Custom Merch for Skate and Surf Shops in Chicago, IL
Merch Mob makes house-brand tees, hoodies and crewnecks, and hats and beanies for skate and surf shops in Chicago, IL, at its shop in Montclair, CA, and ships them to Chicago. In Chicago, only 19% of residents are under 18, below the US figure of 22% (Census ACS, 2020-2024), so adult sizes and fits lead the house line and youth sizes can stay a small add-on.
Chicago by the numbers
Chicago's population has held steady since 2020, at 2,731,585 residents (Census estimates).
Cook County has 209 sporting goods stores with paid employees (Census County Business Patterns, 2023). That is 0.40 for every 10,000 residents, below the national figure of 0.60. 74% of them employ fewer than 10 people. The count is about where it was in 2018 (216).
That Census category includes skate and surf shops along with every other kind of sporting goods store.
Cook County as a whole has 5,194,625 residents, down 1.6% since 2020. Cook County has one sporting goods store for every 24,850 residents.
- Population, 2025
- 2,731,585
- Since 2020
- −0.6%
- County
- Cook County
- Sporting goods stores in Cook County, 2023
- 209
- Per 10,000 county residents
- 0.40 (US 0.60)
- Time zone
- Central
- Median age
- 35.8 (US 38.9)
- Residents under 18
- 19% (US 22%)
- 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 skate and surf shops
Average highs in Chicago stay under 45°F from December to February, so outdoor sessions thin out and the house hoodie, crewneck and cuffed beanie carry the shop. July averages a high of 85°F, so summer is the busy season for tees, caps and five-panels; tee weather runs May to September, and the summer design should be on the rack at its start. Summer still brings about 20 days a year at 90°F or above, so a light tee or tank belongs in the summer drop even in a winter-heavy town. Roughly 39 inches of snow a year shuts down street sessions for parts of winter, so plan a holiday release that people buy as gifts, not as riding gear. Freezing nights are common, about 106 a year, so get beanies out by the first cold snap and keep them through early spring.
| Month in Chicago | Average high | Average low | Rain and melted snow (in) | What the shop rack carries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 19°F | 1.5 | Heavy hoodies and cuffed beanies |
| February | 37°F | 23°F | 1.5 | Heavy hoodies and cuffed beanies |
| March | 48°F | 32°F | 1.9 | Hoodies, crewnecks and long sleeves |
| April | 60°F | 41°F | 3.6 | Hoodies, crewnecks and long sleeves |
| May | 71°F | 52°F | 4.1 | House tees, caps and five-panels |
| June | 81°F | 62°F | 4 | House tees, caps and five-panels |
| July | 85°F | 68°F | 3.6 | Tanks, light tees and trucker caps |
| August | 83°F | 66°F | 4 | House tees, caps and five-panels |
| September | 76°F | 59°F | 2.8 | House tees, caps and five-panels |
| October | 63°F | 47°F | 3.5 | Hoodies, crewnecks and long sleeves |
| November | 49°F | 35°F | 2.4 | Hoodies, crewnecks and long sleeves |
| December | 38°F | 25°F | 1.8 | Heavy hoodies and cuffed beanies |
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 a skate or surf shop in Chicago keep on the rack in winter?
Warmth first: from October, when highs fall under a 65°F average, shift the rack to heavyweight hoodies, crewnecks and cuffed beanies, and keep beanies at the register through the coldest stretch.
More for Chicago
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