Hello! We are very excited to be back online with ALL NEW DESIGNS as of July, 2024! Creating Distinctive T-Shirts since 2003 in Chicago, It's Great To Be Here! (R) is back and better than ever! We've got an all-new collection of originals by Christopher Festa, plus updates to old favorites. Starting with T-Shirts and Hoodies, we'll be offering a wide variety of apparel and accessories with unique and distinctive attention-getting designs. And in addition to our renowned designs celebrating Cities, States, Regions, and Neighborhoods (Stuff About Places) -- we have a new Collection of Funny & Interesting Tees NOT About Places we know you'll love just as much!
It's Great To Be Here! (R) is Owned and was Founded by Chicago / Florida by Designer and Businessman Christopher Festa. We began back in 2003 in Chicago as "Festa Stuff", kicking off with our infamous "In Dusty We Trusty" T-Shirt celebrating the ill-fated 2003 Chicago Cubs and Manager Dusty Baker.The Company soon diversified into T-Shirts celebrating Chicago, The Midwest, and eventually, the whole nation. We also did very well with Women's T-Shirts, including our Best-Selling "Chicago Girl", "Midwestern Girl", "Southern Girl", "Jersey Girl"... etc - Women's TShirts representing all places around America. We began attending Trade Shows including MAGIC, FAME, Surf Expo, and many others, eventually having our tees sold in over 1,000 different boutiques, gift shops, and department stores around the United States, up to 300 at once at our peak.
In 2009/2010, Festa Stuff re-branded as "Great To Be Here" to capture our focus on celebrating places around the country. Unfortunately, with the difficult economy, we decided to gradually wind down the Great To Be Here, as Mr. Festa was focused on the burgeoning success of his other business, TBOX Bar Crawls in Chicago.
TBOX (which stands for Twelve Bars Of Xmas, though it's over 30 now...) started taking up all of Chris's time, and became a Chicago Phenomenon! Started in 1996 just for fun, TBOX (R) went from a little get-together for friends to attracting over 200,000 crawlers through the years, still averaging over 10,000 a year! The next TBOX will be Saturday, December 14, 2024 in Chicago and we'd love you to be there!
But Chris remained interested in making Tee Shirts, and kept the brand alive. So now, in 2024, we have re-launched our web site, selling print-on-demand t-shirts and hoodies (and soon, other apparel and accessories) as It's Great To Be Here! (R) - and will also have these designs available for wholesale. Our hope is that you'll get tons of attention, start many conversations, and possibly get a few dirty looks in our T-Shirts. All we're striving for, is to be America's Most Interesting T-Shirts!
And foremost, we want to thank the Good Lord for this opportunity to re-open our business and Praise and Glorify God for this Opportunity! We're still a little naughty-ish, but we strive to keep our designs wholesome and family-oriented. Our test is, we only want to make stuff that you'd wear to dinner at your Grandma's house. And why do we love the USA so much? Well, Chris is kind of a Road Trip Aficionado, having extensively visited 49 States (Alaska soon!) and taking time to appreciate what's cool about every place he visited.
In early 2020, Mr. Festa relocated from Chicago to Florida, and the company is now based in his Original Hometown of Vero Beach, Florida, though "Our Heart, Our Soul, and Our Love will always be with The City of Chicago!"
We will be continually adding more and more designs, along with Bumper Stickers, Beach Towels, Hoodies, and more, and we currently have lots of great stuff for Chicago, Florida, and Vero Beach (You Should Visit Sometime!)
Enjoy and God Bless! Chris Festa
