Tag Archives: legend

How Does a Guy Say No To This?

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Even though the wedding date’s not set yet, you can tell that Linnea Rivard and Michael Balda’s upcoming nuptials aren’t necessarily all that traditional.

For starters, the happy couple met at an online matchmaking site. They didn’t even get to go out alone on their first date (she brought a friend along, just to be sure). And after a few short months of courtship, she proposed marriage to him.

On Stormy Kromer’s Facebook page, no less.

“We met in September, and a month later he was bugging me with ‘When are you going to ask me to marry you?’” said Linnea, a bartender in Wisconsin Rapids. “When I told his mom, she looked me in the eye and said “He loves you and wants to marry you. He’s just scared to ask.”

Not too timid to take matters into her own hands, Linnea put a plan in motion.

Michael, who’s working toward his Master’s degree in Project Management, was heading to Florida for an extended stay, but before he left, Linnea made sure his favorite Kromer cap stayed home.

“It was weird, but before my trip, she wanted to know what caps I was bringing with me,” said Michael. “I’ve got 15 or so, and I did bring a couple of the cotton ones to Florida, but I couldn’t figure out why she cared. Then I saw her Facebook post.”

Posed in her boyfriend’s best Kromer Original, Linnea popped the question “Marry me?” in a picture presented for the whole world to see. And let’s just say Michael wasn’t the first to see it.

“Some other guy beat me to it,” said Michael. “One of the posts said ‘If he says no, I’m saying yes.’ Really, though, there was only one answer for me. She was wearing my favorite cap; it was awesome. I had to say yes.”

We couldn’t be happier for the Kromer-loving couple, and we’ll keep you up to date on their wedding plans. We thought you should also know, however, that they’re not the first to be wedded with our caps.

In 1946, Bernard Kolesar (you may remember him as one of our Living Legend finalists) proposed to Zella in his Stormy Kromer. She said yes, and the rest is history.

This has to be one of the best lookin’ wedding parties we’ve ever seen.

Are there other Kromer wedding stories we need to know about?

The Living Legend Tattoo

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If you’ve been following ou

r posts about 2012 Living Legend Jim Dehlin, you may remember that in the story titled “A Visit From a Legend“, Jim mentioned the possibility of getting a Living Legend tattoo.

Well, in legendary fashion, he was true to his word.

This fabulous bit of art was done by Jim’s niece, a tattoo artist in the New Orleans area.  The ink is on his right bicep and we particularly like the bit he added: “It’s good to be first.”

We have a feeling this won’t be the last we hear from Jim.  Stay tuned for updates on this legendary character throughout the year.

Featured Retailer: Getz’s Department Store

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Unless you’re reading this from someplace like Singapore,
you’re gonna want to get to Getz’s.

We like Getz’s. A lot. A little too much, maybe. But when you’ve got three stacked floors of department store goodness packed with people who remember how things used to be done, well, it feels to us like the kind of place Mr. Kromer himself would have owned. Except he was just a kid when it opened.

Getz’s Department Store in downtown Marquette, Michigan, hung out its shingle in 1879, and aside from selling a few brands of clothing and outdoor gear that didn’t exist back then, not much has changed. And that’s the way folks like it, according to Dennis Mingay, the man in charge of menswear.

“Remember when you were a kid,
and you’d walk into an old clothing store and
smell the richness of the wool and leather?
That’s what Getz’s is, and there aren’t many places like us left.”

The big box stores have taken over, but when you sort through the thousands and thousands—and thousands—of products on the shelves, from men’s suits and Silver Jeans for women, to outdoor wear, kids’ clothes, shoes, and—get this—7,000 square feet of Carhartt, you start to wonder how the national chains could ever compete with Getz’s.

“Here’s how we beat them,” said Mingay, who happily works six days a week and is as much a figure at Getz’s as Getz’s itself. “When people come in, we greet them, we take care of them. And when they ask for a pair of pants, we walk them over to the pants, we don’t just point.”

It’s this type of traditional service and commitment to customers that drew the attention of Stormy Kromer Mercantile owner, Bob Jacquart. Shortly after buying the SK patent, he walked into the UP’s favorite department store and straight up to Dennis Mingay.

“He said ‘I don’t know you and you don’t know me, but I just bought Stormy Kromer, and I’d like Getz’s to be a distributor.’ It took a little work, but just look at us now.”

Last year, Getz’s faithful fans (if that’s you, thank you!) purchased over 2,300 Kromer caps and articles of clothing. But it’s not the numbers that matter, it’s the nostalgia. Getz’s and Stormy Kromer are cut from the same cloth, if you will. They’re down-home brands built in rural America, and because they remember it’s the shopper who makes them successful, they’ve cultivated a global following.

So even if you are from Singapore, you might want to make a point of stopping by. Or at least visiting www.getzs.com.

A Visit From A Legend

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This past Friday, the employees at Stormy Kromer were proud to welcome a legend into their factory.  A Living Legend, actually.

Jim Dehlin and family, with Bob Jacquart

Our inaugural Living Legend winner, Jim Dehlin (along with six family members, including his wife, son and daughter) spent a good part of Friday afternoon with us.  What a treat.

The group started with a factory tour, given by our CEO, Bob Jacquart, of course.  Bob gave them the royal treatment, sharing story after story about the factory and Stormy Kromer, and introducing the crew to many of our employees.  The littlest member of the Dehlin clan even got to put eyelets into some caps!

After the tour, the group hit the retail store, putting a good dent into Jim’s $500 gift certificate.  Unsurprisingly, in legendary fashion, Jim spent most of his prize money buying caps and gear for his friends and family instead of for himself.

The visit capped off our inagural Living Legend program.  We received dozens of nominations and honored ten worthy nominees as finalists.  During the voting period, over 8500 votes were cast, with Jim emerging as our winner.  Earlier this month, we sent off our donation to Homes for Our Troops, in Jim’s honor.

Jim’s son Jesse, who nominated him, let us in on a little secret.  “I know we were supposed to have the nominee’s permission before nominating, but I didn’t know what he would say.  So I just did it.”  We sure are glad he did.

On his way out, later on Friday afternoon, Jim pulled a staff member aside.  “We’ve got to talk about some trademark issues,” he said.  “Any objections to my next tattoo using the Stormy Kromer logo, with the words ‘It’s good to be first.’?”

No problem at all, Jim.  And we couldn’t be prouder that you were first.

 

Stormy Kromer in Outside Magazine

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Have you seen the February issue of Outside Magazine?  One of the cover stories this month is “63 Perfect Things.”  We’re very proud to say that the Original Stormy Kromer Cap rounds out the list at number 63.

We’d like to send our thanks to the folks over at Outside Magazine for including us in such esteemed company.  Some of our other favorites on the list include:

9. No cell service
16. Snickers
22. Riding in the back of a pickup truck
36. Scraggly, asymmetrical Christmas trees
46. The U.P.
50. Grilling in the snow

The editors say their “outdoor pleasures are a mix of the good and the guilty.”  Which begs the question: What would be on your list of perfect things?

 

Announcing the 2012 Living Legend – Jim Dehlin

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When we decided to honor our legendary wool cap by honoring a few living legends, we were pretty sure we’d meet some doozies. We never imagined we’d run into someone like Jim Dehlin.

According to the entry form sent in by Jim’s son, Jesse, Jim is a bona fide American hero. The U.S. Army even says so.  After losing both legs in a land-mine explosion in Vietnam, Jim managed to wrack up an impressive bucket list of accomplishments from the front-row seat of his wheelchair:

He became a pilot.
He raced dirt bikes in Spain.
He ran with the bulls.
He tried downhill skiing, got bored and tried downhill ski racing.
He learned to water ski.
He hunted caribou in Alaska.
He swam with sharks.
He served as a volunteer firefighter.
He backpacked across Europe. Twice.
He ranked nationally in wheelchair basketball.
He appeared in Poison’s “Something to Believe In” video.
He was mentioned in three books by Senators and a Four-Star General.

“It’s not the accomplishments that make my dad a living legend,” said the younger Dehlin, “it is the impact he has had on people throughout his life that make him so. Over the 42 years since his injury, he continues to inspire people to tackle life and to succeed.”

Take, for example, how he used his sense of humor to improve the morale of other patients at Valley Forge Army Hospital—while he was dealing with his own injury. Or how he worked two jobs to put himself through school (he became an aviation maintenance specialist, then an educator) and plowed snow in the winter—for free for those in need. Or how he continues to challenge life by pushing boundaries and inspiring those around him to do the same.

“I am honored to be the recipient of the inaugural Stormy Kromer Living Legend award. To be included in such an elite group of finalists has been a humbling experience. I am blessed in my life to have my family and friends who have always supported me,” said Jim Dehlin, the inaugural Living Legend Award Recipient. “I am especially thankful to my son Jesse, who honored me as his Dad by nominating me. Many thanks to Stormy Kromer and all who voted,” Dehlin added.

As part of his Living Legend status, Dehlin receives a $500 Stormy Kromer gift certificate and a donation to the charity of his choice. Three percent of Stormy Kromer sales between January 9 and January 31, 2012, will be given to Homes for Our Troops, which builds specially adapted homes for disabled veterans.

“We see ourselves as a bit of a legend up here,” said Gina Thorsen, of the company which created its iconic ear-flap cap in 1903 and dozens of hand-stitched outdoor apparel items since that time, “but when we started reviewing the entries into our Living Legends contest, we were humbled to the point of speechlessness. These are incredible people, and Jim Dehlin is truly a hero. On behalf of the Stormy Kromer name, we are honored to recognize him as our inaugural Stormy Kromer Living Legend.”

What We’re Thankful For, by Stormy Kromer

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From the slightly silly to the serious, and in no particular order, this is what we are thankful for here at Stormy Kromer this week.

Living Legend Finalists – After reading their stories, we think you’ll be thankful for people like these outstanding citizens too.  Don’t forget to vote for your favorite.

Ida Kromer – Like most men, when Stormy needed some help, he turned to his wife.  Without her, his idea may never have turned into reality.  Now she’s finally getting her due with our expanding line of women’s products.

Sheep – Heck, without them, what would we make our legendary caps out of?

Our Employees – Without the dedicated men and women who cut, sew, package and ship our gear, Stormy Kromer Mercantile would not exist.  For that, they deserve a tip of the hat.

Our Customers & Fans – We think we’ve got the best customers in the business.  You appreciate the value of Made in the USA products, you faithfully spread the word about our gear and you share the best photos, videos and stories with us.

Snow – As much as we hate to admit it, we actually love that fluffy white stuff.  The accumulation started last week, and now we’re counting down the days until there is enough for the cross country trails, ski hills, and snowmobile trails to open.  Remember, you can now keep track of the snowfall at SK headquarters on our homepage.

From our family to yours, we’d like to wish you a safe, peaceful and most importantly, warm, Thanksgiving holiday.

What are you thankful for this week?

Seeking all Living Legends

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Maybe it was the uncle who came back from the war, cleared his land and built a home out of timbers he split by hand. Or the little old neighbor-lady who killed a bear with a stick to protect a group of schoolchildren. Or maybe it’s just someone you know who has gone out of the way—way out of the way—to build a legendary life for themselves and those around them.

Either way, that’s who Stormy Kromer is seeking for its 2012 Living Legends Contest. Enter your grandma, your neighbor—heck, even your dog—and tell us why they’re a living legend by November 11, 2011.

As we previously shared, we will choose 10 finalists, then let you vote for the grand prize winner. The winner will receive:

a $500 Stormy Kromer gift certificate,

a feature in our 2012 catalog,

and a gift to the charity of their choice*.

Yes, we agree that this is a great prize.

So nominate the Living Legend in your life.  We want to honor those folks who, like Mr. Kromer, have done extraordinary things and are living a legendary life.   There are a lot legendary people out there and we want to hear about them and see how their stories might inspire others. We also think we can do a little good in their honor by donating a portion of our sales to their favorite charity.

Who are the Living Legends that you know? Please share in the comments below (after submitting the official nomination form of course!).

(Having trouble filling out the form?  Be sure to save it to your computer first, then fill it out and save it.)

* Stormy Kromer will donate 3% of online sales from 1/9/12 through 1/31/12 to the charity of the winning legend’s choice.

Stormy Kromer Living Legend 2012

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Nominee’s Name: Paul “Bunyan” Bjornson

Nominee’s Residence: Sugar Camp, WI

Nominee’s Email: iheartlogging@mail.ox

Please tell us in 750 words or less, why your nominee is a Stormy Kromer Living Legend:  Paul was born and raised in Mercer, WI and spent his childhood fishing for walleye on many of the local lakes and flowages.  He attended country school near Mercer, and after graduating, took a job as a woodshop instructor in Minocqua, a position he held for nearly 41 years.

Paul is a bighearted man, and although he is only 5’1″, his laughter and personality fill any room he is in.  He was loved by all his woodworking students, who always looked up to him, at least when they were sitting.

Paul loves long walks in the woods with his dog, “Ox,” a blue healer he has had for many years.  He is also a world-class whittler.  He volunteers frequently and is a long-time donor at the Oneida County Forest Services Center.  He attends The Church of the Good Sheppard in Sugar Camp, where he sings in the choir with a beautiful tenor voice.  He loves flamenco dancing, reruns and cattle-herding.

Okay, okay, you’re right, there is no such person as Paul “Bunyan” Bjornson.  Or maybe there is, but any resemblance of the above to a real person is completely coincidental.  This nomination is, well, hogwash.

However, we know that there are many, many folks out there who are just as legendary as say, George and Ida Kromer.  And we want to hear about them.  And honor them.  That’s why we’re launching Stormy Kromer Living Legend 2012 .

Read the details and official rules, then nominate anyone you know who is a living legend.  Someone with a story that would make even Stormy himself crack a smile, or shed a tear.  (And by golly, that didn’t happen often.)

Nominations are open through November 11, at which point Stormy Kromer employees will select 10 finalists.  You will vote for the Grand Prize Winner.  In addition to having the honor of being put in the same league of legendary-ness as George, the winner will get some other cool stuff, including a $500 Kromer gift certificate and a donation to the charity of their choice.

So feel free to share your thoughts below about being legendary, but be sure to fill out the official nomination form and submit it by November 11.  We can’t wait to read your stories!

Caretakers of the Stormy Kromer Legend

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By Bob Jacquart, CEO

9 years and 9 months ago, I sat in a local coffee shop and overheard that the Kromer Cap Company was about to discontinue production of its distinctive wool cap.  As a lifelong resident of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and a third generation Kromer-wearer (not to mention the owner of a sewing factory) I knew there was something about this quirky cap that had to be saved.  And about a month later, my company Jacquart Fabric Products, owned the rights to the cap and the name.

I was an expert in sewing and manufacturing, and not in sales and marketing.  And now, I had a brand to sell!  I decided to seek out some experts in the marketing field, and I made a visit to an advertising agency in Milwaukee – one with experience in the outdoor industry.  I brought with me some old photos of family and friends wearing the cap (you can see a few here), and the critical bit of knowledge that George’s nickname was “Stormy” – a fact that the Kromer Cap folks had not really capitalized on.  They looked at me and said, “You really have no idea what you have here.”

I left that meeting full of excitement for the potential of Stormy Kromer.  We made some

immediate changes to the cap – including the now unmistakable signature and date to the back of the cap.  We took a year off from actively selling the cap and perfected production.  We added new colors.  And soon, we slowly began adding new products under the SK name.

A decade later, the brand now includes over a dozen cap styles in a multitude of colors that are worn by men and women, young and old, hunters and businessmen.  In a few weeks, a host of new caps, apparel items and accessories will be launched on our site and in our dealers around the country.

108 years ago, George and Ida unknowingly created a legend by stitching that iconic earband to a wool baseball cap.  We now carry the significant responsibility of being caretakers of that legend – making sure everything we do would make George and Ida proud.  And in fact, you are a caretaker of the legend too, from the moment you put that Stormy or Ida Kromer cap on your head.

We’ve launched this blog as yet another way to connect with you, our loyal customers.  We hope you enjoy hearing a little more about the company, the products, and the stories from all over the globe, that together make Stormy Kromer the legend it is today.