Chicago Sports

Product Description

Since 1987, Chicago Sports and Novelty has been selling jerseys, t-shirts, and anything with a Cubs, Sox, Bulls, Hawks, and Bears logos on them to a wide range of windy city sports fans. When Navy Pier offered up a prime location in the new development of the Pier, Chicago Sports hired 555 International to elevate their tried and true retail formula to one that would engage with younger audiences, driving brand awareness and retail traction.

Knowing that the majority of guests would be non-locals, 555 International delivered on a retail concept that put celebrating the city through a range of design features peppered throughout the space, putting Chicago Sports first. To elevate the overall brand image, 555 redrew the iconic logo into one that spoke to their historical baseball roots, keeping the original nostalgia but simplifying for modern day.

To attract guests from the busy traffic flow of the main walkway, 555 designed and custom built an impactful entrance shroud comprised of hundreds of suspended sports equipment of each of the teams. The equipment, painted white and arranged in a pattern arching overhead, were each individually prepped at 555’s fabrication warehouse on Chicago’s south side, then installed on-site. Anchoring one side of the archway signed jerseys from some of Chicago’s team’s greatest players are displayed in a glass trophy case, while a hand-wrapped Chicago Sports logo emulating embroidery on a baseball jersey, provides the backdrop for the main POS counter on the other end. Along the back wall, a 20-foot-wide hat wall pays homage to the Chicago flag, drawing guests in through the space to the hats – one of Chicago Sports’ best sellers. An interactive wall featuring a drawn map of Chicago provides local tips for guests visiting the area. To maximize their retail impact, 555 fabricated an adaptable retail merchandising system that leverages standard industry hardware, customized with white powder coat and natural wood infill to fit with the Chicago Sports brand.

Photo credit: Eric Kleinberg