There’s a new Bean in town.

L.L. Bean opened its doors last weekend at Old Orchard Shopping Center in Skokie, just in time for the holiday shopping season. It’s really nice, and I’ll have to head back when it isn’t as crowded to really take it in, but we were successful in finding boots for three kids, mittens, SmartWool socks, and a ridiculously expensive but outrageously warm Turtle Fur hat for me.

The store features a lot of outdoor gear for nature enthusiasts, and has the snow gear front and center, including sleds and snowball makers (think kids’ holiday gifts!). The second floor features fashion for men, women and kids (although this section is kind of smallish) — and while I’m not typically “into” L.L. Bean style, there were some beautiful sweaters and fantastic coats.

Also? The store is going to get you up off your duff, with Walk-On Adventures – $15 trips to learn a new activity, like snowshoeing, fly casting and more. Snowshoeing starts this January, so be sure to ask about it.

I won’t tell you how much we spent, but I will tell you people spending more than $50 will get a free $10 gift card for their next purchase - just in time for Christmas shopping

Technorati Tags: L.L. Bean, L.L. Bean Skokie IL, North Shore Chicago outdoor equipment stores, Skokie outdoor equipment stores, outdoor adventure retailers, Old Orchard Shopping Center, Smartwool, North Shore Chicago holiday shopping, snowshoe lessons

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 at 3:52 pm and is filed under Skokie(t) , Thoughts(t) , Shopping(t) , Kids(t) , Check this out!(t) . You can leave a response.