Amigos & Us

Specialties

We are a full service Hippy Boutique, Gift and Smoke Shop. We have tons of tie dye tee shirts and tapestries and specialize in Classic Rock shirts and paraphanelia. This is THE PLACE for Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia shirts for all of Chicago. We also carry Doors, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin, Allman Brothers among others. Need a hackey sack? We have Guatemalan and Sand Sacks. Also door beads, key rings, licenced guitar pics, Grateful Dead dog collars and leashes, window shades, dashikis, stash hats, mukluks… WOW! Also, we have the smallest but but finest selection of hand blown glass pipes on the block. We specialize in American blown glass from just a few artisans while keeping the prices reasonable as well. What have I forgotten? A couple very nice lines of tie dye dresses, hoodies, pants and skirts, hippy tops and bajas and lots more. We are 3 blocks south of Wrigley Field and of course we have the best collection of Cubs tie dyes, as well.

History

Established in 1988.

Amigos and Us started as an import company in 1987 but I quickly decided I preferred retail. With two friends, we opened a cart at the now defunct North Pier Chicago and within a year had expanded to two carts, then a brand new store. Ten years flew by meeting people from all over the USA and the world (especially during the World Cup) before a new owner bought the mall and promptly closed it, forcing us to move to North Clark St. Since then we’ve been on a gradual journey north on Clark St to our present location 3 blocks south of Wrigley Field, where my passion for the Cubs and for the Grateful Dead have intersected very happily. Jeff Bantz, Owner

Meet the Business Owner

Jeff B.

Business Owner

While in graduate school, I worked 3 years as a Counselor for Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska then 10 years as an Educational Counselor for the USAF at Howard AFB in the Canal Zone, Panama. Although I loved living in Panama, I eventually decided my true calling was to own my own business and to call my own shots… plus, I hated the crummy paperwork. So I quit my Air Force civilian position and moved back to the states to make my way in the world. Within a year I opened a store near Navy Pier on Chicago’s beautiful lakefront. I’ve had three or four stores along the way but Amigos and Us now happily resides on North Clark St right near Wrigley Field. I married eleven years ago and my bride is patient enough to not allow the ups and downs of a retail business to get in the way of our happiness… and you know, after 20 years of being in business for myself keeping track of all my taxes, bank accounts, orders and inventory, I still hate the crummy paperwork!