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| Phone | Misc | News/TV/Radio | Getting Around | Shopping | Entertainment | Restaurants | |
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Places to shop Food shopping
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Aldi 701 N Mattis (across from Kraft), Champaign 3102 E University, Urbana |
Save A Lot 220 N Broadway, Urbana 384-6885 |
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Deals Nothing Over A Dollar 245 S Mattis (Country Fair Shopping Ctr), Champaign 356-4036 |
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County Market
(www.countymarket.com)
stores are probably the next least expensive grocery stores -- not
part of Super Stores like Meijer, or Sam's Club (listed later). They
generally have good prices on produce and have weekly specials, their
own delis, and bakeries. This is where I do my grocery shopping.
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Champaign County Market stores |
Urbana County Market stores |
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1914 Glenn Park (off Mattis, N of I-72) 356-8242 |
2901 W Kirby Ave (at Duncan Road) 351-8600 |
1819 Philo Road 337-0210 |
Jerry's IGA (www.kirbyfoods.com) stores. They carry some hard to find items and have salad bars in their stores. I find the Jerry's on Kirby to be a bit pricey on most items, and the selection is somewhat limited, but it is the only large grocery store convenient to campus.
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Champaign Jerry's IGA |
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312 W Kirby 352-0019 (near campus) 2110 Round Barn Rd 352-8715 |
If you can afford it, Schnuck's (www.schnucks.com) stores are incredible. They tend to be a bit expensive, but have incredible selections on produce, meat, and bakery items. You can find lower price items on sale. They even have a video rental store attached so you can rent a movie to watch after your grueling trip to the store!
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Schnuck's in Champaign 109 N Mattis (south of I-72 exit) 351-2600 |
Schnuck's in Urbana corner of Main and Vine 337-6016 |
Schnuck's in Savoy (6am-Midnight) 1301 Savoy Plaza Center 373-0700 |
During the summer months and early fall, there are farmer's markets that sell fresh produce from local growers. Several of the shopping malls will host these markets in their parking lots at various times during the week. For example, there is a regular Saturday morning farmer's market at Lincoln Square in Urbana. Check the papers for other locations.
You can also
find roadside stands that sell Indiana melons, sweet corn, and
tomatoes toward the end of the summer. Nothing is better than fresh off
the farm Illini Double sweet corn or sun-ripe tomatoes, though they can
sometimes be expensive. And Indiana melons are bigger and sweeter than
the ones in the stores from California. They grow it better in the
Midwest!! One stand is located on Springfield Avenue, west of Mattis,
just in front of Lil Porgy's BBQ (listed later).
Super Discount stores
These super-stores have a very wide variety of items, from clothing to electronic equipment to automotive supplies, with fairly reasonable prices on most items. Some are open 24 hours. The North Prospect/Baytowne corridor is the mega-shopping area for these stores, though some are opening up in different areas of C-U and surrounding areas.These super discount stores are open 24 hours a day – and have grocery stores:
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Wal-Mart Super Center |
Meijer (One of Cindy's favorite
stores!) |
These super discount stores are open 24 hours a day – and have grocery stores:
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Farm and Fleet
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Sam's Club - Member's Only
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| 4Target (www.target.com) 2102 N Prospect, Champaign 355-3325 |
Kohl's (www.kohls.com) 109 Convenience Ctr Rd,Champaign 352-0431 |
Special Discount stores
These are really, really, really inexpensive places to shop – they have packaged food items, too!|
Big Lots (I love this place!) |
Dollar General
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International/Specialty Food shops
Please note that, in general, specialty shops, or shops that carry only one or two main items, are more costly than your super stores or regular grocery stores. A lot of times, however, they are the only place you can get certain items, and it is, therefore, worth the extra cost.International Shops
The University
of Illinois draws students from all over the world. There are a few
stores in town that carry international foods and spices, vegetarian
foods, health foods, and gourmet items.
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Art Mart (www.shopartmart.com/Home.html) Lincoln Square
Village, Urbana 344-7979 |
The Green Onion 2020 S Neil, Champaign 359-5370 International grocery store |
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Common Ground Food Co-Op Lincoln Square
Village, Urbana 352-3347 |
World Harvest International & Gourmet Foods 519 E University Ave 356-4444 Corner of University & 6th Streets |
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Bazaar (Indian food) 604 S lst Street, Champaign 355-8890 |
Am-Ko Oriental Foods & Gifts 101 E Springfield, Champaign 398-2922 |
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Lee’s Oriental Foods (next to Kirby
IGA) |
Far East |
| Euro-Mart International Market 48 E Springfield, Champaign 355-1477 |
El Charro Mexican Grocery 55 E Green Street, Champaign 337-6647 There are also Mexican grocery stores at 900 S Neil St in Champaign and near the 500 block of N Cunningham Ave in Urbana. |
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Strawberry Fields 306 W
Springfield Ave, Urbana 328-1655 |
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Specialty Foods
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Old Time Meat and Deli Shoppe 2018 S Neil, Champaign 355-0000 Great deli sandwiches made to order. Superior meat selection. Amish raised poultry. |
Fresh Catch |
Drug Stores
Though not really a type of food store, these stores do carry quick to prepare foods and snack items. Drug stores carry personal care items (such as hair care products, deodorant, soap, perfumes, makeup), liquor, stationery supplies and greeting cards, along with over-the-counter drugs such as aspirin, cold remedies, allergy medication, antiseptics, etc. They also have prescription medication services available. You can buy the commercial brands, which tend to be more expensive, or you can get generic or store brands at significantly lower prices. (Note: most of the grocery and super stores have similar items and services.)
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CVS Drug Stores |
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107 W Green (at
Neil) Champaign 355-8123 |
243 S Mattis,
Champaign |
1818 S Philo Rd,
Urbana |
| Walgreen Drug
Stores (www.walgreens.com) |
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| Champaign |
Urbana |
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407 E
Green, |
1509
S Neil |
841
Bloomington Rd |
Mattis
& Springfield |
2402
Village Green Pl (at Duncan) |
302
E University (at Cunningham) |
1801 S Philo Rd 367-5486 |
Shop Til You Drop
There are
several shopping malls are located in Champaign-Urbana, and all are on
bus routes. Shopping malls are usually enclosed areas that house many
separate businesses within their walls. In general, the stores located
in malls are not inexpensive – unless you can find things on sale –
though they do offer the advantage of convenience.
I will first
list the major malls and some of the strip malls in town. Though I
discovered while driving around town to locate the various strip malls
that there are far too many too mention here. I will then address the
cheaper places to shop – the super discount stores and special discount
stores – where I do my shopping, since my dollar goes much farther!
Shopping Malls
Market Place
Mall is the largest mall in town. It has clothing and shoe stores,
jewelry stores, gift shops, specialty stores, music and bookstores, and
a food court. There are several major department stores located in
Market Place including Bergner’s, Macy’s, JC Penney, Sears, Victoria’s
Secret, Aeropostale, Coldwater Creek, Edie Bauer, Banana Republic, and
Gap.
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Market Place
Mall (www.marketplacemall.com) 356-2700 |
These are some
of the smaller malls in town. Lincoln Square was the first indoor malls
in Illinois! Lincoln Square and Country Fair have no big name
department stores right now, just a few specialty shops.
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Lincoln
Square Mall (www.lincolnsquarevillage.com/home/shop.html) Directly east on Green St from campus |
Country Fair Shopping Center Corner of Mattis and Springfield, Champaign 356-3717 |
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Market View Shopping Center South of Market Place Mall, Champaign 351-1055
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Strip Malls
Strip malls are
springing up all over and are very popular. They usually house only a
few specialized shops, maybe a restaurant, and then smaller shops like
a dry cleaners, tanning salon, or a cell phone company. Here are just a
few:
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Old Farm Shops |
Savoy Plaza |
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Windsor Gallery 1100 W Windsor (near Galen), Champaign Zelma's, Sun Singer Wines & Spirits, Sweet Indulgence Bakery, Champaign Telephone |
Round Barn Centre Mattis & Springfield, Champaign Village Inn Pizza, Famous Dave’s, Original Pancake House, Kinko's, Ace Hardware, Gold's Gym, Jerry's IGA |
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Hillcrest Center 2000 block of S Neil Street, Champaign Old Time Meat & Deli, Green Onion. |
Shops of Knollwood 2200 block of S Neil Street, Champaign Biaggi's, Great Harvest Bread Company, Le Peep |
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University
Centre |
Northgate
Plaza |
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Royal Plaza |
Stadium Plaza 1400 block of S Neil Street, Champaign Subway, Espresso Royale |
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Schnuck's
Urbana Crossing |
Village at
the Crossing |
Budget Clothing stores
There are many
budget clothing stores around town. You may have to go through racks of
clothing to find just what you want, but it can be worth it!
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TJ Maxx Name brand items for 1/2 price or less! This is another store that buys "seconds" from the department stores. |
Gordman's Brand name for 1/2 price or less! Also is another store that buys "seconds" from the department stores. |
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Dots Next door to Target. Nothing is over $10! |
Fashion Bug Located near Kohl's |
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Goodwill
Thrift Store Second-hand clothes for less. |
Salvation
Army Thrift Store Second hand clothes, furniture, etc. |
Consignment Clothing Stores
Consignment stores only take 'slightly used' clothes, many of which are designer labels. They offer exceptional clothing at garage sale prices.
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Karen's Kloset |
Yours, Mine,
and Ours 1824 Glen Park,
Champaign (next to County Market) |
Furniture Stores
There are a lot
of furniture stores in town. These are places you can get used
furniture for a fraction of the cost of new. You should also check out
the “super discount” and “special discount” stores for furniture items.
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Habitat for Humanity ReStore |
YMCA Dump and Run (end of August
only) |
| Goodwill Thrift Store (www.goodwill.org) 1102 N Prospect, Champaign 356-4021 |
Salvation Army Thrift Store (www.salvationarmy.org) 2212 N Market, Champaign 373-7825 |
Home improvement stores
Several home improvement stores are in the area as well where you can buy paint, tools, lumber, nails, lawn care products, etc.|
Lowe's Huge store with lumber yard & garden shop and very good prices/selections. Have a little bigger selection than Menard’s, but can cost a bit more. |
Menards Huge new store
with lumber yard, garden shop, etc. - prices competitive with Lowe's. I
primarily shop here for the best prices. |
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Home Depot Huge store with
lumber yard, nursery, etc. |
Farm and Fleet Everything from overalls to paint to car batteries. |
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Do It Best
Hardware A little more expensive. Also have a quality china shop, and a garden shop each spring. |
True Value
Stores Have equipment available to rent, like dollies, carts, etc. |
Electronic
equipment
For electronic
items, stereo equipment, TVs, VCRs, CD players, DVD players; here are
some of the lesser expensive places specializing in electronics. You
can also find them at your "super discount stores".
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Best Buy Wide selection of name brands at good prices. |
Circuit City Wide selection of name brands at good prices. |
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Radio Shack 2020 N Prospect & most malls in town
Gadgets & gizmos for the electronically handy. |
Good Vibes (www.gvibes.com) 1501 N Prospect, Champaign 351-0909 Very knowledgeable staff and excellent high end equipment – much more expensive than the other places. |
Bookstores and Libraries
Libraries
I f you want a
good book to curl up with, probably the cheapest thing to do is to go
to the local library and borrow a book for
free!
The U of I
boasts one of the largest public university libraries in the nation!
All registered students have access to the
University library services.
U of I Main Library1408 W Gregory 333-2290 |
There are also 2 public libraries in C-U. Library cards are free to residents of the city where the library is located. You can also purchase, for a nominal fee, a card that gives you access to the other city's library. You can borrow CD's, videotapes, books. Tax forms are available Jan-April, as well as tax assistance. There are also seminars, story-telling events, etc
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Champaign Public Library (www.champaign.org) |
Urbana Free Library(www.prairienet.org/ufl)201 S Race, Urbana 367-4057 |
Bookstores
There are
several bookstores on campus. The following carry U of I textbooks,
trademark items, memorabilia, t-shirts, calendars, class supplies.
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Illini Union
Bookstore |
Follett's E2
Bookstore |
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TIS College
Bookstore |
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Support your local businesses!
There are also
many popular, locally owned bookstores in town.
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Pages for All
Ages Have couches so you can leisurely browse through your prospective book choices. Also have a coffee shop/cafe. |
Insight
Metaphysical Bookstore (cool place!) This store is internet only! The physical store is closed. Sell new age books, tapes, incense, tarot cards, gemstones, etc. |
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G-Mart Comic books, great selection, very friendly. |
The Dragon's
Table Fantasy role playing items, gaming tournaments. |
| Other Realm 506 E Green, (campus) Champaign 344-5514 Fantasy books, comics, games
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Used Books
Used bookstores
are very popular. You can get older best sellers and out-of-print
titles at reasonable prices. If they don't have the book you want, you
can even place an order and they will try to find it for you.
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Jane Addams
Book Shop |
Old Main
Bookshoppe |
| Priceless
Books (www.abebooks.com) 108 W Main Street, Urbana 344-4037 |
Babbitt’s Books (www.babbittsbooks.com) 888-875-3773 (just moved to Normal, IL) |
Big Corporate Chain Bookstores
Big corporate
chain bookstores are always springing up in town. Here are a few of
them:
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Barnes and
Noble Café, international newspapers, magazines. |
Borders Café, music, etc. |
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Waldenbooks |
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So you don't go in without being forewarned...these are adult bookstores (they sell pornographic materials): Urbana News; Illini Video Arcade; Holiday Adult Arcade; Fantasy's.
Collectibles and Arts & Crafts
I love shopping
for collectibles and objects d'art. For the most part, these
are places I have been or have had recommended to me in my quest to
acquire the largest hippo collection in the world! (Now you know where
all my extra money goes...)
Collectibles
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Prairie
Gardens In addition to collector’s items, they have plants and garden supplies. They also offer framing services and do artificial floral arrangements. |
International
Galleries Art posters, pottery, jewelry, on-site custom framing services, elegant boxes, wind chimes, cards... Large selection of animal jewelry, figurines, and objects d'art. |
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Art Mart International foods/coffee, chocolates, kitchen gadgets, glasses, vases, cards, party lights, objects d'art... Separate children's store next door with toys, educational games, etc. |
Pier 1 Imports 2001 N Prospect, Champaign 355-9568
In Baytowne shop area. Large store filled with furniture, rugs, kitchenware, glasses, vases, pitchers, jars & bottles, gifts, candles, incense, napkins/placemats, jewelry, clothes, objects d'art, cards, posters, toys, etc. from all over the world. |
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Tuesday Morning Country Fair Shopping Ctr, Champaign 398-3753
Another store that has department store items at 50%-80% off regular prices. |
Arts & Crafts/Scrapbooking
I also love arts
and crafts projects, scrapbooking, stamping, and sewing, so I've
included some good places to go for these items as well.
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Hobby Lobby Huge store with hobby/craft/art supplies and projects, furniture, etc. |
Michaels Arts
and Crafts Huge store with hobby/craft/art supplies. |
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Prairie
Gardens Arts and crafts supplies, stamping and scrapbooking supplies. |
Art Coop
|
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Jo-Ann Fabrics |
Dallas &
Co. Party supplies, costumes and costume rentals, magic kits, balloons, gag gifts, holiday decorations and supplies... |
| Hancock Fabrics (www.hancockfabrics.com) 115 Convenience Ctr Rd (next to Kohl’s) 398- 1598 Fabrics, patterns, art/sewing supplies, etc. |