Custom Merch for Breweries in Chicago, IL
Merch Mob makes taproom retail, staff shirts, and can release and collab drops for breweries in Chicago, IL, at its shop in Montclair, CA, and ships them to Chicago. The median age of 35.8 in Chicago sits a little below the US figure of 38.9 (Census ACS, 2020-2024), so pair the core logo tee with a few limited release pieces for younger regulars.
Chicago by the numbers
Chicago's population has held steady since 2020, at 2,731,585 residents (Census estimates).
Cook County has 49 breweries with paid employees (Census County Business Patterns, 2023). That is 0.094 for every 10,000 residents, below the national figure of 0.153. 33% of them employ fewer than 10 people; the rest are larger operations. The count is up 9% from 45 in 2018.
Cook County as a whole has 5,194,625 residents, down 1.6% since 2020. Cook County has one brewery for every 106,010 residents.
- Population, 2025
- 2,731,585
- Since 2020
- −0.6%
- County
- Cook County
- Breweries in Cook County, 2023
- 49
- Per 10,000 county residents
- 0.094 (US 0.153)
- Time zone
- Central
- Median age
- 35.8 (US 38.9)
- Warmest month, average high
- July, 85°F
- Coldest month, average low
- January, 19°F
- Days at 90°F or hotter, a year
- 20
- Nights at 32°F or colder, a year
- 106
- Rain and melted snow, a year
- 34 in
- Snow, a year
- 39 in
- USPS zone from the shop
- 7
Weather: Chicago Midway Airport station, 5 mi from Chicago's center (NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals); snow from the Chicago Midway Airport 3SW station. People: Census ACS 2020-2024. Counts: CBP 2023, by county, paid-employee establishments. Population: Census, July 2025.
What Chicago's weather means for breweries
For 3 months a year (December to February), average highs in Chicago stay below 45°F, so regulars come in wearing coats, and the shelf should be built around hoodies, crewnecks and cuffed beanies. July averages a high of 85°F, warm enough to justify a fresh tee and cap release timed to the start of patio season (May to September). Rain peaks in May at about 4.1 inches, which keeps drinkers indoors near the merch wall, so it is a sensible month to refresh it. Snowfall near 39 inches a year keeps a beanie behind the bar selling all winter, and a winter seasonal beer can carry its own design on a crewneck. About 106 nights a year fall to freezing, enough to keep hoodies and crewnecks in front from late fall into spring.
| Month in Chicago | Average high | Average low | Rain and melted snow (in) | What the taproom shelf carries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 19°F | 1.5 | Hoodies, beanies and gift crewnecks |
| February | 37°F | 23°F | 1.5 | Hoodies, beanies and gift crewnecks |
| March | 48°F | 32°F | 1.9 | Hoodies, crewnecks and structured caps |
| April | 60°F | 41°F | 3.6 | Hoodies, crewnecks and structured caps |
| May | 71°F | 52°F | 4.1 | Logo tees and trucker caps |
| June | 81°F | 62°F | 4 | Logo tees and trucker caps |
| July | 85°F | 68°F | 3.6 | Light tees and mesh-back caps |
| August | 83°F | 66°F | 4 | Logo tees and trucker caps |
| September | 76°F | 59°F | 2.8 | Logo tees and trucker caps |
| October | 63°F | 47°F | 3.5 | Hoodies, crewnecks and structured caps |
| November | 49°F | 35°F | 2.4 | Hoodies, crewnecks and structured caps |
| December | 38°F | 25°F | 1.8 | Hoodies, beanies and gift crewnecks |
Made in So Cal, shipped to Chicago.
Orders ship to Chicago from the shop; there is no office or pickup point in Illinois.
Chicago is about 1,711 miles from Merch Mob's shop in Montclair, CA, a straight-line distance. From the shop's ZIP code, Chicago is USPS zone 7. Chicago is on Central time, 2 hours ahead of the shop's Pacific time.
From the production floor
Merch Mob production in Southern California.
Ordering from Chicago
When should a taproom in Chicago lean on tees and caps instead of fleece?
Fleece is the main event: highs stay under 65°F from October to April, so hoodies and beanies lead most of the year, and tees and caps take the front only in the summer months.
More for Chicago
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