Where to Shop, Part 2: Finding Fashions in Romeoville

This week:  Shop Romeoville, Part Deux. This time, I’m checking out what I like to call “The Big 3:" Walmart, Kohl’s and Target. Interested in picking up some lettuce with your leggings or some potholders with your pants? These are the places to visit.

• : I love one-stop shopping, so nothing beats picking up groceries at Walmart and leaving with a couple new shirts as well. The prices at Walmart are great, and I particularly enjoy their T-shirt section. As an elementary school teacher, I love finding T-shirts with popular cartoon characters on them for casual Fridays, and Walmart has a great selection, usually for around $7 a shirt. I find it somewhat humiliating to admit that I think the Miley Cyrus line of clothing at Walmart is pretty cute, but I haven’t mustered up the nerve to try anything on yet.  The men’s T-shirts are also great, and they also have a wide variety of reasonable sports team clothing, perfect for getting on the bandwagon at the end of a season on the cheap.  It’s a great place for guilt-free impulse buys while you’re stocking up on essentials.

• : Whenever I visit Kohl’s, I’m never on a mission for a particular item, but I almost always walk out with a shopping bag or two (and usually some seasonal kitchen towels). Kohl’s is a great place to wander around, and they have a great variety of clothing styles, again reasonably priced. The T-shirt section for ladies is decent (I’m still kicking myself for not buying the $2 “Who’s Your Betty?” Betty White tee I spotted on my last visit), and the men’s section is stellar. While I find that a lot of the juniors gear is  a little young for me (and I suppose it should be, seeing as I’m 31), I really like their women’s Apt. 9 line for trendy but professional work clothes. I am also a big fan of Kohl’s workout gear, which has brands like Nike and Adidas. Like Wal-Mart, Kohl’s has a good selection of professional sports team attire, including some very cute women’s Bears shirts. I even spotted a lone Cutler jersey hanging on a rack (and no, it wasn’t on deep discount). 
  
  
• : Target is, by far, my favorite store for anything and everything.  I consider it one of life’s greatest challenges to get out of there without spending at least 20 bucks. As for fashion, I find Target to be a reliable spot for clothes for a multitude of reasons. I love their reasonably priced (and adorable) swimsuits and pajamas, and their shoe department often has amazing knockoffs of the designer shoes sold at department stores. I also enjoy how many of today’s top designers have had affordable versions of their lines at Target; currently Justin Timberlake’s label, William Rast, has a collection there, and I can’t wait to try out their jeans. I would have to say that Target’s T-shirt collection for women has gone downhill as of late, but their men’s department remains top notch; I was very tempted by an amazing "Toy Story 3" shirt the other day and wished they had offered it in women’s sizes as well.

Happy shopping, Romeoville style!