LOGAN SQUARE — After four decades of running a pioneering screen‑printing shop and vintage clothing wholesale business, 82‑year‑old Rajni Doshi is ready to retire. To help him clear the massive inventory stored in his warehouse at 2323 N. Pulaski Road, local streetwear retailer Boneyard Chicago organized a community‑wide retirement sale.
Neighborhood Turnout Surpasses Expectations
Owner Tony Jankun of Boneyard coordinated the event on Saturday, and the response was overwhelming. Approximately 600 neighbors lined up to browse and purchase items, many of which had been boxed for years. “He was very surprised with the turnout,” Jankun said. “He thought we were going to sell just a couple hundred dollars worth of stuff.”
All merchandise was priced affordably between $2 and $10, allowing shoppers to take home a piece of Chicago’s sartorial history. Doshi estimates he had around 50,000 items left, ranging from vintage Chicago sports T‑shirts dating to the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, to sweatshirts, pants and jackets. One notable T‑shirt featured a screen‑print of the Chicago Tribune front page from 2005, the year the White Sox won the World Series.
Plans for a Second Sale
Because the first event cleared a large portion of the stock, Boneyard is scheduling a second sale on November 21‑22, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the same Pulaski Road location. The goal is to sell any remaining items so Doshi can finally close the warehouse and enjoy retirement with his family.
“I just want to clean it all out, have the building for sale and retire,” Doshi said.
From Engineering to Entrepreneurship
Doshi’s journey began after he moved from India to Chicago as a child. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Trine University in Indiana and spent six years at Boeing in the 1960s, helping the U.S. military expedite airplane‑part orders and drafting technical drawings for aircraft such as the 747 and 707.
When a company supplying electrical switches to Commonwealth Edison relocated to Virginia, Doshi chose to stay in Chicago, left engineering, and soon after an acquaintance introduced him to screen‑printing. He opened his own shop in Irving Park in 1983, and within a year the business was thriving enough for him to leave engineering behind.
Doshi later became one of four Chicago wholesale distributors for Fruit of the Loom. He closed his screen‑printing and wholesale operations in 2006, shifting to sell remaining inventory on eBay. “When we started selling, there was no online,” he recalled. “The internet started after 2000, so everything was by phone and advertised in a magazine.”
Looking Ahead
Now, at 82, Doshi is eager to spend more time with his children and three grandchildren. He hopes the sales will find homes for his vintage pieces rather than letting them go to waste. He also plans to sell the Logan Square warehouse in the coming months, potentially opening the space for new uses that benefit the neighborhood.
The community’s enthusiastic response underscores the value Chicago residents place on preserving local history and supporting longtime entrepreneurs. As the city continues to evolve, stories like Doshi’s remind us of the enduring spirit of small‑business owners who have helped shape Chicago’s cultural fabric.
Original reporting: Block Club Chicago — read the source article.
