Chicago Hospitality United - Raising Funds for Local Hourly Workers
Chicago Hospitality United is a grassroots effort to raise funds for hourly hospitality workers affected by the mandated shutdown of bars and restaurants to contain COVID-19. Wade McElroy, co-owner of Leisure Activities and friend of Stock came up with the idea the morning of Saturday the 14th after seeing business in his bars, Ludlow Liquors and Young American, die down to a trickle amid fears of the looming virus.
Later that day, Wade and our co-founder Tim attended an ad-hoc meeting in Bucktown where industry leaders gathered to discuss the effects of the health crisis on their businesses. Governor Pritzker was set to address the public later that afternoon to shed light on the situation and likely announce a shutdown of bars and restaurants. The whole room saw the writing on the wall, but in the meantime Chicago’s restaurateurs opened up to each other about their fears and strategies for weathering a storm that no one could possibly prepare for.
For the past eight years, our business has been supplying these bars and restaurants with uniforms, so when they’re unable to work, we are too. We know the competitive nature of the restaurant industry, the narrow margins that can make or break a business, and dependency bar and restaurant employees have on tips for their livelihood. The employees would be the most directly affected. We knew that government relief wouldn’t come quickly, and that these folks would need income asap.
So we decided to do what we do best: make clothes. We sprung into action tapping friend and hospitality PR guru, Jenna Liberman, owner of Slow Down Co. to help with the effort and messaging. Within a day we formed Chicago Hospitality United with a simple mission: raise as much money as we can, and distribute it to those who need it as quickly as possible.
By Monday morning, Stock’s designer and co-founder Mike had cooked up a graphic tee design that we planned to put up for sale at noon. In the meantime, we started a Google Sheet where bars and restaurants could sign up for their employees to receive funds from the sales. Unsure of how much money we could raise, we decided to cap the list at 100 bars and restaurants to prevent diluting the proceeds to negligible amounts. The list filled within a day, which was bittersweet because although we could help a lot of people, we’d have to start turning others away. Thankfully our friends and neighbors at Luckyprints reached out offering to create discounted merch for businesses that didn’t make our list in time, so they could monetize and hopefully save the brands they’ve worked so hard to build.
Jenna created a comprehensive media plan that provided participating bars and restaurants the tools to promote the tshirt through their social media networks and mailing lists. Monday afternoon, we launched the tee in two colorways and watched as the first few orders trickled in. Once participating businesses began posting about the effort, orders flooded in. In the first 24 hours, we had raised almost $40,000 with no sign of slowing down, and knew we’d have to scramble to find the most effective way to manage and distribute the funds.
By the end Wednesday, we’d raised over $80,000, with a new collection about to launch. Our partner Jim started hustling to find a non-profit to act as a “fiscal sponsor” for C.H.U., eventually working out an agreement with Dorri McWhorter, CEO of the YWCA. Partnering with an established non profit helped ensure these funds would get to the right people, while eliminating tax liability and providing a strong paper trail.
A couple hours after the initial launch, friend and artist Cody Hudson of Struggle Inc. and Land & Sea Dept. offered to contribute a design for more products. The concept was a vintage text inspired graphic with a simple message: “Love One Another (and support hospitality workers).” On Thursday March 19th, we launched the presale on Cody’s collection, consisting of a tee, sweatshirt, hat, tote, and bumper sticker.
Meanwhile, Wade linked up with reps from Bacardi who very generously offered to cover the cost of the tees from Cody’s collection so that all of the proceeds from those sales could be donated rather than the net proceeds. By the end of the first full week, our gross funds raised was over $155,000.
On March 26th, 10 days after launching our initiative, we made our first $100,000 donation to the YWCA. By the end of the first week of April, once we've covered and tallied up all our cost of goods sold, shipping charges and Shopify fees, we will donate the remaining profit to the YWCA for distribution.
While sales continued to come through the Stock website, three raffles popped up to help raise money for the cause. Sam Goldbroch sold tickets to win a handmade chef’s knife, and Danielle Chutinthranond of Monsoon Pottery raffled a set of 4 brushstroke plates. Our friends at Notre raffled a pair of handmade Air Max-inspired rugs by local artisan Moira Quinn.
Sales for Cody’s pieces ended at noon on Sunday, March 29th raising over $50k with the following item totals:
Vintage White Tee: 510
Corduroy Cap: 371
Crewneck Sweatshirt: 288
Tote: 259
Bumper Sticker: 82
At the time of writing (1pm on March 30th), just two weeks since the project’s launch, we’ve raised over $183,000 in net sales. All pre-sale items are in production and will begin shipping in 2-3 weeks.
It's been inspiring to see so many people rally behind Chicago's hospitality workers during such uncertain times, so a massive THANK YOU to all who have shown up to support the cause! We have one more collaboration in the works that will likely launch in the next few days. Our friends at Virtue Cider have very generously committed to donating toward the cost of goods sold for the new piece, so stay tuned!
RPM Uniforms
In 2014, Chicago legends Lettuce Entertain You tabbed us to design uniforms for their upcoming concept RPM Steak. Their goal was to put a contemporary spin on the classic Chicago Steakhouse uniform.
The Hoxton Chicago Uniforms and Merch
In early 2019, London-based hotel group The Hoxton opened their Chicago outpost in the bustling Fulton Market district of the West Loop. Take a look at the garments we produced for both staff uniforms and merchandise.
Stock Mfg. Campfire Jamboree Video
Taking place over two days in late summer 2019, our Campfire Jamboree event at Camp Wandawega was one to remember. Featuring some of the best chefs in the country cooking amazing meals over live fires, great company and a one-of-a kind setting, we were humbled to be able to be a part of something so special.
Campfire Jamboree at Camp Wandawega
At the end of August, we hosted our first Campfire Jamboree at Camp Wandawega. Born from a collaboration with Stock friend and customer John Manion, chef and owner of La Sirena Clandestina and El Che Bar, the idea was pretty simple: get a bunch of industry friends out of the city and into the woods for a few days to relax, play, and eat like royalty.
At Work With David Posey
Since opening in December of 2016, Elske has been a critical and commercial darling of the Chicago culinary scene. Elske earned Michelin stars in 2017 and 2018, as well as back to back James Beard nominations for head chef and co-owner David Posey (and a nod in 2018 for his wife/co-owner/pastry chef Anna). With a focus on modern cuisine with a Danish influence, Elske is one of the biggest success stories in Chicago dining the last few years. This is our conversation with David.
CB2 x Stock Collaboration
This past fall, we were fortunate enough to collaborate with CB2 on a small collection, which was featured in their November catalogue, online, and in stores nationwide. The collection included a waxed cotton apron with Horween leather pockets, as well as genuine leather zebra debossed coasters.
At Work with Aaron Lirette of Free Rein
For our most recent edition of At Work, we sat down with Aaron Lirette of the new Free Rein restaurant in the St. Jane Hotel on Michigan Ave. Aaron made his name at the dearly departed Green River, earning numerous accolades including a Michelin Star.
Industry Outfitters Video
Since 2013, we've leveraged our world class design and manufacturing capabilities to become the outfitter of choice for some of the finest hospitality establishments in the country. We filmed this video at some our favorite partner spots - take a look, and give us a shout if you're looking to outfit your staff or team.
At Work With John Manion
Our latest installment of At Work features a luminary of the Chicago restaurant scene, John Manion. A trailblazing chef bringing Brazilian and Argentinian flavors to Chicago, while also serving as a pioneer in the now-scorching hot Fulton Market district. John's story is interesting, his experiences well rounded, and his answers insightful and entertaining. It was truly a pleasure speaking with him, and we hope you enjoy.
Vintage Collector: Watches and Porsches With Clayton Beck
At Stock, we like to see ourselves as bridge from the past to present, and often reference vintage garments to get a better understanding of construction and, most importantly, quality. We're also avid collectors of classic design, whether it's watches, cars, records or furniture.
Many of our like-minded friends and customers find themselves scouring for the best vintage out there, so we’re starting a new series to highlight some individuals who have successfully completed the deep dives and come to surface with a grail. Or two. For our first installment we went sailing, cruised around, and sat down with our pal Clayton Beck to talk Porsche, Rolex, and birth-year collecting.
