Rad Rodent

Directions Website

Hi, we're Rad Rodent! We are a couple of Chicago creators who first met in high school. Stay tuned for many more designs to come!

Zoe is an experienced Etsy Star Seller of 5+ years (she sells antiques in an Etsy shop called "TomsBasement"), and Hugh is a professional designer. We are both multi-disciplinary art makers who love science, crafting, animals, the natural world, vibrant colors, funky patterns, the fantastical, and quality memes. :)

This shop is an exploration into new territory for both of us, since we have been wanting to make cute, cool, and colorful things together for a very long time!

10/09/2026

Wow... APPLE FEST! 🤩🍎✨🍏 What a weekend! We met SO many cool people and shattered our previous all-time sales record, which is wild! You all sold us out of so many designs! 😭 Hugh even had to head home on Saturday to emergency laser cut more lil' ghosts so we wouldn't run out! 👻

The crowds may have been huge and the yellow jackets plentiful, but the apple treats were delicious, the weather was gorgeous, the dogs were costumed, and the organizers did their absolute best to make sure everything ran smoothly. 🥧

I truly cannot thank you all enough for your support and generosity toward our tiny business! Thank you for appreciating our handmade creations! 💖

Many thanks to Lincoln Square Ravenswood for the incredible opportunity and for handling the massive turnout with grace!

10/08/2026

Genuinely obsessed with all of the kind and cool folks who came out to see us Apple Fest this past weekend!!! 🫶 I'll never get over how sweet, supportive, and enthusiastic everyone was, despite how hectic the crowd could be at times! 😭

It was so much fun to meet new friends and see familiar faces alike~ 🥲 The fall outfits were excellent and the vibes were impeccable. Thank you, thank you, thank you! ✨ If you see yourself and want to be tagged, let me know!

P.S. Scroll to the very end for unexpected visitors (there were two!)... 👀

09/12/2026

It may not feel like autumn just yet... But we'll see ya at Apple Fest the first weekend in October! 👀🍎🍏🎃 You can find us on north Lincoln Ave (between Lawrence and Sunnyside), but we'll let you know our exact location as soon as we find out where we'll be! 🌞

08/31/2026

Over the years, I've collected a ton of assorted charms, so I figured I'd make a charm necklace for fun! 🌞 I made a few dangly beaded pieces to tie the variety of gold tones together, but the rest was just kind of experimenting with placement and shapes and sizes~

After wearing this a few times, there are a some charms I'm going to reposition (like the leaf which is a little too big for its current spot, and the horseshoe + moon combo because they are too similar for my liking), but that's the fun part of making things yourself! You get to change whatever doesn't feel quite right. 😉

I have many more charms, so I'll make some more of these! (I also plan on making a silver colorway, since I am personally more of a ~silver girly~ myself. 💿) What kinds of charms would you want on your charm necklace? 🤔🪎

08/23/2026

Some more new things we've been cooking up! 🎉 Bag charms made from vintage and upcycled beads, beaded hair clips, and Chicago-centric accessories! Much more to come~ What kinds of things would you like to see us make next? 🤔

08/21/2026

If you saw us at Square Roots in July, you may have seen our ~brand new~ bolo ties! 🌠 They honestly just started out as a fun experiment, but we're so glad you all loved them! 🤩 We had a lot of fun with the hot dog bolo ties, in particular...

The fancy hot dog wearing a top hat is a character I've been doodling in notebook margins for decades, so seeing him come to life in acrylic and sparkly resin (and then worn by other people!!!) was truly so surreal. 🥹 We are currently sold out of them, but we'll be adding a ton of new bolo ties to the shop very soon! 🫶

08/20/2026

Well, it took me a while to make a formal post about Square Roots back in early July... 😅 But that's only because it was such an unbelievable experience! 🤩 We were truly blown away by the kindness and generosity of our neighbors. 💖 We had so much fun talking to cool folks, petting cute dogs (and cats and ferrets!), admiring the talents of our fellow vendors, and listening to great live music! This was our biggest and longest market to date and we truly had the best time. Thanks to all of you for making it possible. 🥲💕

Also swipe toward to end to see some extremely cute photos my parents took! They drove 6+ hours as a surprise just to come and cheer me on!!!! 😭

Thank you also to Lincoln Square Ravenswood and Square Roots Chicago for the opportunity! 🫶 Rumor has it we'll be back at Apple Fest 👀 so keep your eyes peeled (hehe) for us! 🍎🥧

08/15/2026

If you've been to one of our recent markets, you may have noticed these little guys... 👀 We made a bunch of magnets! 🎉 Doodling these lil' stinkers was so much fun, and I'm delighted that so many of them have been adopted into good homes across the city. 🫶 If you picked one (or several) up, where are you displaying them?! 🤩

08/13/2026

A lil' collection of one-of-a-kind pieces that have found new homes at recent markets (including a bag charm, which I love making now that I know how, and some new hair clips I've been working on)! 🤩

Thank you for supporting my small business dream and my busy little gremlin hands! 🫶

07/25/2026

Last month, we participated in our first-ever Trinket Fest with Not Just Business💫 at Artifact Events and it was a dream! ✨ What an incredibly fun, cute, and passionate community of artists and trinket collectors alike! 😍 Plus, the trinket trading table?! Incredible to behold. Who picked up the Chicago rat hole earrings we left behind? 👀 If you were there, thanks for stopping by and saying hi! If not, hope to see ya at another one! 🫶

Address

Chicago, IL

Website

https://www.etsy.com/shop/RadRodent

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Rad Rodent posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your business to be the top-listed clothing store in Chicago?