City Escape Garden Center and Design Studio - Chicago, Illinois

K

Great store. I love to walk around with my kid and get ideas for home. We stop here whenever we need gravel, specific dirt for planting or other gardening odds and ends. They keep a small stock of seeds as well for growing your own stuff. Nice staff and immaculately maintained. Not cheap by any stretch, but so well curated. You'll understand.

Nneka W.

I came here because I found their store on TikTok. During my experience in the store I realized I was being followed around the store by one of the employees. She pretended to randomly rearrange plants everywhere I walked- moving small plants from the first to second shelves and back again. Most plants are outrageously overpriced. You can find the same plants at Trader Joe’s and other less racist plant stores in Chicago for less. I did buy a variegated homalomena plant because I have an addiction. But I wish I read the one star reviews before visiting, because most of them discuss diseased pants dying within a week. Being accused of shopping while black was also ironic given the British colonial decor of the store. Be better than me and don’t support them with your business. I’ll revisit this review in a week in the event my plant dies.

Auguste N.

A huge HUGE place. Felt really overwhelming walking in there, so much stuff. Absolutely gorgeous decor and design. They have a ton of decorations, planters. Right now they have a ton of indoor plants, all sizes, some were massive plants. Prices are definitely on the higher end, but I would assume you get good quality. Picked up some pots. They didn't have a very big selection of seeds, which I initially was looking for. Employees were nice. They also have a cat, so that's immediately 5 stars right there.

Nathanael F.

Do not be fooled by the positive reviews of this place! It is indeed a nice place to walk around but the charm ends there. ALL OF THEIR PLANTS develop diseases and die within two weeks of purchase. I've tried multiple times thinking it must be me but I am a successful gardener and indoor plant dad and no matter what I buy from this place it dies within two weeks. I'm finally writing this review after trying once more and purchasing 2 separate honeysuckle vines worth $200. Within a few days I noticed spots and some leaf yellowing. I had not removed the plants from their pot, giving them time to acclimate to one thing at a time starting with their location. A few days later I found several massive spiders amongst the plants! I went back to speak with the folks at City Escape to see if they could diagnose the problem and or replace the plants. They convinced me it was just adjusting to a new environment and that i shouldn't worry about it, the plant would bounce back. By the following week the yellow spotting had turned black and the leaves were shriveling and dying! Nothing I did worked and within two weeks both plants were completely dead.

This place is a total scam! My guess is they HEAVILY spray their plants with pesticides at the nursery and are diligent about rotating out anything that doesn't look healthy but everything is infected and you'll discover this as soon as you bring these overpriced plants home. Of course there is no return policy, no compensation for plants that are clearly diseased, if I could give this 0 stars I would. It's such a bummer cause you want to see a local place like this run a good business with quality products and service but they are just like any big company trying to make money and willing to swindle or cut corners on quality just so protect their margins.

I highly discourage anyone from flushing their money down this local toilet. Head over to Christy Weber just up the street instead, at least they take returns on plants that clearly show problems.

Chris I.

Beautiful place. The scenery is gorgeous. It’s a diamond. If only the city would put more money into making the rest of the neighborhood look as beautiful and expensive as this place. Did I mention it was pricey? They have some pretty good deals, but their rare plants are priced astronomically high. I mean, they’re rare, I get it. But I don’t think anybody is willing to spend as much as they’re asking.

The staff are so adorable and extremely friendly! Very relatable and welcoming. If you want something cheaper, they will help you pick a plant that is in your budget. They were such beautiful people! City Escape is very lucky to have those two!

They have a TON of amazing plants! They have beautiful RARE plants as well! They also have Variegated Kumquat Trees!!!?!? Astonishing!

Jacob K.

A plant heaven in Chicago! Made my first trip to City Escape last weekend but it won’t be my last. I had questions about two of my plants that are deteriorating and the team at City Escape were very helpful in assessing the potential problems and recommending items to assist with drainage. The space is beautiful and houses some of the most beautiful plants, planters, and decor I’ve found in Chicago. A great find and they made me a lifelong customer after just one visit.

Parisa S.

Don't waste your money and energy in this store.
I am very disappointed and dissatisfied with their service, untrained staff and diseased plants. The owner is unprofessional, rude and clearly not capable of running the business or just not losing the loyal customers.
We have been shopping there for almost 2 years and have spent so much time and money in that store that most of the staff.

Here are a few examples of major issues that we have faced:
- Diseased Aubrey Ficus with spider mites: I was back in days as soon as I noticed it, they sold me sprays, oils, solutions. Each staff had a different opinion) and eventually they told me to put it in the dumpster!
- Maple tree, Drift rose tree, Alocasia: They gave me an hour pitch about which trees will be a good candidate for my garden, how to protect and winterize them. We followed the guidance, I even showed them pictures of how they are situated and covered, took the Alocasia bulb to the store and they confirmed and convinced us that these are good to go and will last.
None of them made it back this summer.

When we were back to the store a few days ago, I asked them what would you do for us for the inconvenience and literally the answer was Nothing, the don't offer gauntness when the plant leaves the store, one person blamed one of the staff (who doesn't work there anymore).
The owner didn't even bother to apologies!

Andrew R.

Bought four plants with them over 2 year span for more than a thousand dollars, all of them had problems or died. The owner is rude (nice way to put it) and has a "blame the customer" approach.

We first bought an aubrey ficus which was diseased with spider mites from day 1. We ended up visiting their store multiple times to try and cure the plant, each time being sold a new solution for dozens of dollars with assurances it would cure it. Ultimately nothing worked and we spend almost $400 for the tree and $200 on products to cure it.

We also bought a pink drift role, a maple tree, and an alocasia plant from them. When purchasing we were given care instructions from the the store associate. B Both the maple tree and alocasia died shortly thereafter. When we revisited the store and inquired about what could have gone wrong, we were given a completely new set of instructions and told the old sales associate who helped us was misinformed. The store didn't offer an exchange, a refund, or anything to remedy the situation. They just said they offer no guarantees once the plant leaves their store.

We've spent enough time in the store that most of the staff knows us by now. The staff is not well trained, give conflicting and inconsistent advice, and mostly make stuff up as they go. They are all afraid of the owner and agree the ownership/management sucks but are afraid to speak up.