Ándale Market, known for its bright colors and even brighter atmosphere, is a curated bodega designed for customers to pick up miscellaneous items in a pinch. A second location of the neighborhood corner store opened its doors in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood on March 20.
“This is basically a love letter to the New York City bodega,” Mia Sakai, the owner of Ándale Market, said.
Described as the stop on your way to a party, whether you’re bringing a housewarming gift for the host or you’re the one entertaining, Ándale Market has all the key ingredients to make a home cooked meal “pop.”
“Having those specialty key items is something I think that we’ve become known for,” Sakai said. “We have everything you might need for a great spread.”
The original location of Ándale Market opened in December of 2020 in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood on Clark street. Owner Sakai said she and her husband built out the Clark street bodega themselves.
“My goal was to do it as quickly and as cheaply as possible,” Sakai said. “I didn’t go to school for any of this so it’s all been learning as we go.”
Sakai is originally from California, but moved to New York when she was 18 to attend New York University where she studied studio art.
Customer Maddy Burt lives in the neighborhood and recently visited the bodega to pick up supplies for a dinner party where she made a charcuterie board.
“(I’ve) honestly been in here all the time since they opened,” Burt said. “Just to get odds and ends.”
Product selection for the bodega is influenced by requests from the community, but it is highly selective as the shops have limited space. Ándale Market has a mixture of products sourced from around the world and local vendors here in Chicago.
“The neighborhood has been needing something like this, so I’m really excited,” Burt said.
However, while the products are imperative, Ándale Market has become more than a transactional business. It is an experience built on community.
“The concept we have with the bodega is so interesting because we want it to be an experience when you come in here,” shopkeeper and buyer Byron Turk said. “You want to feel welcome and that everything is just easy for you.”
Turk had just moved to Chicago looking for a different pace of life when he stumbled on Ándale. Turk says his love of food, especially cheese, has blossomed since becoming a part of the Ándale family.
“It’s become this really nice, beautiful little family and new journey I’ve taken into the food world,” Turk said. “I love the people I work with. I love talking to people about food. I love getting people to try new things.”
Customer Grace Lindbark wanted to check out the bodega because she feels like Chicago doesn’t have a lot of shops like Ándale.
“I feel like I always talk to people about how Chicago doesn’t have bodegas, or little stop-in stores other than 7-Eleven,” Lindbark said. “I definitely wanted to see what they had.”
The shop’s novelty and unique aesthetic is influenced by Sakai’s artistic identity.
“I think because I’ve always been a highly visual, creative person, that is all infused into every aspect of the brand.” Sakai said. “Just the overall aesthetic of it is always something I’m looking at because that’s just sort of my eye.”
Sakai lived in New York for 16 years before moving to Chicago in 2018 so her husband could attend graduate school. Sakai says Chicago was originally a “pit stop” on the journey for them.
“There’s something about growing where you’re planted,” Sakai said. “I don’t think that either of us had ever intended to make Chicago home.”
After opening the shop on Clark Street, Sakai had been looking for a second location for a couple years. Sakai got the keys for the space on Wrightwood on July 1, 2024. Her first child was born 6 days later.
“It’s been a lot to do both simultaneously, like learn how to be a parent and also learn how to have a second shop and how to grow the business,” Sakai said. “I’ve never been more tired in my life.”
Sakai said that the responsibility of being a business owner can be overwhelming, especially now that she owns two shops with employees and reliant customers, all while juggling being a mother.
“I think it’s always exciting to pursue something like a dream,” Sakai said. “It’s something I’m very proud of. It’s also something that keeps me up at night.”
However, Sakai says being able to bring people together in a space has brought her immense satisfaction. Sakai says customers have referred to the bodega as their “third space,” which means a lot to her.
“I hope that we can, for the neighborhood, but particularly for DePaul, sort of be a place of discovery and excitement and maybe expose everyone to different dishes that you can make.” Sakai said. “We are your neighborhood corner store.”
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