'American Pickers' Danielle Colby Goes Pickin' in Chicago

 

Slideshow

After makeup, these Bettie Page shoes were Danielle Colby's second favorite "pick" at her friend and neighbor's store, Broken Cherry.

DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

Danielle Colby, 37, and Remey Rozin, 38, are longtime friends that now own adjacents shops next to each other on a strip of North Avenue they're dubbing "Cherry Picker's Row," named for Rezin's shop, Broken Cherry, and Colby's role in the reality TV show, "American Pickers."

DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

Medusa's eye dust makeup is Danielle Colby's favorite item at Broken Cherry, a shop owned by her friend and retail neighbor, Remey Rozin.  Colby said she likes the make-up because it's pigmented, with lots of colors to choose from.

DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

This aqua green Lux De Ville retro inspired handbag is Danielle Colby's third favorite item inside of friend and retail neighbor's shop, Broken Cherry, 1736 W. North Ave.  Colby's shop, 4 Miles 2 Memphis, is adjacent to Broken Cherry.

DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

This colorful crate, which is believed to have been part of Barnum & Bailey's childrens' circus, is one of Remey Rozin's favorite "picks" at her friend's shop, 4 Miles 2 Memphis.

DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

Danielle Colby purchased this Vaudeville-era "dancing doll" from her "American Pickers" co-star, Mike Wolfe a few years ago.  It is Remey Rozin's second favorite item in 4 Miles 2 Memphis, a new shop run by Colby. 

DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

Remey Rozin's third favorite item at 4 Miles 2 Memphis are these women's cowboy boots, size 8½. Rozin owns Broken Cherry at 1736 W. North Ave., adjacent to 4 Miles 2 Memphis, owned by her friend and "American Pickers" reality TV star Danielle Colby.

DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

4 Miles 2 Memphis at 1734 W. North Ave. is a small shop, but it's packed with a lot of merchandise, ranging from handmade clothes, to boots, T-shirts and jewelry.

DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

Bucktown resident Christine Page was walking by the corner of Hermitage Street and North avenues, just as "American Pickers" reality TV star Danielle Colby was putting up the sign to her boutique, 4 Miles 2 Memphis, at 1734 W. North Ave.

Christine Page

Handmade dresses at 4 Miles 2 Memphis are so comfortable that owner Danielle Colby said if you accidentally fall asleep in them after a long day they will feel just like pajamas. 4 Miles 2 Memphis is offering 20 percent off all items through Feb. 16.

DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

Alexandre De Meyer (left) runs 4 Miles 2 Memphis at 1734 W. North Ave. with his wife, Danielle Colby, who divides her time between Wicker Park and Le Claire, Iowa, where she is a star of the reality TV show, "American Pickers."

DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

Handmade in Austin, Texas, Danielle Colby found these glass necklaces while walking through an open air market. The charms are on an 18-inch silver color chain. Original price is $24, but with a 20 percent off sale price (through Feb. 16), the necklaces are $19.20 each.

DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

Fashions influenced by ragtag, Americana-style such as bloomers are available at 4 Miles 2 Memphis at 1734 W. North Ave. The shop is owned by reality TV star Danielle Colby.

DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

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After makeup, these Bettie Page shoes were Danielle Colby's second favorite "pick" at her friend and neighbor's store, Broken Cherry.

Photo Credit: DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

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WICKER PARK — It's been just one week since reality TV star Danielle Colby opened a boutique on North Avenue, and she's already frequenting local brunch spots and booked a burlesque show at Double Door.

While brunching at Damen Avenue's Toast, Colby, 37, the only female cast member on the History Channel's show "American Pickers," said she was approached by a fan who asked her when 4 Miles 2 Memphis boutique would be open.

"I looked at my watch, and said, 'Uh, in a few minutes, when I leave here!' " Colby said jokingly.

When she's not in Le Claire, Iowa, filming "Pickers," most days Colby can be found tearing up the brunch scene at favorite spots such as Toast, The Bongo Room and Bite, all of which she lauds for "excellent customer service," as well as practicing her own people skills at 4 Miles 2 Memphis. 

Colby owns the shop at 1734 W. North Ave with her husband Alex De Meyer, who designs T-shirts.

Adjacent to Broken Cherry, which is run by her friend Remey Rozin, 38, who closed a men's shop to make room for Colby, the small space is packed with handmade clothing including  dresses and bloomers, jewelry and vintage boots.

4 Miles 2 Memphis's merchandise employs an Americana vintage style, which Colby said is very complimentary to Broken Cherry, which has a rockabilly vibe and makes uniforms for the Roller Derby community.

They are "two headstrong women" who can "back each other as a team and prop up each other's successes as female independent shop owners," Rozin said.

Dubbing the two storefronts just west of the North Avenue and Hermitage Street intersection as "Cherry Picker's Row," the women have a lot of plans in the pipeline, such as a to-be-determined grand opening celebration. That party will include live burlesque models in the storefront windows of both shops, and down the road there are plans for an antique motorcycle rally and makeup workshops, which will teach women how to create their own "Riot Girl" style, and apply winged eyeliner, for instance.

"American Pickers" star Danielle Colby will come to the Double Door stage March 1, though as Dannie Diesel, wh...

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Danielle Colby

"We want to change the way that women think about each other so that they can respect each other's strengths and be more of a team rather than put each other down and be catty, jealous,"  Colby said.

To get into the groove of propping each other up,  Rozin and Colby selected their top "picks" from each other's shops Friday.

Colby's first pick at Broken Cherry was the Medusa' s make-up line which contain an array of sparkly shadows.

"I was a makeup artist for 20 years and love these because they're pigmented, with lots of colors to choose from," Colby said.

Second among Colby's favorite's at Broken Cherry were Bettie Page platform shoes, which contain frills and polka dots juxtaposed against step heels.

Thirdly, Colby gravitated to a shiny aqua clutch purse by retro-inspired label Lux de Ville.

At 4 Miles 2 Memphis, Rozin zeroed in on a bright red crate emblazoned with the name "Barnie's Circus."

"It's not for sale," Colby quipped.

The crate, according to Colby, was "picked" by Mike Wolfe, her co-star at "American Pickers." He didn't want to keep it since he was unsure of its authenticity.

Rozin's second favorite selection was a vaudeville-era dancing doll that sits atop the dressing room stall.

Colby said she purchased the doll from Wolfe about three years ago and that it's intended to be wrapped around a person while dancing.

Rozin's third favorite "pick" was something that actually can be purchased: a pair of women's red, white and blue leather cowboy boots, size 8½.

4 Miles 2 Memphis and Broken Cherry are located at 1734-36 W. North Ave. Winter hours for both shops are noon to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday. The rest of the year, the shops will also be open noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. 

4 Miles 2 Memphis is having a 20 percent off sale through Feb. 16.