking for… necklaces, earrings, shoes, clothes, purses, and more!!! The price of all their amazing items are reason alone to come check them out!
Now I had bought one of the cutest sunglasses case about 2 months ago from here, my friend saw it and she said she had to have it. Well here comes her birthday and I know the perfect gift already… if only they still had it there. I walk in and think to my self how long it will take me to look through the whole store to find it, and that’s even if they still did. A girl that works there came up to me asking if I needed help, why yes I did… I need an owl sunglasses case that I bought 2 months ago… and what does she say to me… we have one of those left and took me right to the spot!!! I was beyond excited and so was my friend on her birthday!!!

Totally agree with the various and implied «sensory overload» reviews. I, too, took a few steps back as I entered the place. They have LOADS of inexpensive jewelry and accessories.
I say ‘inexpensive’ because I’ve found through personal experience that whilst everything is inexpensive, a few things are cheap, as in, they’ve broken the first or second time I’ve worn them. So it’s cool paying $ 9 for a bling-​tastic fun ring, but not so cool when you find little pieces and beads everywhere after the first few times worn. Same goes for a cool necklace which simply fell off my neck as I sat at my desk.
That’s not to say everything is shoddily-​made; I have two of their cashmere-​like scarves which are deliciously warm and snuggly — even if they do shed all over — on which I’ve received multiple compliments.
I would go back for fun when I’m at the Arboretum again, my expectations are properly set.

Huge store with loads of accessories at reasonable pricing. The items are grouped by color, making displays visually arresting. Color grouping seems awesome if you are looking for something to match a particular outfit, but was very hard to browse. Items are pretty but not good quality. Fun shopping but left empty handed.

GREAT place for accessories, shoes, clothes, or anything else you *think* you might need (leopard print Kleenexes, anyone??)
This store can be a bit overwhelming when you first walk in because it’s HUGE and has… well…everything.
So I always tell my friends that if they don’t have a lot of time, go in thinking of what color you need something in because most of the store is divided into colors. That way you can get what you want and then go!
They are very reasonably priced, and in a good location!

I had a mini panic attack after waltzing into Charming Charlie. The only «calming» factor was the fact that the plethora of baubles, rings, necklaces, etc were organized by color palette. The prices are pretty reasonable too for those frugalistas on a budget.
Unfortunately, I walked out empty-​handed given that I was perusing for a specific dress I just purchased, but I’ll be back (with the dress in tow). And, yes, I said that in a Schwarzenegger voice.

Sensory Overload.
Wow, I don’t even know how to accurately describe this place other than a total accessory mecca. Like the Claire’s for grown ups, or perhaps the Francesca’s for the more budget conscious, Charming Charlie is where you go to find anything you could possibly need to put the finishing touches on your latest ensemble. Think: earrings, bags, necklaces, cocktail rings, belts, clutches, shoes, headbands, scarves, heck, even a limited supply of on-​trend clothes, too. Seriously, I’d never even heard of this place until recently, but CC has a lockdown on the title for largest conglomeration of accessories to be found under one roof. Ever!
This place is huge. I mean huge. Like Paris Hilton huge (cue soundbite:
). There shall be no lack of accessorizing happening in the Northwest Suburbs from here on out, that’s certain.
Fortunately, this massive depot of baubles is organized thoughtfully, which is often by color, and sometimes by style. For the most part, however, the glimmering gold is all is one spot, the canary yellow sparklers are in another and so on and so on…
Easy peasy. As is the price. Everything I perused or purchased was under a $ 30 price point and many items were actually far less than that! Huge ghetto fab hoop earrings, a heather grey cashmere scarf (CASHMERE!!), a colossal statement ring and tons of chunky necklaces, all adorable, all priced for the taking. Me likely.
Great addition to The Arboretum. Go! Shop! Now!. and bring me back somethin’ sparkly.

Cute place and love how everything is color coordinated! Easy to find stuff and great if I’m looking for something to wear that weekend in a particular color! I can be in and out but usually spend at least an hour walking around in awe of such cute stuff. :) Highly suggest for my ladies…

I LOVE this store. Once you walk into this store, you will spend HOURS in here. There’s a HUGE selection of women’s clothing and accessories. They even have shoes to purchase!
You can complete your outfit for the night out on town just by visiting this store. The prices are reasonable at this store.
I love visiting this store also because the store is color coordinated. Every room has a different color scheme, so it makes it easier for you to find something. This store has everything from casual to dressy!
If you are visiting the Arboretum of South Barrington, you MUST stop by this store. You will be amazed by their selection.