BananaHandles

Six Corners area Chicago card shop specializing in Magic the Gathering singles, sealed boxes, and weekly tabletop game nights.

BananaHandles sits on Irving Park Road near the Six Corners shopping district, a stretch of the Northwest Side that didn't have a dedicated trading card game store before this one opened. The name is memorable enough that regulars bring it up unprompted, and it's become shorthand among local players for the spot where you can actually find what you're looking for in stock.

While plenty of Chicago card shop options lean heavily into sports or Pokemon, BananaHandles has carved out its niche around Magic: The Gathering. Staff buy and sell singles across formats, keep sealed product moving through the case, and know the current Standard and Commander metas well enough to actually talk shop with customers rather than just ring up sales. That depth of knowledge is a recurring theme in customer feedback.

Beyond the case, the shop doubles as a play space. Dungeons & Dragons sessions run on a regular basis, and the tables see steady use from a mix of longtime players and newcomers who wandered in after seeing the shop from the sidewalk. It's the kind of low-key community hub that keeps people coming back even when they don't need to buy anything that week.

Hours take a little getting used to: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm cover the daytime crowd, while Saturday and Sunday stretch from noon to 9pm for weekend players, and the shop is closed Tuesday and Thursday. Checking the schedule before heading over is worth the extra minute.

Whether you're chasing a specific Magic singles pickup or just want a place to play D&D on a weeknight, BananaHandles has built a reputation as one of the more specialized card shops on Chicago's Northwest Side.