Surprise loved ones with ‘Stormy Kromers’ under the tree

Christmas shoppers may want to consider stepping outside the box of high-fashion this year by gifting cozy and retro-style “Stormy Kromer” caps. 

We’re all being advised to spend more time outdoors this winter, breathing in the fresh air. Stormy Kromers are “you-betcha guaranteed” to keep one’s ears warm and toasty when the temperature dips. 

Stormy Kromer may be the new “comfort zone,” ehh? 

Manufactured in Ironwood, Mich., in the state’s Upper Peninsula, Stormy Kromers are the “official headwear of the USA Ice Team.” The squad travels worldwide to compete in international ice fishing derbies. 

Ice fishermen drill holes in frozen bodies of water to drop their lines. In Michigan’s UP, as it’s called, “ice fishing is a big part of our area’s culture – our ice fishing season is almost longer than our open water season,” said Gina Jacquart Thorsen, president of Stormy Kromer Mercantile.

 The original Stormy Kromer cap was invented in 1903 by George and Ida Kromer of Kaukauna, Wis. He was nicknamed “Stormy” because of his infamous temper, according to journalist Amy Miles. Stormy worked as an engineer with the Chicago and North West Railroad.

The problem was the baseball-style cap worn by engineers at that time provided no ear protection from the cold and would often “disappear with the wind,” Miles wrote.

The solution was Ida’s creation of a wool-blend ball cap with a 100% cotton flannel lining. “The ingenious pull-down ear-band provides comfort and flexibility,” Miles said. The cap has ties at the front, “anchoring the headpiece and keeping its wearer cozy at the same time.”

 

Stormy’s colleagues soon lined up to have their own caps made, too, Miles said. “Before long, engineers from all over the region were donning the cap, and it grew to be not only a useful item for the outdoors but a symbol of culture and community” throughout the northern states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and upper Michigan. 

The Kromers built their business and in 1919 moved production to Milwaukee, Wis. Ida Kromer died in 1960, at age 82. Stormy Kromer sold the company in 1965 to Richard “Duke” Grossman. (Stormy passed away in 1970 at age 94.) 

Under Grossman’s ownership, the business survived another 40 years, but in 2001, sales of Stormy Kromer caps “had dropped to such a level that he saw no solution other than to shut up shop,” Miles wrote.

   

When Bob Jacquart of Ironwood got wind of the pending demise of Stormy Kromer, he immediately got on the telephone and bought the rights to manufacture Stormy Kromers. (Several generations of Jacquarts had been born and raised in Ironwood and all grew up wearing the traditional Stormy Kromer caps.) 

Production was consolidated at the Jacquart Fabric Products (JFP) plant in Ironwood. Today, the JFP operation employs about 180 people. 

You know you’ve found the main factory on Wall Street in Ironwood when you spy the jumbo, 10-foot high replica of the iconic Stormy Kromer cap on the front lawn of company headquarters.

 Stormy Kromer caps come with a lifetime guarantee. “Our goal is to design and create clothing and winter weather gear that are long-lasting and timeless,” said company president Gina Thorsen, the elder daughter of Bob and Denise Jacquart. 

Gina’s younger sister, Kari “KJ” Jacquart, serves as the plant’s production manager. 

The sisters were instrumental in adding women’s caps to the Stormy Kromer line in 2005. The first one was named the “Ida Kromer.” Next came the “Millie Kromer,” named after a favorite niece of Stormy and Ida. This cap has an opening at the back to give a pony tail room to swish and sway while still providing pull-down ear-bands. 

Caps for “Kromer Kids” are catching on, too. Dog owners are raving about the “Kromer Critter Caps.”