Locally Designed Chicago Souvenirs For Tourists and Locals
If you’ve wondered what are some unique gifts or Chicago souvenirs to bring home from your trip, here’s a breakdown of 10 tangible souvenirs you can consider that are locally designed.
Chicago is known for its iconic flag, impressive architecture, incredible food, public transit, and rich culture. Finding a souvenir that aligns with your interests in any of these categories is a great way to narrow down your options.
Chicago Stickers
Stickers are one of the best Chicago souvenirs because they are lightweight, versatile, and easy to bring home. With many designs to choose from, you can pick the one (or five) that correspond best to what you love most about the city whether that is the architecture, skyline, food, transit, iconic elements, quirks, or well-known phrases.
We recommend purchasing stickers that are designed by real, local artists because they allow you to take a piece of the city home with you and represent Chicago in an authentic way.
Pros of Chicago Stickers: Lightweight, cost effective, easy to apply to personal items you use everyday (like water bottles, journals, and laptops).
Cons of Chicago Stickers: It’s hard to decide where to put your sticker
Chicago Sticker Sheets
Stickers sheets are the perfect souvenir when you can’t pick just one sticker and want more variety. Sticker sheets often have smaller stickers, making them a great option for journaling or fitting in the small spaces between already sticker-covered items.
Pros of Chicago Sticker Sheets: Lightweight, cost effective, easy to apply to personal items you use everyday (like water bottles, journals, and laptops).
Cons of Chicago Sticker Sheets: It’s hard to decide where to put your stickers
Chicago Buttons
Buttons are a great Chicago souvenir because they are small, collectible, and easy to display on your favorite backpack, bag, or clothing. Unlike stickers, they can be easily repositioned across multiple items.
If you are a big button fan, be sure to check out Busy Beaver’s Button Museum on the Northwest side of Chicago in Logan Square.
Pros of Chicago Buttons: Lightweight, cost effective, repositionable
Cons of Chicago Buttons: If you’re not careful where you attach them to, you can lose them easily
Chicago Enamel Pins
Enamel Pins are a great Chicago souvenir because they are small, collectible, and easy to display on your favorite backpack, bag, or clothing, just like buttons but are of higher quality. Similar to buttons, they can be easily repositioned across multiple items. Unlike printed buttons, enamel pins are often created with a custom die, allowing for unique shapes and artwork to come to life through various color metal and enamel. They often have fun backing cards, making them a great gift as well.
Pros of Chicago Enamel Pins: Small, premium feel, repositionable
Cons of Chicago Enamel Pins: More expensive than printed stickers and buttons
Chicago Magnets
Magnets are one of the best Chicago souvenirs because they are durable and make a fun addition to your fridge, where you may already have a growing collection of souvenir magnets from all of the places you’ve been. Lettering Works thick, rectangle magnets are vibrantly printed with our signature artwork to show off what you love about Chicago most.
Pros of Chicago Magnets: Easy to pack, brightens up your kitchen or home
Cons of Chicago Magnets: A bit heavier to travel with
Chicago Embroidered Patches
Embroidered patches are a great Chicago Souvenir because they are small and easy to apply to clothing items or accessories. If purchasing a new shirt, hat, or sweatshirt is out of your budget or you don’t have room to pack it, you can DIY a fun Chicago item with an iron-on embroidered patch and a basic or favorite clothing item of your choice. You can even thrift a clothing item or accessory from Chicago to apply your new patch to.
Pros of Chicago Embroidered Patches: Lightweight, cost effective, easy-to-apply to clothing or accessories (and can save you the bulk and expense of larger items)
Cons of Chicago Embroidered Patches: Application to an item of your choice is required
Chicago Embroidered Luggage Tags
Embroidered luggage tags are a great Chicago souvenir because they are lightweight, practical, and a bold way to show your love for Chicago wherever you go. They help you recognize your bags quickly. And if you’re traveling and simply have no more room in your bag, you can attach your luggage tag outside your bag (and never take it off).
Pros of Chicago Embroidered Luggage Tags: Lightweight, can be attached to your suitcase or bag right away
Cons of Chicago Embroidered Luggage Tags: You might want to purchase one for each bag you own
Chicago Postcards
Postcards are a great Chicago souvenir because you can send them to friends and family or send one to yourself outlining the highlights of your visit. If you are focused on experiences over items, a postcard can be a great way to document your experience so that you can remember it. Postcards are also great for journaling or using in replace of greeting cards.
Chicago has many blue USPS drop off boxes, making sending postcards from your visit very easy. You can purchase stamps from post offices, shipping stores, or select retail shops.
Pros of Chicago Postcards: Write memories from your trip, easy to send to friends and family with a simple stamp (no need to pack them)
Cons of Chicago Embroidered Luggage Tags: You need to make time to write them out if you’d like to send them during your trip
Chicago Washi Tape
Chicago washi tape is a great Chicago souvenir for anyone who enjoys crafting or journaling. Washi tape is compact, but goes a long way. Chicago-themed washi tape is perfect for filling your junk journal, scrapbook, or travel journal as well as making crafts and decorating gifts and packages. If you plan to gift many souvenirs from Chicago, consider buying a roll of Chicago-themed washi tape to decorate your gifts. Washi tape is also reposition-able, making it a forgiving option if you are new to using it.
Pros of Chicago Washi Tape: Compact, great for crafting and journaling
Cons of Chicago Washi Tape: Generic washi tape is much cheaper than signature souvenir options
Souvenirs from Chicago that Don’t Say Chicago
Chicago has countless local artists and makers throughout its 77 neighborhoods. If you are looking for a tangible souvenir that doesn’t say Chicago, you will still have a wide variety to choose from. Consider shopping locally at independent shops nearby where you are staying or visiting that carry items from local creators. Don’t be afraid to ask shop owners or workers what items are sourced locally. From stickers by local designers to art prints and photography to ceramics to other housewares and original art, Chicago provides many unconventional souvenir options.
Alternative Consumable Souvenirs and Gifts from Chicago
And if you are looking for more consumable types of Chicago souvenirs, consider Garrett Popcorn (known for their “Chicago Mix” which is a combo of caramel and cheese popcorn), Frango Mints (chocolate covered mints from Macy’s), a frozen Deep-Dish pizza (Giordano’s and Lou Malnati’s ship them), local condiments (like giardiniera, a spicy pickled vegetable mix often served on Italian beef sandwiches), Jeppson’s Malört (a wormwood-based liquor), and local craft beers and spirits.
Whether you are a life-long Chicagoan or a tourist just visiting for a weekend, Lettering Works has a growing line of art-forward, Chicago souvenirs to help you proudly show your love of our beautiful city.
You can shop online here or find Lettering Works’ Chicago souvenirs at independent shops like Souvenir City Chicago (Streeterville), Neighborly (Riverwalk + Wicker Park), Paper & Pencil (Andersonville), Pixie & The Boy (Logan Square), Midwest Nice (Lincoln Square + Geneva, IL), Judy Maxwell Home (Old Town), City Lit Books (Logan Square), the fig tree (West Loop), and One Strange Bird (Wicker Park/West Town).
You can also find Lettering Works Chicago souvenirs at museum gift shops like The Field Museum and Chicago History Museum and at tourist attractions like Garfield Park Conservatory and Flyover Chicago. If you’re traveling through O’Hare Airport, you can find Lettering Works Chicago souvenirs at Hoypoloi Gallery (in terminal 1 near B6 or terminal 2 near E5) or Blvd & Branch (in terminal 5 near M30).
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Chelsie Tamms is the lettering artist and souvenir designer behind Lettering Works. She grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and currently lives in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. She is a full-time artist and designer and founded her one-woman studio, Lettering Works, in 2016.
