{"id":202980,"date":"2025-09-05T18:29:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T18:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/202980\/"},"modified":"2025-09-05T18:29:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T18:29:12","slug":"these-chicago-vending-machines-sell-local-art-and-unexpected-treasures-all-for-under-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/202980\/","title":{"rendered":"These Chicago vending machines sell local art and unexpected treasures\u2014all for under $20"},"content":{"rendered":"

To many, vending machines conjure visions of junk food, tepid soda and the ultimate heartbreak: a snack stranded between coil and glass. When Good Things Vending<\/a> founder Steph Krim looks at at a vending machine, she sees the future: automated storefronts for artists.<\/p>\n

A self-proclaimed \u201cjoyous community-driven and collaborative automation experience,\u201d Chicago art collective Good Things Vending transforms rusty old vending machines into pint-sized oddities shops stationed throughout the city. Each machine is painted by a local artist with a mural that reflects its surroundings: the Garfield Park Conservatory\u2019s machine is bedecked with daisies and periwinkle petunias, Revolution Brewing\u2019s is\u00a0adorned with abstract faces and hands raising pints of beer. To maintain novelty and support as many Chicagoland artists as possible, the machines\u2019 inventory is\u00a0regularly rotated, stocked with everything from miniature art prints and paper puppets to enamel pins and frog-shaped Crocs charms\u2014anything smaller than a mini bag of chips can be stocked in a Good Things Vending machine.<\/p>\n

In a time when the word\u00a0\u201cautomation\u201d can signify the gates of an over-optimized hell opening, Krim wholeheartedly believes in this type of automation\u2019s potential for\u00a0facilitating unexpected connection. Through Good Things Vending machines, local artists can reach new audiences without selling their work at a steep discount to stockists, paying exorbitant fees at makers\u2019 markets or\u00a0bankrupting themselves with\u00a0storefront costs. In a world where everyday luxuries feel increasingly unattainable, Good Things Vending prioritizes accessible pricing\u2014items range from $1 to $20, and the machines at The Owl and The Way Out even stock Plan B for free.<\/p>\n

\"A
\nPhotograph: Courtesy of Good Things VendingA Good Things Vending machine in action. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is \u2018blow on the cartridge\u2019 automation, an uncomplicated extension of our hands and bodies,\u201d Krim says of the machines\u2019 old-school technology. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing so much disinvestment in our communities\u2014empty storefronts and stores closing. Our machines are an accessible extension of the brick-and-mortar. They\u2019re a low stakes invitation to the thing we\u2019re craving most: real life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Good Things Vending wasn\u2019t born from a single bolt of inspiration, but from a slow burn that steadily lit up Krim\u2019s life. Most of Krim\u2019s career has revolved around Chicago\u2019s hospitality industry, helping institutions like Longman & Eagle<\/a> and Lost Lake<\/a> open and, in turn, flourish. But as she would share a plate of french fries with colleagues in the back of a blazing hot kitchen or feel pangs of exhaustion dampening her personal life, she knew that she wasn\u2019t living life on her own terms. At the time, she envisioned what she calls \u201ca ridiculous life\u201d for herself: days filled with antiquing, supporting artists and collaborating with local businesses. Turns out, her dream was far from ridiculous\u2014it was soon to become her day-to-day reality.<\/p>\n

Taking inspiration from her family\u2019s history in the antique toy and game industry and\u00a0a childhood trip to Japan\u2014where vending machines are ubiquitous<\/a>\u2014Krim bought a vending machine off Craigslist in 2016. After three years of tinkering and networking, false starts and dashed hopes, that inaugural vending machine found a home at the Chicago Cultural Center in 2019, quickly becoming a draw for visitors. Since then, Good Things Vending has\u00a0installed eight more machines throughout Chicago.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so easy to walk through life unenthused, but there\u2019s so much magic waiting for us.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI want someone to feel like there\u2019s possibility and connection still left to discover,\u201d Krim says. \u201cWe haven\u2019t seen everything yet. It\u2019s so easy to walk through life unenthused, but there\u2019s so much magic waiting for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Good Things Vending cultivates that magic in big and small ways. Just a few weeks ago, an acquaintance of Krim\u2019s proposed to their partner with a mood ring that was purchased from a Good Things Vending machine. Artists have received custom commissions and mural painting jobs through the\u00a0enterprise that Krim has built. She has event consulted on a handful of \u201csister machines\u201d that are sprinkled throughout the country.<\/p>\n

Krim prides herself on collaborating with artists at all career stages, offering a\u00a0much-needed platform to newcomers and an alternative sales channel to more established makers. For artists who want to get involved with Good Things Vending\u2014whether as an art supplier or a machine muralist\u2014applications are open on Good Things Vending\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"A
\nPhotograph: Courtesy of Good Things VendingThe Good Things Vending machine stationed at Off Color Brewing’s Mousetrap <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re itching to visit a Good Things Vending Machine (honestly, why wouldn\u2019t you?), they can be found at the Chicago Cultural Center<\/a>, Garfield Park Conservatory<\/a>, Kaiser Tiger<\/a>, Kimball Arts Center<\/a>, The Way Out, The Owl<\/a>, Avondale Bowl<\/a>, Revolution Brewing<\/a> and Off Color Brewing\u2019s Mousetrap<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As far as the future goes, Krim admits her vision changes daily depending on her own goals and the desires of her two employees. One thing she knows for sure is that Good Things Vending will remain staunchly people-centered. Krim wants to\u00a0\u201cdeepen, not widen\u201d\u00a0the Good Things Vending Community with more connection, more artists and more machines. More of the\u00a0\u201creal life\u201d that Krim\u2014and most of us\u2014are still chasing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"To many, vending machines conjure visions of junk food, tepid soda and the ultimate heartbreak: a snack stranded…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":202981,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[10336,960,5386,1818,30302,1072],"class_list":{"0":"post-202980","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-categories-things-to-do","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-illinois","12":"tag-news-weird-wonderful","13":"tag-things-to-do"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115153113230418015","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202980\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/202981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}