Hopleaf Wants to Find Its Vintage Cash Registers a New Home — Plus, Andersonville's Halloween Season and Restaurant Week Are Almost Here
By Socialhood News · Andersonville ·
One of Andersonville's most beloved institutions is making news this week — and it has nothing to do with food or drink. Hopleaf, the celebrated Belgian-inspired bar and restaurant at 5148 N. Clark St., is on a mission to find a new home for two hulking, fully mechanical cash registers that have stood behind its bar for decades. The registers, both built in the 1940s and weighing in at 125 pounds each, were workhorses of the Hopleaf floor for years before being retired from active duty. Now, owner Michael Roper wants to give them a second life.
Roper's search for the right new custodians is quintessentially Andersonville: rather than simply selling the registers to the highest bidder or letting them disappear into storage, he's looking for someone who will genuinely appreciate them. It's the kind of gesture that reflects Hopleaf's deep roots in the neighborhood — the bar has been a Clark Street anchor for decades, drawing regulars and out-of-towners alike with its encyclopedic beer list and menu rooted in the flavors of Belgium and the American Midwest. For anyone with a soft spot for mid-century craftsmanship or a space that could use a striking conversation piece, this is a rare opportunity straight from one of Chicago's most storied neighborhood institutions.
Neighbors interested in the registers can keep an eye on Hopleaf's communications for details on how to make a case for bringing one home.
Meanwhile, October is accelerating toward one of its most anticipated stretches on the Andersonville calendar. Aville-o-ween — the neighborhood's beloved annual Halloween celebration along Clark Street — kicks off Saturday, October 25, and runs through Friday, October 31. The multi-day event transforms the corridor into one of Chicago's most festive Halloween destinations, with participating businesses, costumed neighbors, and the kind of communal energy that has made Aville-o-ween a recurring tradition locals look forward to all year. Whether you're bringing kids trick-or-treating along the storefronts or showing up in full costume for the final night on Halloween proper, the celebration offers something for every age and level of spooky ambition.
And for anyone already thinking past Halloween, mark November 1 on your calendar: Andersonville's Autumn Restaurant Week runs November 1 through November 15, giving residents two full weeks to explore the neighborhood's dining scene with special menus and offers from participating restaurants. It's a fitting capstone to a fall season that has seen significant new energy on Clark Street, and a chance to support the independent restaurants that give Andersonville its character — from longtime anchors to the fresh arrivals making their debuts this season.
Taken together, the weeks ahead offer a full picture of what makes this neighborhood tick: a bar owner who'd rather find his vintage cash registers a loving home than let them collect dust; a Halloween block party that brings the whole community into the street; and a restaurant week that turns November's early chill into an invitation to pull up a chair, order something new, and stay a while. That's Andersonville in October — always something worth showing up for.
For the full events calendar and updates from the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce, visit andersonville.org.
Sources:
1. https://chicago.suntimes.com/andersonville
2. https://andersonville.org/events/
3. https://do312.com/venues/andersonville