WRIGLEYVILLE — This year is already the year for the vendors who peddle Cubs gear near Wrigley Field, but many of the street merchants wonder how long the good times will last.
The Cubs' nearly unprecedented World Series run this fall has boosted sales for many of the merchants hawking parody T-shirts and other merchandise in Wrigleyville.
Sean McReady, who runs the SportsFan Trailer that's been parked for 10 years at Clark and Sheffield streets, said 2016 is his best year yet.
"Ain't that right," he said.
Business was "really good" all season, but sales exploded after comedian Bill Murray wore an "I Ain't Afraid of No Goat" shirt during the Cubs' first playoff game against the San Francisco Giants last month.
McReady said they've sold nearly 700 of those $20 shirts since, blowing out their previous all-time best-seller: a Harry Caray shirt inspired by former Cub outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, who left the club in 2011.
"The Giants series was really good, but the World Series is extremely good," McReady said.
The hottest shirt in Wrigleyville. [DNAinfo/David Matthews]
An extra month of sales has been kind to the vendors, but they all wonder if future seasons will do the same. With major developments promising to change Wrigleyville coming soon, the vendors wonder if they'll be pushed out of the neighborhood.
The City Council recently approved new rules aimed at easing street sales near Wrigley, but many of the merchants are skeptical. McReady believes the Chicago Transit Authority might buy the lot where his trailer is parked to make way for a long-planned "Brown Line Bypass."
"We're kind of in a dilemma," he said.
One vendor near Clark and Addison streets who declined to give his name said he's been only selling T-shirts at the corner for a year, but this season might be his last.
The good days, he said, are really good. But there are also days — like when the Cubs lose — he'll work 12 to 14 hours and come home with only $50. The Cubs, he said, sent Major League Baseball officials his way often to make sure he wasn't selling counterfeit gear.
"We're fans just like everybody else," he said.
And if the Cubs or city pressure him further?
"We'll try to work around it," he said.
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