Our first Steez Drop happened on December 1, 2013. While driving across the Upper Peninsula we stopped in downtown Marquette, carefully picked a location, and dropped an Upper Peninsula hoodie on a bench with a note, “Finders keepers”. 22 minutes later it was gone. Since then we’ve had fun making drops from Ironwood to Mackinac Island, giving back to customers, fans, tourists, and a few random passerbys with packages of Steez. We always include a hoodie or sweatshirt, t-shirt, and a random assortment of other goodies. But on July 5th, we were caught entirely off guard.
Ahh, the tee shirt (or t-shirt). It is the ultimate fashion icon of the United States as no other country wears more t-shirts than U.S. citizens. We love them. Everyone has got to have a dozen t-shirts (or several dozen like me).
Communicating with t-shirts is something Americans know how to do best, they have it down to a “T” (insert laughter here). It can be at a bus stop, in a classroom, a concert, or anywhere else. A person wearing a t-shirt doesn’t have to talk to show a part of their character. It’s a way Americans brand themselves and reveal a small part of their character: a sports team, logo, city name, humor and more. The list goes on and on.
They are champions for a day, but the difference between these four finalists and the NCAA Final Four is that no threads will be cut today. Anyways, let’s take a look at our four regional winners.
In the Houghton Region, it was the No. 1 seed, the favorite, who swept through with little competition. That is Stef P., who has the only remaining selfie. And what a selfie.
Upsets, underdogs and some of the most stylish clothing you’ll ever see in a bracket. It’s time for Bracket of Steez 2014, and this year’s grouping looks as strong as ever.
The annual Yooper Steez competition got started Monday as the 32 competitors were announced and put into action, including many things you’d never expect to see: Curly-white wigs, letter jackets and an ultrasound. Whoa.
Through the first round of action, it’s quite obvious some favorites have surfaced, including Houghton Region’s fish-eye lens, lightning bolt-catching selfie by Stef P. in South Africa, Claire K.’s beautiful shot from Dead Horse Point, Utah in Ironwood Region, Mackinac Region’s rainbow suspenders and the bright pink cross fit shot from the Escanaba Region.
It has been an incredibly fun year and we hope you’ll join us for more fun in 2014. To talk with the nicest people on earth every day is a pleasure. So thank you! We wish you an awesome new year with friends and family. Explore the U.P., conquer your goals, and have fun out there.
Now this spotting was a big surprise! Linda on Facebook shared this and we couldn’t be more delighted to see more Yooper Steez being represented in the Big Apple.
Apparently this video is associated with a TV show called “The Glee Project”, not something we’re familiar with, perhaps you can shed some light in the comments section. Maybe we can even track down who it is in the video, though they did a pretty good job blurring out other faces in the video.
Yooper Steez has achieved another first (unless somewhere out there hasn’t sent us their photo!). To our knowledge our friends Angela and Josh, residents of Lansing, became the first couple engaged while each were wearing Yooper Steez shirts! We’re excited for the young couple and have to say they look pretty good too. Though the shirts are hardly noticeable behind that shiny rock. And of course the special moment took place in the Upper Peninsula, at Pictured Rocks, during their Memorial Day weekend getaway. Congratulations Angela and Josh! We are fully expecting an Upper Peninsula themed wedding! Lots of flannel, miner axes, pasties, Sweet Rolls, and venison.
This is a guest post from Cindy of L’Anse. When I received this e-mail from Cindy I was ecstatic. Cindy’s story about her son is the epitome of what Yooper Steez is all about. A great thanks to Mike’s aunt for sending the shirt, Mike for wearing the shirt, Jamie for commenting on the shirt, and Cindy relaying the story back all the way from Italy. To date, Yooper Steez shirts have been delivered to or worn in Argentina, Beijing, Italy, Afghanistan, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Finland, and soon Egypt will be on the list.
The following post is an interview with the Cattani family from Menominee. A few weeks ago I was in the middle of my morning routine when I started receiving e-mails and tweets that Yooper Steez shirts were spotted on the Today Show on NBC. I thought it would be a fun post to interview them about their trip to NYC and what it was like to be on the Today Show and actually be interviewed by one of the correspondents. Not to mention exploring a city with 27 times the population of the entire U.P., crammed into an area 35 times smaller than the U.P.
Photo by Andy Nelson-Zaleski of the Mining Journal
In what local law enforcement are referring to as ‘Typical Yooper Fashion’, a Marquette man has marooned his 1995 Buick LeSabre on a downtown snowbank. Apparently the incident spiraled out of control when Mr Toivo Mukada decided to take climate control into his own hands, following Phil the Groundhog’s prediction of 6 more weeks of winter.
“Hey der, guy, it just ain’t right. We’re all sick of da winter, wish it would just leave us all be. You can only go WalMart and walk long lap so many times. Plus, I jus picked up a new 2 stroke ‘zuki brapper.. jus can’t wait for dat spring time brappin’.” – T. Muckada.
At Yooper Steez there are a lot of things we love. We love to have fun. We love Lake Superior. And we love sharks!
A while back (nearly three years) I started dreaming up the idea of the Lake Superior Sharks. I mean what if there weresharks in Lake Superior?! Well now there are! The Lake Superior Sharks are a fictional sports team with the goal of being the greatest fictional sports team in North America. This is where the fun comes in and we hope you’ll join us. We’d love to see you rockin’ an awesome Sharks t-shirt and hat. And while we’re at it, we’re just going to run with it and let people believe that, yeah, maybe there are sharks in Lake Superior!
Huge upsets. Instant rivalries. Finishes that will be remembered forever. It’s been an amazing first three rounds of the inaugural Bracket of Steez tournament.
Before I go any further, let me say congratulations to the four teams that are now representing their bracket in the semifinals. This wasn’t easy, and for all four of them, it took traveling the world.
Coming from the west end of the Upper Peninsula is the Ironwood Region winner submitted by Karl P. This was taken in Fribourg, Switzerland. Its biggest advantage might be the artist edge it has. Its Ironwood Region championship came decidedly over a photo submitted by Nils S.
It’s official, we’ve now shipped to all 50 states!
We’ve been after this goal for a long time! We were stuck at 47 states, then 48, and then 49 states, leaving South Dakota as the only state we hadn’t sent an order to. Our new beloved customer Scott saved the day! Last Tuesday he ordered a shirt that we shipped to Spearfish, SD. The small town of 10,000 people on the west side of South Dakota is now a favorite town of ours. Thank you Scott!
Since launching in 2008 we have been encouraging customers to take photos wearing their Yooper Steez shirts anywhere and everywhere. Since then we have had the goal of having our shirts worn and photographed in all seven continents. Today, we’re happy to announce we’ve finally done it!
We were surprised how fast the first six continents came. Turns out there are Yoopers and Upper Peninsula loving folk all across the world, and they’re doing awesome things. As you may have guessed, it was Antarctica that remained elusive. After we reached the first six continents it took another couple years to reach Antarctica. Our friend Megan made it happen! She took a two-week excursion to Antarctica in November and was gracious enough to bring a Yooper Steez shirt along. Next time our paths cross, we’ll be buying her a pasty. Thanks Megan!
On Tuesday night the great hockey rivalry was ignited once again between the Michigan Tech Huskies and the Northern Michigan Wildcats.
Before the game we thought it was fitting to have a makeover for the rest of February based on whichever teams win. As you may have guessed, MTU won that game. They won 8-2 which is their biggest win against NMU in the history of their rivalry.
A Yooper Steez shirt on The Price Is Right! Seriously, how cool is that? We couldn’t believe it! Two big shoutouts need to happen here. First, a big thanks to the mysterious Adam who got a great seat on The Price Is Right all while wearing one of our shirts. Secondly, a big shoutout to another Adam, @MTU_Adam, who snapped this photo during the October 19th broadcast of the show.
Welcome to Yooper Steez! We have sought to create a brand new Yooper website unlike any Yooper site you’ve seen before and we’re happy to welcome you. To both Yoopers and non-Yoopers alike we’re looking to spread pride in Michigan’s great Upper Peninsula and all those things that may make us Yoopers.
Yooper or not, your first question might be, “What the heck is steez?” No, steez, is not another slang word used among Yooper dialect. The word steez is actually quite simple to understand, meaning style with ease. We like style, and even more we like to take it easy.
Here’s a short and sweet testimonial from our friend Leah while she was wearing her Yooper Steez shirt.
I wore my cool yooper t-shirt to work the other day. One of the guys I work with gives me a weird look.
Coworker: “What is that supposed to be?” Indicating my shirt. Me: “It’s the U.P.” Him: [blank stare] Me: “The Upper Peninsula.” Him: [more blank stares] Me: “…of Michigan.” Finally a spark of recognition crosses his face. Him: “Oh, why does it look that way?”
Yooper Steez has just branched out in a big way… skateboards!
Yooper Steez isn’t a skateboard company, but has always drawn inspiration from the skateboarding and snowboarding culture. This is just one product (of many more to come) that offers a way for Yoopers to show their love for the Upper Peninsula. With each product we offer, we hope another person can represent the Upper Peninsula in a new way. Skateboards are one more way Yooper Steez can expand our mission to offer unique, original, fresh, and quality Upper Peninsula related products.
You have all impressed me with your continued support of Yooper Steez. It has been incredible to start this little business a year ago and watch it grow. Each month the website traffic increases a little more, several more comments appear from new readers and I receiver emails from more Yoopers not just in the Upper Peninsula but from coast to coast in the United States and from across the World.
Photo taken by yours truly overlooking Lake Michigan from US 2
We made our first sale at Yooper Steez on February 22nd, 2008. We’ve come a long ways since then.
Thanks to our awesome readers we have had a to of great feedback from Yoopers across the Upper Peninsula, the United States, and the world. Not to mention hundreds of visitors who simply love the U.P. We have also had the pleasure of educating people on a few things about the Upper Peninsula and continue to strive to bring fresh content to the site.
Here is a collection of the best photos to date in our “Steez” section. We’re looking for photos of people wearing our Upper Peninsula Yooper Steez t-shirts across the globe. If you already have one don’t forget to snap some photos and submit it online! If you don’t have one you might might want to grab one before your next vacation.
Since our launch, just over a month ago, we have heard from Yoopers across the United States and across the world, as well as many folks who love to vacation in the Upper Peninsula.
This round of shirts are made in the USA! They are printed on American Apparel’s 2001 t-shirt, and wow are they soft and cozy. Definitely a very comfortable shirt. They are a little longer than the previous versions as well.
Yoopers Across the World
Yooper Steez shirts have now been to 6 of the 7 continents around the world, including over a dozen countries! Antarctica remains, but yes, I do have a plan to get a shirt to Antarctica. However, if you have some awesome connection to get one there as well just let me know.
Yooper Steez now has more buttons! You can choose from…
White Upper Peninsula on green background
I [heart] Upper Peninsula
and Lake Superior
We have variety packs in 12 and 24 so you can get a collection of all styles to share with your friends, family, co-workers, and whoever else. But if you keep them all to yourself, we understand.
As difficult as this is to admit I just have to throw it out there, I’m moving to Lansing! I have already garnered a decent amount of heckling, harassment and being called a traitor from various people. Now that I’m announcing it here I expect a lot more of it, and that’s OK, I’m a hockey player and can handle a lot of heckling.
It has been three years since graduating from Michigan State and it’s about time I take on a salary and employer, a difficult task for someone who has done their own thing for three years. This is going to be an incredible opportunity for me and one of those opportunities I can’t pass up. I’ll be working at a marketing agency in Lansing where I will have the role of “the secret weapon” (yes, they hinted that could actually be my job title). I’m excited to help other companies grow, especially businesses in Michigan. I have found a passion for staying in the state and doing my part to help Michigan’s economy prosper. But believe me, I will be representing the Upper Peninsula every chance I get.
Photo by [The Photom on Flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/thephotom/4172755041/ "1st Snowstorm of Winter by The Photom, on Flickr")
Why the Upper Peninsula is Not Part of Wisconsin Learning more about the Upper Peninsula’s history has been quite helpful. I couldn’t be happier about this post being the most popular post of 2009. What was particularly cool is that this same topic ended up being featured on NPR after they did a feature titled A Trip U.P. North. Was great having national exposure for the Upper Peninsula and was fun to do a small interview with them.
Upper Peninsula Twitter Accounts to Follow Twitter seemed to be one of the top news story across the entire year. Every day another celebrity’s Twitter feed is talked about, or a news breaks on Twitter, and of course the growth in social media as a whole. The greatest thing… using Twitter to connect with Yoopers who are now dispersed all over the world.
2009 Midwest Super Park – Marquette Mountain This past Sunday I was watching snowboard cross on NBC and sure enough there was Nick Baumgartner from Iron River, competing and hopeful for a shot at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Nick is seen in the 3rd photograph on this post pulling a rodeo flip. There is some serious talent always coming out of skiers, snowboarders and other winter sports in the Upper Peninsula.
How…? Questions About the Upper Peninsula Answered I was determined to answer as many user questions as possible, and there is still a big list of them to go. I hope everyone else learned as much reading this post as I did writing and researching it. Feel free to leave your comment with some more questions and input.
Biggest April Snowstorm in 10 Years Over the course of three days it went from a beautiful 75 degree day to a 12-inch snowstorm. Twelve inches of snow during January or February is to be expected, but even in the Upper Peninsula 12 inches of snow is a rare thing in April. Thanks to my mom for supplying some great photos. You can share your Upper Peninsula photos on the Yooper Steez Flickr group.
Final Four Basketball Floor, Made in the Upper Peninsula As a Michigan State alum I was happy to see my alma mater playing for the national title. But wow, it went a lot deeper than that this year. They were playing in Detroit, coached by Yooper Tom Izzo and the floor they were playing on was assembled in the Upper Peninsula.
Another Map Missing the Upper Peninsula Nothing new here, we’re all familiar with maps missing the Upper Peninsula, or sometimes labeled incorrectly. In fact I just saw a Biggby billboard that used the phrase “Michigan based”. Too bad the graphic on the billboard only had the lower peninsula of Michigan. But, at least the government won’t make that mistake anymore thanks to Mike Lahti.
NMU Closes Again Due to “Inclement” Weather, Really? C’mon NMU, this is the Upper Peninsula. In my opinion if it’s 1 degree with a windchill of -14, school better be open. Sure, elementary schools should have a different set of rules. But really, a college student in the Upper Peninsula should know how to dress for winter. What’s your take?
Bird’s Eye View of the Upper Peninsula A look at the Upper Peninsula from Google Maps and the satellites. We’re used to seeing the beauty of the Upper Peninsula from ground level. What most impresses me (especially after having been to the top) is how fragile the Mackinac Bridge looks from far above. From that angle it looks like it could be snapped like a twig.
Thanks for all the help in 2009 to everyone who submitted potential blog topics, articles to read, posted comments, ordered shirts, joined the Facebook page, subscribed to the blog, took photos, and all sorts of other things. There are some great plans to grow Yooper Steez further in 2010. Make it a great year.
Photo courtesy of [Ryan Cordell](http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryancordell/3115664289/ "Cabin In the Woods by rycordell, on Flickr")
Yooper Steez has been a bit stagnant in the first two weeks of 2009, at least on the front end. I wanted to post a quick update to everyone that I have been working hard on some back-end stuff (this means things like SQL, PHP, SEO, etc. Sounds exciting doesn’t it?) to give a better user experience.
Out of the 600+ players in the NHL, there is only one who was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula, Jeff Finger. Born and raised in Houghton, Finger was selected in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.
And the winner is…..
Ben B. of Grand Haven
And of course you’re still welcome to sign up for our RSS feed on the right hand column. And look for more giveaways to come.
Thank you both customers and readers who have been patient with us. It took longer than we expected to get restocked with shirts. But we’re back in full throttle. Order yours today or sign up for a chance to win a free shirt. We currently have red, blue, green, and black in sizes XXS throuh XXL.
Houghton native Jeff Finger traded to Maple Leafs
We have mentioned Jeff Finger in severalpreviousposts with our talks about hockey. Now, finger signed a new four-year deal with the Maple Leafs worth $14 million. Last season he made the league minimum of $475,000. Not a bad day at the office. He remains the only Upper Peninsula native currently playing in the National Hockey League.
