Maxwell Street was also notorious as the place to go for stolen goods in Chicago. Most stolen items that you could get away with selling right on the street usually moved through Maxwell Street at some point. This includes both items that were directly stolen from somebody and items that "fell off the back of the truck."
It was a common saying around Chicago that if your hubcaps get stolen, just go down to Maxwell Street to replace them. You won't get new ones, but you can get your old ones back for a pretty good price.