Custom Merch for Coffee Shops in Chicago, IL
Merch Mob makes barista tees and caps, retail hoodies and crewnecks, and beanies for coffee shops in Chicago, IL, at its shop in Montclair, CA, and ships them to Chicago. The student share in Chicago tops the statewide figure: 8% of residents aged 3 and older are in college or graduate school, against 7% across Illinois and 7% nationally (Census ACS, 2020-2024), so an affordable logo tee belongs on the shelf.
Chicago by the numbers
Chicago's population has held steady since 2020, at 2,731,585 residents (Census estimates).
Cook County has 1,245 snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with paid employees (Census County Business Patterns, 2023). That is 2.4 for every 10,000 residents, slightly below the national figure of 2.5. 46% of them employ fewer than 10 people; the rest are larger operations. The count is up 15% from 1,086 in 2018.
That Census category includes coffee shops along with juice bars, ice cream parlors, donut shops and similar counters.
Cook County as a whole has 5,194,625 residents, down 1.6% since 2020. Cook County has one snack or nonalcoholic beverage bar for every 4,170 residents.
- Population, 2025
- 2,731,585
- Since 2020
- −0.6%
- County
- Cook County
- Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Cook County, 2023
- 1,245
- Per 10,000 county residents
- 2.4 (US 2.5)
- Time zone
- Central
- Median age
- 35.8 (US 38.9)
- In college or grad school
- 8% (US 7%)
- 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 coffee shops
Cold mornings set the pace in Chicago, where average highs sit below 45°F from December to February, and that long hot-drink season is the natural time for cuffed beanies and retail hoodies at the counter. Summer brings real heat too, about 20 days a year at 90°F or more, so give the iced-drink months, May to September, their own release of lightweight tees and caps. January lows average 19°F, so the opening crew needs a warm staff hoodie over the barista tee until the espresso machine warms the room. Roughly 39 inches of snow fall in a year, so promote a beanie and hoodie bundle when the first snow arrives, and give the opening crew a warm jacket for clearing the entrance. Temperatures fall to freezing or below on roughly 106 nights a year, which makes a cuffed beanie an easy add-on to a bag of beans through the cold months.
| Month in Chicago | Average high | Average low | Rain and melted snow (in) | What the counter and crew need |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 19°F | 1.5 | Beanies, hoodies and gift bundles |
| February | 37°F | 23°F | 1.5 | Beanies, hoodies and gift bundles |
| March | 48°F | 32°F | 1.9 | Retail hoodies and staff crewnecks |
| April | 60°F | 41°F | 3.6 | Retail hoodies and staff crewnecks |
| May | 71°F | 52°F | 4.1 | Barista tees and dad hats |
| June | 81°F | 62°F | 4 | Barista tees and dad hats |
| July | 85°F | 68°F | 3.6 | Breathable barista tees and caps |
| August | 83°F | 66°F | 4 | Barista tees and dad hats |
| September | 76°F | 59°F | 2.8 | Barista tees and dad hats |
| October | 63°F | 47°F | 3.5 | Retail hoodies and staff crewnecks |
| November | 49°F | 35°F | 2.4 | Retail hoodies and staff crewnecks |
| December | 38°F | 25°F | 1.8 | Beanies, hoodies and gift bundles |
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
What should baristas in Chicago wear behind the bar through the year?
Three layers cover the year: a dark tee and cap for May to September, when highs reach 70°F or more, a heavyweight hoodie and beanie for December to February, when highs stay under 45°F, and a crewneck in between.
More for Chicago
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