I have never used Yelp before but felt compelled to create an account as a result of my experience with Nicky (Nikki?) @ Strange Cargo. Two Saturdays ago, I set out to have a shirt printed for my child's birthday. At first, I did not know about Strange Cargo so I went to another local shirt printer - this after having had a horrid phone experience with yet another competitor who is closed on Saturdays. In any event, I arrived at a place on Damen and assumed that these shirt printing places had all colors/sizes of t-shirts - this is not the case (Caveat emptor! Call and verify before you go!). The lady sent me to Kohl's to look for a yellow t-shirt. Kohl's sent me to Michael's, Michael's sent me to Jo-Ann's fabrics, and Jo-Ann's sent me to Target (btw, the Target on Elston is the worst!). Bottom line - none of the aforementioned places stock plain t-shirts in varying colors for toddlers. It was getting late and I had about resigned myself on the yellow t-shirt. I performed a search and found Strange Cargo and called. The person on the phone advised that if I made it by 5 P.M. they would be able to print the shirt. I arrived and was greeted by Nicky (Nikki?) and was about to settle for the art to be printed on a white t-shirt when she stopped and said she would check some older stock. Nicky came back with the perfect shade of yellow - it was perfect! The shirt was done in about 10 minutes. She even brought it to my car! Talk about service! Thank you so much Nicky! Strange Cargo is the absolute best and if all of their employees are like Nicky then there really is no need to go anywhere else! read more

They have some really funky cool stuff! It's also a great place to make shirts! I was the captain for a charity walk-a-thon a year ago and I had all the shirts for the team made here. The staff was super helpful and the shirts turned out so cute! read more

They have cool t-shirts, I'll give them that, but the service is utter and complete crap. The employees act like they have some place better to be. I went in there once and got a t-shirt made and have not been back since. I don't think I ever will, either. I can get better t-shirts for a better price, with employees that don't have that "hipper-than-thou" attitude elsewhere. read more

The staff here is so helpful and responsive. In a short time frame, they rushed an order for me and did a fantastic job last minute. I had them customize Blackhawks shirts for a wedding gift to my best friend and in a day's time running a few minutes past 6pm closing time. They have great sense of humor and creativity. Just the other day for Halloween, again short turnaround time they were able to make my husband's shirt or else our costumes would not have been complete. Thank you guys, never disappoint! read more

Great vintage clothes store Always cute customer service women Owner is a bald old dude, bald and portly. read more

Remarkably similar to Jive Monkey, except the stuff is a little nicer; good shoes and fun buttons/jewelry.

Awesome shop and the best part is they made my son's day today. It was my son's 7th birthday and he wanted some garbage pail kids which they gave to him as a gift. Such a nice gesture and really appreciate the thoughtfulness of this shop. read more

I've ordered a few things online from Strange Cargo before, but never anything specialized. I stopped in this afternoon to get some specialized tshirts for my family for St. Patrick's Day. I tried on a few to find shirts that were the right fit, and then had them made while I waited and browsed the interesting array of toys, candy, pins, and other Chicago and/or nostalgic accessories they have available. The four customized shirts ended up being about $80, and everyone there was friendly and helpful. I'll definitely be back. read more

The staff here really listens and does a great job turning your ideas into a reality when it comes to custom t-shirts. I've used them for work projects, softball team stuff and a few things in between. I highly recommend them. Come on an off when the cubs are on the road. Parking out front is easy to get on those days. read more

What a fun store! They have some really fun stuff to buy, but I always prefer to make my own shirt. The sales people are always really helpful and nice...I've made a few shirts here and they really got me excited about them! read more

Excellent place to go for some cool screen tees. They have so many funny t-shirts and I love going here to just look around. Prices are more expensive than other stores, but still a great selection. read more

I wish all stores were as cool as Strange Cargo. Before I lived here, this was the spot I had to visit every time I came to Chicago. I have a love for a very particular type of "ironic" or pop culture t-shirts, and Strange Cargo pretty much embodies that type. Its a very easy-going place with a friendly staff with a simple process: A) Find a design you like; B) Find a shirt you like; and C) Wait for that design to be pressed onto your shirt. BAM! Simple as that, and all for around $25-30. The design variety doesn't change all that often, but there is still a great assortment of things you wouldn't even think of. Strange Cargo also has a lot of vintage items including shoes, pants, shirts and other pieces of pop culture memorabilia. Check. This. Place. OUT. read more

I walked into this place as they were closing, and they still took my order. I needed shirts made for a bachelorette party the next day, and they got it done for me. They had them ready the next afternoon and they look great. It was also a challenging fabric but they had no trouble at all. They will definitely have my business in the future! read more

We made tank tops here for my sister's bachelorette trip. They did such a great job helping us create the design we envisioned. The shirts were a hit and we got compliments on them from strangers. Special thank you to Nikki for all the edits! read more

Who wants to wear the same shirts as everyone else at Wrigley Stadium? This is the only place to go for unique Cubs shirts (amongst many others). You can make your own or choose from one of their 1000s of designs. They are quick, friendly and helpful and I've found them useful for Pistons playoff shirts, Halloween costumes, and 80s prom gear. I'll definitely be making a trip soon to re-stock on my vintage tees for spring! read more

Wow, this place is totally over-rated. It's small and overcrowded with yuppies. I went there, and my friend wanted to buy a couple tourist crap shot glasses so he waited in line for 20 minutes while chick with Emo glasses wrung up the long line of customers, then there was a slight confusion about a t-shirt order, a price check, all hell breaks loose, Emo chick disapears to be replaced by hipster guy, rings up my buddy and gives him the other guy's reciept to find, now we have to figure out where his reciept is....just totally not worth it. just make a stencil and create your own shirt, it's unique, you get to be creative, and you don't have to deal with this crap. read more

One of my favorite places to shop in the city. I love their purse, wallet, and shoe selection. They make a huge variety of custom tees and a good amount of accessories. The free FMF buttons are awesome. read more

I have always loved Strange Cargo. Whenever someone ask me where to get cool personalized gifts from I send them here. This past week I stopped by for some baseball Tees that I needed made for my Godsons 1st Birthday party in South Carolina. I placed my order and there was a little mixup with one of the three shirts I ordered. The man that was taking care of my ordered made sure that the shirt was remade and ready for me to pick up the next day before I was leaving for my trip. I was even picking up other gifts at the shop and because of the Mixup with my order I was given a huge discount on everything! I didn't even ask for it I just wanted to make sure the shirts that I ordered were perfect for the party. I went in the next day and the shirt was remade and perfect. I loved everything about my order and the extra gifts I got. I will continue to shop at Here and recommend them to everyone I know! read more

Strange Cargo - Thank you thank you thank you! My best friend loved her family shirts for my Godsons first birthday party! - Screen Printing/T-Shirt Printing Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Smh is all I have to say they let down some really great kids. Thanks for the lies. Avoid this place if you have a big order as they won't keep their word on when it will be done. read more

I stumbled upon this place two years ago when I was in Chicago for summer break. I'll be the first one to admit that I'm a bit of a teeshirt junkie, but the odd thing is, I barely even glanced at the plethora of teeshirts available! Most of my attention was focused on the super amazing selection of accessories, shoes, stickers, magnets, buttons, and trinkets that I ended up buying way too much of. This summer, when I was back in town, I made it a point to go back and scored 2 pairs of shoes ridiculously cheap, and tons of fun odds and ends for friends back home. And after checking prices online and in town, I found that the purse and wallet I got there were much cheaper! Love it! read more

This place is great to find pre-printed tees or to get one of your own made up. Also, they have good discounted Adidas stuff and fun shoes, along with off-the-wall accessories. If you're a big fan of the store itself, you can even get a Strange Cargo tee that reads: "For the fashionable m.f." (you figure out what the m.f. part really says). read more

This is a great place to get unique iron/ screen t-shirts made up for you. Also they always have great bargains on shoes and sandals. Plus they're selection of accessories is great. they always have good earrings and bags. My out of town friends love going here to find something cool to bring home. read more

I love this place. Granted you have to make it befor 6:45 sharp! haha I always have a great time looking around and making obcene T shirts! Yipee read more

This is a place to go for some cool vintage clothing. I don't go here too often but every now and then I like to go in to take a look because some of their T-shirts give you a good laugh. It's a bit more expensive than I expected it to be but you can find some great shirts there. read more

A but cliche to buying 'vintage cloths" or printed shirts or even hand picked printed shirts but you know what I guess you can call me a sucker for that kind of stuff. I always heard about this place and decided to take my brother here when he was in town. And I must say that it was a good Idea we both had a good time and got a couple of free shirts with our purchase. read more

Strange Cargo will now be my go-to place for customizing shirts! I was in a time crunch and needed a customized shirt ASAP. I submitted my order on their website around 11pm one night and the next day I got an email around noon telling me my shirt was ready for pick-up. The 12hr turnaround was definitely welcome since the website said to allow 36hrs to 48hrs for order processing. The website was easy to navigate and designing your own shirt was simple. The shirt I picked up looked exactly like the mock-up. When I went to the store, the guy at the front was super friendly and got me in and out the door. I will definitely be back! read more

Great products, super quick service and the man in charge (probably the owner) is super friendly AND hilarious. I love coming in here for any event or holiday I want to wear something for. They have a lot of funny prints to put on clothing. I have never waited more than 15 minutes when they actually have to make something for me. This is such a gem to have in wrigleyville! I love it. Definitely check it out! read more

After recently getting my very own pink Mrs. Vaughn t-shirt for my birthday (thanks Audra and Shawn), I had to see what the fuss is about. This place is totally rad. I need to get some cash and head back to get all sorts of stuff I don't need but HAVE to have. read more

Strange Cargo is nice enough. They'll screen print your heart's desire all over the t-shirts and hats they have available. They carry a number of ancient toys and cards; my friend bought some Ghostbusters trading cards from 1988 here. I ate the gum. They also carry a number of neat shoes and hats. The clothing is a little too drab for me, trendy though it is. They have a few shirts with neat designs or witty sayings, but the bulk of them just don't interest me. There isn't enough visual appeal where I prefer bright colors and madness. And they charged me $8 for a pair of blue tights. Fun to visit, but not my favorite place to buy. read more

Amazing place. Because: quick turn around, quality product and outstanding service!!!! Thanks guys for hooking me up with stellar marketing t's for my production company! Insta @barcisproductions read more

I went here a long time ago to get a Bears hoodie (the office I worked in said we could wear Bears' apparel and me and my friend/coworker were all about being allowed to wear hoodies to work). I found a super cute comfy one (which I'll admit to wearing *all* the time now). And I got free stuff ~ free shirt (usually only worn under something, like my super awesome hoodie) and some bag thing I don't use. But it was *free* and I loves me some free stuff :) Posting this reminds me I need to stop by there again sometime. read more

They have some cool stuff for decent prices. I got some sweet high top Pumas for only $29 today! As well as a nice shirt for $17. Can't really complain. read more

Cool tees. Little bit of vintage. Good shoe selection. Loved this little spot I found quite by accident! (from 6/28/12)

Looking for retro Rocky collector cards? Come here, even the store mascot, the owner's dog, is named Rocky. Get a tee customized here with whatever you want. My favorite place to come to get, "It's My Birthday, Buy Me a Drink" tees for my friends. Print up whatever though, your favorite lyric, your friend's funniest nickname, or a simple statement. read more

This is a unique little shop in which to find over-stimulating shoe sales and unique purses/handbags. I got an adorable pair of (new) old school girl Vans at Strange Cargo for $15. They also have an interesting collection of vintage items, for the thrift-store savy. read more

What a great store! I've always walked by this place and admired the shirts in the display window, but it wasn't until yesterday I actually strolled in. They have amazing custom "Chicago" shirts that are just cool as hell. We got a few shirts made as gifts and they were made custom within 2 minutes. For $20-$25 you get the design and the shirt and they have a great sales rack, got a few shirts for $5 each! read more

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE ever! A year ago I got a set of jerseys printed for my volleyball team. They did a great job and it was a fast turn around time. Flash forward to this week. I called them up asking if I could reprint two, because we had an issue with the numbers. The owner Jay, was actually the one who answered my call. Her told me to come by that afternoon and he would help us fix the issue free of charge. Within thirty min the jerseys were reprinted and my team is now ready for Nationals. Thank you Strange Cargo Tees! read more

Great service! Lots of fun retro memorabilia. A nice place to shop and kill time before or after dining in Andersonville. Everyone in the shop is friendly and helpful. I made a custom t-shirt for my husband but made it too small. I was able to exchange my purchase with no problems. I also value a business' reliable service - they told me they would call me at certain date and time and actually followed through. I'll be back! read more

My friend was wearing the cutest Bears shirt and upon asking her where she got it, she went on and on about this great place in Wrigley, Strange Cargo. I made the trek out there with two thoughts in mind... #1. Making a cute tank top of my pup and #2. Custom making some new Bears gear for the upcoming season. I walked in and was blown away with all the options, and adorable samples they had. The sales people were extremely nice, welcoming, and willing and able to answer any questions. I chose an American Apparel loose tank for my pup tank top, and the nice gentleman had me email the image to the store, and he cleaned it up on his computer and it was ready in ten minutes!! I was shocked! I had spent all week trying to search and contact people about doing this for me. Although it was a tad more than I was hoping to spend, the final product is adorable, and it was ready right away (instant gratification -yeyy!!) I definitely want to go back and make sporting apparel now! I believe they also have books, on books, on books of various print options, photos, lettering, etc. I didn't even look at those. I'm sure you could spend a good chunk of time looking through all those! I'm so excited to go back! read more

Biased by the love... This place is amazing- cool and affordable shirts with quirky sayings. The owner provides me a really discounted rate for shirts that I buy twice a year for at-risk kids who graduate from my mentorship program and receive a shirt as a surprise. The brothers that own the joint make it feel like a Big Lebowski scene. The dude abides man! read more