Had a shockingly bad experience at Optimo maybe it was an off day for them but looking at the…read morenegative reviews around the internet lined up with my experience exactly. I walk by Optimo fairly regularly and I had looked up their website and loved what I saw. With a rare day off from work with no other commitments I was excited to see the store and hear the hat lore. And buy a hat for myself and a gift for my dad. Unfortunately the person at Optimo was not as excited about me. As soon as I walked in the vibe was off she barely looked up from whatever it was she was doing to give me a lukewarm welcome and immediately go back to ignoring me. I asked about the store and the hats getting information was like pulling teeth. Then another customer walked in who she immediately began helping to ignore me. That was my cue to leave and idk if I will ever have a cue to come back. Which is fine because there are other custom hat makers contrary to what Optimo would have you believe. The hats were nice but at that price point I am expecting top notch service and Optimo is in the basement.

What a treat today walking into Optimo hat makers at 51 West Jackson. I thought I had stepped back…read morein time and by the time I had a hat on my head, it was both a perfect fit, and a perfect style. A few months ago I noticed a sharp looking guy with the perfect fedora on in a Naperville Starbucks. Being a career retailer who has always fantasized about being able to pull off such a look, but never finding the right combination, I commented to him how sharp it looked. Ironically that man turned out to be Graham Thompson, one of the world's best hat makers and the founder of Optimo. Getting a quick tour today from his apprentice was even more impressive, seeing the molds and hearing their process to match hat, fabric, and brim style to head shape and desired look. It didn't surprise me after a few minutes of discussion, the first hat he put on my head was perfection. It's another one of those retail experiences you never forget, and one that could never be duplicated online.

They have a large selection of hats, customer service was phenomenal they were patient and gave…read moreexcellent feedback. Whatever your taste I'm sure you can find something in your price range.

Outstanding service, they were very professional I have never bought a hat from a hat store, but I…read morenow know my hat size and I ended up buying two hats from them and they shipped them to my house. I had an outstanding shopping experience and the two hats arrived on time, and in perfect condition the same way I bought. They highly recommended and I see why. Everyone loves my hats, MEN if you're in CHICAGO and you want a quality hat with great service you owe it to yourself to go to SIDS Clothing and hats.

From the outside, didn't seem like anything special, but don't be fooled. Service inside was…read moreexcellent - the salesman could pick out my size and style just by looking at me. Great selection of quality hats, suits, and shirts. I decided to stop by because I wanted quality, in spite of _expecting_ the higher prices of a specialty shop... but, it was actually surprisingly reasonable. I've had the hat, suits, and shirts I bought from them for a couple months now, and I'm extremely happy with my purchases. Great place overall. Quality products, great service, reasonable prices.

Excellent selection of suits for men and boys - very reasonably priced. They also have shirts,…read moreties, coats, shoes, and hats. They usually have some sort of sales promo going on - be sure to ask!! I found the staff and owner to be very knowledgable and helpful - Customer service was fantastic. Return policy is 7 days (kinda short compared to other clothiers), but the manager was very gracious and generously extended it for me. Will definitely be back!!

Came here to get a cool hat with a custom embroidery for a gift. They were super kind and attentive…read morestaff. The prices were great and the embroidery came out beautifully and very quickly. Def will be back.

Small shop but conveniently located with the rest of the stores in this retail area. They mostly…read morehad Chicago hats so if you're looking for a good Chicago hat like White Sox, Cubs, or Bulls come here. Price is the typical pricing with some deals. They have 1 cashier but it's super fast to check out since it's small. They also offer custom embroidery and have exclusive Chicago landmarks to add. I recommend to add the Chicago state flag which I have on my white '47 White Sox Hat.

Today I picked up this sweet Bulls hat for only $20 + tax at Lids on State St…read more Thank you Juanito and Angel. I'll be back soon.

The worker Kayla - who claims she's the manager literally had the store closed on a Thursday from…read more3:30-4:30 because, "the workers are on break." WHAT?! how could she plausibly be a manager of a business?! At 3:30 I stopped by the store to buy a hat and she said they'd be closed until 4 or 4:30. As manager she at least could've been decisive when giving customers information. I asked her which time it would be and she couldn't even answer. Then I go back at 4 to check and she left her ghetto sign on the door. This is downtown Chicago store y'all. Lids - get more competent workers. Should probably let Kayla find another job.

Really fun store!! The vibe is so good here! Great music playing, friendly service, reasonable…read moreprices, welcoming atmosphere, and fabulous fashion! I love all the Chicago pride and cool streetwear.

I really enjoy the vibe of this store a lot. It goes well with both my personality and my sense of…read morestyle in clothing. In addition to that, this store has an incredible variety of products. It is always clean and fresh, and they have a variety of sweaters, shirts, shoes, and accessories for the ladies, as well as some hoodies, shirts, and clothes for the men. Just this last week, I went shopping in this store for some sweaters for my mother, and I'm happy to say that she absolutely adores my gift to her. She try to wear it as soon as I gave it to her and she super like it. Along with being very common to my coolness and such, the atmosphere of this place is also what keeps me coming back. I will definitely become a loyal regular customer in this shop. And I will recommend this to all of my friends.

When they first started building shop, I was super excited. From the looks of it, it seemed like…read morethe place that would be cutting out the footwork for anyone in Chicago who likes collectible kicks and limited edition sneakers whether by Mark Smith or Rolland Berry. Ever since I quit my job at Adidas Originals, I've been saving up money and limiting purchases making this store's development a serious spending problem. The GF promised me I could go wild at the end of the year for Xmas should I restrain myself. I did, but I guess it wasn't necessary. If I had walked in, I wouldn't ever have cared to spend money. I walked into the store, and was met with a pretty icy reception. I made a circle and picked up a few sneakers. I even held one for about 5 minutes hoping to get a size, and to no avail; no eye contact, no greeting, no chance. Someone was wiping down a counter, and someone else was fixing someone else's hair. Maybe I just didn't look like someone worth helping? Maybe it was culturalism or something. It was cold and not only did nobody help me, but I genuinely felt like they thought I shouldn't even be there. Much of my anger is just pure disappointment in how I was treated. I'm not looking for hand-held service, but some acknowledgment would be nice. I will say that on this side of town, they have the best selection of Nikes I've seen in one place. Could've used more Adidas' and Reeboks', but that's preference. There's really only so many Air Force Ones that I give a shit about.

Melo does the fade right. Knows how to cut both men and women's and does it right. He's never…read moredisappointed me and not to mention the amount of shoes he sells at great prices. Very trendy and some cool clothes to check out as well

There's a store manager there named Ashley, I was looking for a boutique hat. She recommended…read moregetting hats embroidered upstairs for a more niche style. She then offered the free consulting for the hat pictured below. Will be recommending all my friends to her for fashion advice, for embroidered hats (hopefully she's cool with it). Service is unreal at Lids, don't buy hats anywhere else. Huge shoutout to the Talia and the team upstairs working the machines as well.

I am a guy that likes to wear fedora's and so once a month I will indulge myself to a walk through…read moreto see if they have a fedora that will look good on me The stall is kinda small so that when they ask if they can help you. Its small so by the time they ask you if they can "help you" you will know if they have what you came for. This is located near the food court so if you are hungry while you are buying a hat, please be aware that you can soon satiate yourself with what ever stuff your heart and belly desire. Just buy that hat, ok?

If you're a Chicago sports fan like we are, don't miss a visit to The Grandstand. This family-owned…read morebusiness that opened in 1988 has rightfully earned a loyal following thanks to its outstanding customer service, knowledgeable staff, and incredible selection of merchandise. No matter what you're looking for, the team seems to know exactly where to find it and is always happy to help. The variety is truly impressive. From functional umbrellas and hats to T-shirts, towels, pillows, jackets, jerseys, collectibles, and so much more, there is something for every fan and every budget. Whether you cheer for the White Sox, Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs, or other Chicago teams, you'll find an extensive selection of apparel and memorabilia. Located just steps from Rate Field, Grandstand is the perfect stop before or after a game. The store combines the personal service of a local family business with one of the largest selections of Chicago sports merchandise you'll find anywhere. They also do mail order shipping for thoughtful gift items throughout the year. Highly recommended for both visitors and lifelong Chicago sports fans.

Love their hats! good quality some maybe rare can't find them in other stores! Also the jerseys are…read moretop notch quality specially the old school ones

I found out at the very last minute that I had tickets to this year's Kentucky Derby so, naturally,…read morethe scramble began to find a great hat. I had no clue where to get a nice hat and I had no time so I checked out the major department stores' selection online first. Boring, boring, boring. So the search began for a real hat designer. If I was going to the Derby, I was going to do it right! I found Chapeau Creations on Yelp (of course) and took a look at their website. They definitely have a lot of different Derby hats so I called them up and spoke with Elaine. It seems like a lot of hat designers make their hats custom but, thankfully, Elaine told me that, while she does custom hats, she also had some ready to wear hats to choose from. Phew! I made an appointment to come in the day before my flight. In order to get a better idea of what I was looking for, she gave me a password for the website so I could browse the collection and pick out some of my favorites to try on at the appointment. When I got to my appointment, she had a wide variety of hats in all different colors for me to try. She had all of the styles I had picked out and a variety of others available just in case. It was definitely difficult narrowing it down to just one. In the end I liked one style but in a different color. Elaine was able to modify the hat in the color I liked so that I could have exactly what I wanted. She said she was also able to adjust it to swoop a certain way if I would have wanted. I chose to keep it just as it was. The day at the Derby was amazing and I got tons of compliments on my beautiful hat. Now, if I ever go again, I know who to call first!

Was happy to find Chapeau Creations on Yelp! and to discover they were just a few minutes away from…read moreOld Orchard Shopping Center. There was a huge array of hats from which to choose! Elaine was kind, helpful and accommodating when I couldn't decide and had to make an extra trip back to see her. In addition she had creative solutions for customizing the hat to my outfit. Brava! Thanks very much!