Blackhawks Title Run Great for Local Sports Apparel Shop

During high school at Lyons Township, I worked at a sports apparel shop called Yager-Osborn. For those of you who remember, it was located off La Grange Road, in the parking lot by Horton's and Q BBQ. 

And for a couple of years, I saw how successful the store was when the local teams were doing well. A good team means more fans and more support, and that often translates to more team gear for sale. 

In 2005 we had the White Sox World Series victory, as well as the University of Illinois basketball making it to the national title game. I remember custom shirts, such as a navy and orange tee with "1" on the front, signifying the Illini ranking for much of the season. 

Now with the Blackhawks Stanley Cup victory, the local Chi City Sports shop is reaping the benefits of selling Hawks gear. The store, located at 46 S. La Grange Rd., features unique T-shirts designed by owner Josh Soich, as well as other gear. 

"It was just a really good season," employee Jay Miller said. "The more they played, and as they got to the finals, we made lots of new T-shirts." 

Some of those custom designs include plays on Hello Kitty and Batman, and even one of the Indian head logo smoking, called "Chiefin' Hawk." The store also added Chicago vs. Boston shirts when the finals rolled around. 

Miller said Chi City Sports should have the officials Stanley Cup championship gear in Wednesday or Thursday this week. 

"It's been pretty crazy," he said. "Great for business."