You be the Judge: Chicago's Best Shopping Intersection

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Based on the past year of shopping news, the closures, the openings the impending retail bombshells to shock each neighborhood--we decided that instead of choosing one particular street as the best shopping street, it's more fair to judge major intersections of retail. Hence, the final Reader's Choice Category for the Racked Awards 2012 is Best Arterial Intersection for Shopping.

Presenting, the nominees: First up is the tightly knit community of Andersonville at Clark at Foster. We're looking at the newcomer Milk Handmade, the wild parking lot parties that the knitting ninjas at Sifu throw down, the year-old Akira and the constant visions that the home design stores are churning out. Second is Damen at Division with C.Dahlstedt celebrating one year, the annual Renegade Craft Fair, and the smushy-faced pugs at Penelope's as well as neighboring newcomers Mildblend and Lomography on the southern end of the Milwaukee strip. Right up the street is Bucktown at North Ave, Milwaukee at Damen with Alexis Bittar, Cynthia Rowley, Akira Row, Robin Richman, RSVP Gallery, Vivid Braille, and capping out on the north at Robin Richman.

Whew! After that we'll give a shoutout to the businesses along Halsted at Armitage that "rock the 1000 block" like Laudi Vidni, the original gangsta Vosges, Green Goddess and nearby Comfort Me, Calvin Tran, Blues Jean Bar and the new Flirty Girl Fitness. Back down to the road more traveled, there's Michigan at Chicago with the national and international brands found along The Ave and in the shopping centers there. Just a schoch north there's Rush at Oak which is soon seeing Bonnie and Clyde's reincarnation, Louboutin, Emporio Armani, a craycray Starbucks, Madewell next to Marmot and a Lanvin looming on the horizon. This all is happening in the middle of the high energy intersection between Barneys land and Prada paradise. Additionally, the new shops here include Oliver Peoples, Brunello Cucinelli, BHLDN, a fancy new Tory Burch and the one year old Perchance.