Flush with the breakthrough success of TBOX7 and happy to be back in Chicago, I began to think about TBOX8 in the late summer of 2003.  But as those of you who are Cubs fans know, that was the year, the year that should have been our year.  In May, I had started my other company, Festa T-Shirts, and by September, THE catchphrase of the year had become "IN DUSTY WE TRUSTY" - our company's very first and then best-selling t-shirt.  With the euphoria of the Cubs "knockin' on heaven's door", TBOX was almost the furthest thing from my mind... and right up until the moment Steve Bartman's hand deflected that ball, I imagined that all of Wrigleyville would melt into one big happy, celebrating, sweaty ecstatic lovepile for months, and that Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's would probably all be cancelled while they separated the bodies.  But alas, it was not to be, and after 3 weeks spent in a dark room with the shades drawn, unshaven, surrounded by empty pizza boxes, I emerged from my lair and started putting together TBOX8.

Though I am certain most everyone had a good time, it was probably my personal LEAST favorite TBOX, because it seemed to have grown alot from the previous year, but we just weren't ready - we didn't have a "Headquarters" bar like we have every year since, we were lugging boxes of t-shirts around, and the badges, oh, the badges, were huge 8.5x11 unlaminated cardstock deals that were HUGE and flapping in the wind, and the holes tore, and everyone was making fun of me for them!!  But the show went on, and we had an approximate crowd of 2,000 people.

TBOX8 Opening Ceremonies Tiki Torch March
Featuring (L to R) Tony Y, Peckham, JD, Fuji

The Dopey Big Badges of TBOX8 (L); Young Harold at his 2nd TBOX (R)

More Fun from TBOX8

View all the TBOX8 Pictures Here!

And after TBOX8, came TBOX9 in 2004.  I kind of group these 2 TBOX's together in my mind because they were my first 2 years of being in business for myself, and during both years I'd not yet gotten an office, and was working out of my living room @ 937 West Newport. It was sometime in 2004 that we had the brilliant idea... why don't we set up a desk at one of the bars and make that the TBOX HQ and Customer Service Desk?  And alas, the Blarney Stone became the TBOX HQ for the next 3 years.  Attendance grew to about 2,300 or so, and though I still consider it part of the "Middle Ages" or "Growing Pains" of TBOX, it really did go a lot smoother and more pleasantly for all than TBOX8.  TBOX9 started @ Sheffield's, ended at Hi-Tops, and had the Opening Ceremonies under the El Tracks on Newport.  Things were really coming together, but I still didn't feel like it was "all there".  Oh, and the TBOX9 badges went back to being 1/4 the size of TBOX8, and fully laminated - much to everyone's relief.

Marching To Bar #1 with Torches and Posing Outside

Group at TBOX9 Featuring Young Jason Landman (Future 2009 Campus Security)



The Fuzzy Ending to TBOX9 with Fuji & Bigggoonnes @ Hi-Tops

View All The TBOX9 Pictures Here!