The Best Places To Buy Souvenirs In Chicago

With excellent shopping on offer across the city, there’s no excuse not to treat yourself and your loved ones to a few mementos from your trip. The Magnificent Mile has a ton of sports merchandise and Chicago-themed souvenir shops, but there are also great handcrafted and locally made gifts in small boutiques in less touristy neighborhoods. Don’t miss your final chance to pick up some Chi-Town specialties while you’re at it.

Garrett Popcorn Shops

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Though Garrett Popcorn Shops have spread across the country and the globe, they’ve been a Chicago institution ever since the first store opened at 10 W. Madison Street in 1949. There are 12 locations in the Chicagoland area, twice that of the rest of the U.S. combined, so you’re never far away from picking up some of their signature gourmet popcorn. The Garrett Mix, a blend of the CaramelCrisp and CheeseCorn recipes, is the most popular.

Foursided

First opened in Lake View in 2001, Foursided now has three North Side locations and is the place for high-end and handcrafted Chicago-themed gifts, greeting cards, and souvenirs. Chicago gifts include skyline and flag necklaces, posters and prints of iconic buildings and locations, deep dish and hot dog bibs, and various bags, pins, badges, and stickers. Cool and artistic gifts not relating to Chicago are also available.

Cubs Team Store

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Did you get caught up in Cubs fever during your trip and need to represent? Unfortunately, the Bryzzo Souvenir Company is fictional, but the brand new Cubs Team Store on Michigan Ave isn’t. The only official Cubs store outside of Wrigleyville opened on the Magnificent Mile in 2016 following the glorious World Series win, and the range largely focuses on apparel and gear, with jerseys, T-shirts, jumpers and hats, but there are some novelty items too.

Hardscrabble Gifts

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Owned and run by mother-daughter team Janet and Leanne Scanlon, Hardscrabble is Bridgeport’s premier boutique gift shop, selling a variety of Chicago-centric jewelry, art, and clothing, a lot of which is made by local artists and designers. What sets it apart is that many of its custom and personalized gifts, including t-shirts, mugs and more, are made right in the store, and they can print while you wait.

Abbey Brown Soap Artisan

If you’re looking for a natural and handcrafted gift that’s uniquely Chicago, head over to West Loop to Abbey Brown Soap Artisan. As well as a range of gift sets, it offers a creative line of specialty Chicago soaps and candles, featuring soaps in cool “L” system packaging, from Blue Line Soap to Red Line Lip Balm, Great Lake Maritime Soap made with sand from the lakes, and a tomato and basil scented Deep Dish Little Italy Candle.

Giordano’s

Know you’ll be craving that deep dish as soon as you leave? Plan ahead by having one shipped to your house. The good folks at Giordano’s partially bake and freeze them, and provide instructions on what to do from there. Packages of two, four or six pizzas are available, as are heart-shaped pizzas for that special someone, and Giordano’s can ship them anywhere in the U.S. Don’t forget the “I got stuffed in Chicago” oven mitt and apron set that you definitely need.

Blackhawks Store

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The amazing success of Chicago’s NHL franchise, the Blackhawks, in the early 2010s led to an expansion of the flagship store near the river on Michigan Avenue in 2014. Located on the ground floor of the beautiful 333 N. Michigan building, handily owned by Blackhawks owners the Wirtz family, you can find an unrivaled range of merch and memorabilia, including game-worn jerseys and collectibles alongside the regular clothing and accessories.

About the author

Tim Marklew

A British writer living the Midwest, Tim spends his time exploring Chicago, Detroit and most places in between, searching for the best IPAs, breakfast foods and live music.