Two Zero Three’s Resident Sartorial Superheroes: Stock Manufacturing Culture & Art By Virgin Hotels @VirginHotelsChi Share Share On Facebook Share On Twitter Share on LinkedIn Stock Manufacturing Pop-Up Shop Premium garments, straight from their Chicago factory Two Zero Three, December 7 – 23 Stock Manufacturing Company came to be after a couple of like-minded guys met up to talk shop over some drinks – simple as that. A few weeks later, they formed the company with the main focus on creating a truly vertically-integrated menswear brand, and haven’t looked back since. They design and produce premium garments and sell them directly to their customers—cutting out the middleman. Their goal is to provide top quality, domestically made garments at the most affordable price possible, while making a meaningful impact on American job creation. We sat down with one of the founders Jim Snediker, just before their opening of their Pop-Up Shop at Two Zero Three (yup, thats our coffee shop), about the company’s history, gift giving and what their favorite offerings are! What is the concept behind Stock Mfg. Co.? My partners and I have always been fans of handcrafted, classic American brands. We admire a brand that does everything well, from the fabrics to the fits, quality, packaging, experience and history. The trade-off is that with that kind of attention to detail, quality, and American craftsmanship, pricing is often prohibitive. We set out with the idea that we could build a world class brand, make everything here in Chicago, and sell our products at a fair price. By going direct to the customer and skipping traditional retail channels, we’ve done just that. Why a Pop-Up Shop? We were fortunate enough to be presented with this opportunity, and we jumped at it. The Virgin Hotel is one of the coolest new hotels in the city, and with the support of local design and art, it was a great fit for our brand. And of course, we were very excited to put Stock in front of thousands of downtown shoppers during the busy holiday season! How did you come up with the design of the space? The space was really inspired by our shop at 2136 w Fulton St. Our shop draws inspiration from turn of the century Chicago factories, but with added warmth for a comfortable, inviting vibe. For the pop up, we drew from those same ideas, and added a little pop of holiday cheer. What was the inspiration behind some of the featured collections? Some collections we’ll be featuring are the American Highway Collection, inspired by the classic cross-country road trip, as well as the Stock x High Life Heritage Collection, which draws inspiration from over 100 years of Miller High Life advertising. What are your favorite holiday gift ideas? Whatever my wife specifically asks me for. What do you love about Chicago and what does it mean to Stock? Chicago means everything to Stock. Our name comes from the famous Chicago Union Stockyards, and our style is distinctly informed by the no frills, hardworking ethos of Chicago. Little touches of Chicago history seep into everything we do, from our store design to our hang tags. *** Don’t miss Stock Manufacturing’s Pop-Up Shop this holiday season. Show your same day receipts and enjoy 15% off your coffee or wine of choice!