Branded Apparel & Promotional Products Decorator, Chicagoland

Full Editorial Writeup

This is a full-service, in-house decorator of branded apparel and promotional products operating from two leased facilities in the Chicagoland area. Founded in 1996, the company sources from hundreds of apparel brands plus a domestic and international promotional products network, then decorates in-house and delivers through online company stores and custom shipping programs. It serves a national customer base spanning corporate, collegiate, professional sports, and consumer-brand accounts, with 47 employees handling production and fulfillment.

The business runs at meaningful scale: $11.2M in revenue and roughly $1.04M in cash flow, implying about a 9% owner-earnings margin that is typical for a decorating and distribution hybrid. Since mid-2023 management has deliberately shifted capacity away from lower-margin contract decorating toward higher-value direct B2B programs, including branded online stores for corporate clients and consumer-brand campaigns. A pro-league license gives the company a credential most promo shops lack.

The owners are retiring and willing to remain through a transition, with seller financing offered on 10% of the purchase price. The 4.5x multiple on a $4.69M ask is in line with comps for an asset-light, people-dependent decorating business, with the embedded online-store programs providing a recurring revenue backbone that differentiates it from a pure job-shop.