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Own Extra-sweet Chi-tinged tees and prints

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The name of a business can occasionally be misleading, as there would've been no reason for someone to call the cops if you had been right about Kinkos. Selling sweetness that's shockingly inedible, Tom & John's Chocolate Factory.

From longtime friends who were inspired during a viewing of Willy Wonka to start a... design company, T&J turns out fetching "homemade" t-shirts and posters that blend intricate hand-drawn designs with real-life elements like photography and newspaper clippings, which probably won't be a real-life element for much longer. Among the tastiness:

Bubble Gum Musiq: A sketch of a mid-flow Musiq Soulchild backed by a hodgepodge of recognizable Chi scenes like the Chicago Theater marquee, and a permit parking street sign, so you know he's in the zone.

Someday I'm Gonna Make It: A cartoon cab driver leaning up against his also-toony cab as actual traffic whips by under the El tracks, "dedicated to every artist and entrepreneur out there, working hard to catch that lucky break" (hey, at least he isn't smoking in his cab).

Chicago Tribune: A tribute to the Windy City, this collage of old Trib clippings was assembled to convey some standout elements of the skyline, and tweaked in Photoshop to up the contrast, a process that took more than 6hrs, or twice the time it took Sam Zell to destroy the paper.

In keeping with their willful deceit, purchases are mailed out in artfully decorated chocolate boxes, something you probably shouldn't name your candied storage container company unless you're ready for a steady flow of people who just got kicked out of Kinkos.

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Extra-sweet Chi-tinged tees and prints

Published: July 19, 2011 at 4:00am EDT

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