Cubs fans snapping up World Series championship gear

Thousands of Cubs fans celebrated the team's historic World Series win by rushing out to buy World Series Champion caps, T-shirts and other gear Thursday at stores across the suburbs.

While most did their shopping soon after waking up from a night of celebration, some lined up outside stores shortly after Wednesday night's Game 7 to get their World Series items. At the Dick's Sporting Goods store in Vernon Hills, a line stretched 800 feet Wednesday night from the store's entrance to the Dunkin' Donuts adjacent to Milwaukee Ave., said Deputy Police Chief Rick Davies.

Several suburban Dick's stores closed at about 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. only to reopen at around 5 a.m. or 6 a.m.

Eric Baker, a manager at the Dick's at the Streets of Woodfield shopping center in Schaumburg, couldn't get into specifics about how much merchandise they had in stock ready to sell, but said it was over 300 cartons.

Despite the rush, there was no fighting over merchandise, he said.

"Everyone's been really considerate. Everyone's saying thank you when they walk in and we haven't even done anything for them yet," Baker said. "It's been cool, everyone's been polite, everything's pretty mellow, it's pretty organized."

By around 9:30 a.m., the line of bleary-eyed Cubs customers waiting to pay for their gear began in the back - near untouched racks of Bears, Bulls and White Sox apparel - and zigzagged throughout the entire store.

Among them was Kathy Sciacca, a Hoffman Estates resident who was buying items for her family, including a son who drove to Cleveland to be outside Progressive Field for the victory Wednesday night. He spent the night in Cleveland then drove back to Pittsburgh, where he now lives, in time to go to work Thursday morning.

Fans poured into the Lombard Dick's store early Thursday to snap up championship caps, T-shirts and other paraphernalia.

Shopper Marilee Feldman was so caught up in the moment she strolled among other shoppers encouraging them to sing the "Go, Cubs, Go" anthem.

Feldman said the check-out clerk told her he had been called in from Michigan to help with the expected onslaught of giddy shoppers.

Adam London of Des Plaines was out buying Cubs gear after Wednesday's "roller coaster ride" of a game.

"As soon as it was done, everyone was jumping for joy," he said. "108 years, it's finally over. The drought is over."