Baggu's first Chicago store opens to hundreds of shoppers
Embedded in a line where bejeweled teeth, nose rings and belly button studs gleamed in the late morning sun stood Dan Snowberger, a middle-aged man with a week's worth of stubble and who, a few hours before, had rumbled into town in an F-150 pickup truck.
Unlike the other 450 or so people stretching south along Damen Avenue Friday, Snowberger wasn't entirely sure what all the fuss was about. He knew this much: He'd left Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Thursday afternoon with his buddy, Lance Dunwoody, and they were here on a mission for Dunwoody's wife.
Mission accomplished. Snowberger clutched two shopping bags bulging with merchandise from Baggu, the insanely popular reusable bag store that opened its first Chicago location at 1639 N. Damen Ave.
“I’m not making fun of this because I’m a collectibles dealer back home. So I’ll stand in line to get an exclusive action figure, a comic book and flip it to nerds online," said Snowberger, who napped in the truck in a "back alley" before getting in line at 6 a.m. for the 11 a.m. grand opening.
Snowberger and Dunwoody weren't even close to being first line. That honor went to Danielle Burgos, 28, who lives in Ravenswood and arrived at 4:45 a.m. Burgos said she owns about 100 Baggu products.
"So-o-o cute!" she cooed when the doors finally opened and a fellow shopper showed her a handbag she planned to buy.
Baggu first opened in Brooklyn, New York, in 2007, and now — besides Chicago — has stores in Soho, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
TikTok and other social media platforms have helped boost the popularity of the brand, which makes everything from socks ($12) to lunch bags ($38) to the standard recycled nylon reusable bag ($14). The seemingly endless array of colorful prints and the company's stated dedication to sustainability were among the reasons fans flocked to North Damen.
"It's better than Taylor Swift," said Yazmin Perez, 30, from West Town. "I'd rather spend my money on 1,000 Baggu bags than on one Taylor Swift ticket."
Rachael Tsuji, 37, of Norridge, was near the back of the line. She has a Baggu backpack and a number of the company's other products.
"Their stuff is so simple, and it goes with everything," Tsuji said. "It looks chic and [durable]. My husband even has some of their stuff because it's very unisex-looking."
Emillie Stephenson, Baggu's head of marketing, said,"We have a really engaged community and fan base that love our products, love to collect [them] and really enjoy getting to be part of our community online, and now, in person."
Meanwhile, after spending about $700, Snowberger and Dunwoody were getting ready to head back to South Dakota Friday afternoon. Dunwoody's wife paid Snowberger to help her husband drive to Chicago.
Dunwoody said the gifts were "in service of love" for his wife.
"It's nice to give your significant other a little surprise every once in a while, do something nice for them," said Dunwoody, who has been married for about two years.