Chicago is hot right now. Not because O’Leary’s cow knocked over another lantern, thank goodness, but because the city holds bragging rights for having produced the popular new U.S. President, Barack Obama (also famous for his doodling finesse, by the way).

And if you’re the creative sort, one of the hottest spots to be in Chicago is Blick Art Materials, most especially the Lincoln Park location. (And who knows? Being the creative sort himself, maybe even President Obama once shopped here...)

For nearly a century, Blick Art Materials has been a favorite among the artist community, thanks to their wide selection of art supplies, competitive prices and the hands-on shopping experience their several U.S. stores provide.

But like Chicago, the Lincoln Park store in The Windy City holds some bragging rights of their own:

This week they unveiled this cool new section for photography lovers -- professional and amateur alike. The colorful, industrial chic 130-square-foot department allows store visitors to peruse the entire selection of Kolo archival photo albums and boxes, to show how they work together as a photo-storage and presentation system. Examples of finished Kolo albums and the new book “Photo Album” provide inspiration, and there are plenty of knowledgeable staff members on hand to offer assistance.

Other cool brands are part of the experience, too, including Lomography cameras and Moleskine journals.

For directions to Blick Art Materials in Lincoln Park and the Chicago Loop, and more info about upcoming demo’s and workshops, visit www.dickblick.com

To see more photos of this department go here.