Black Lives Matter Boosts Sales For Downtown Joliet Shop

JOLIET, IL — The Black Lives Matter movement has been a big boost for business at one of downtown Joliet's minority-owned stores, Sandy's Unique.

"Since the pandemic, I'm selling a lot of the Black Lives Matter T-shirts and masks," Joliet businesswoman Sandy Moore told Joliet Patch during an interview Wednesday.

"I custom-make them myself. Mine are only $12 and $14. Every week, I'm picking up different sizes. I've got some for females and in all colors and also the hats."

Moore said that a lot of businesses are selling Black Lives Matter shirts for at least $20. She also said her Black Lives Matter face masks are only $5.

What is Sandy's Unique best known for?

"My gift baskets, and I make my own clothing line. I'm a designer," Moore told Joliet Patch.

Sandy's Unique sells shirts, dresses, children's clothes, jumpsuits and plenty of gift baskets.

Moore said she is well-known in the Joliet area for making specialty gift baskets.

"I spent all Easter making baskets," she said. "I really, really, did well on Easter. It's my busiest day. I make gift baskets for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, baby showers and get wells."

Another top-selling T-shirt this summer has been the Native American Indian head, Moore said.

"I've been selling a lot of those," she remarked.

Moore can do just about everything. She runs the restaurant at the weekend flea markets held at 219 Maple St. , which is right off Cass Street.

Besides her talents in the kitchen, one of her main skills, she said, "is that I am a seamstress as well. I do my own clothing."

In fact, she's already thinking about winter.

"I'm working on getting my coats for winter. It's getting to be that season again. You got to be ready for the cold," she laughed.

Sandy's Unique is staying open in downtown Joliet during the pandemic from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. She's closed Sunday. Her business phone is 815-905-5009.

Before moving to 28-30 W. Clinton St., across from the downtown Joliet Public Library branch, Moore operated Sandy's Unique on Jefferson Street across from the Joliet Slammers baseball diamond.

Before that, she had her shop on Plainfield Road as well as on East Washington Street.

Next year will mark four years since she has been on Clinton Street. She's near the Joliet Route 66 Diner.

"They're very nice people, and they do a lot of business," Moore told Joliet Patch. "I like this location, and I like it down here. I've been in business since 2005."