Chris Holman welcomes back Gina Jacquart Thorsen, Co-owner, President, and CEO of Stormy Kromer, a division of Jacquart Fabric Products, Ironwood, MI
Watch Gina and Chris discuss Stormy Kromer and their role in this year's Plaidurday celebration in the YouTube video shared below.
In this interview Chris looked to find out from Gina:
Besides Ironwood, what other cities across Michigan will be celebrating that evening?
What could attendees expect to experience at the 12th annual Worldwide Plaidurday event?
Besides bringing the community together, I imagine Stormy Kromer will be featuring some specials?
How has the first quarter as CEO gone? Any other news to mention?
Here are some further details shared by Stormy Kromer:
Michiganders are encouraged to embrace the plaid by joining gatherings in Detroit, Marquette, and Ironwood
Ironwood, MI - Several Michigan cities will celebrate the world’s favorite pattern with gatherings planned in Ironwood, Marquette, and Detroit on October 7th from 4:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear their finest plaid for the 12th annual Worldwide Plaidurday event. Residents of the picturesque Upper Peninsula town of Ironwood, Michigan will be celebrating with games, live music, scavenger hunts, giveaways, and multiple events. Stormy Kromer, the iconic outdoor brand located in Ironwood, is leading the festivities to bring the community together and will be offering a limited edition Plaidurday hat at all events (while supplies last) as well as 20% off non-sale items online along with free shipping.
“We consider Plaidurday a national holiday in Ironwood,” said Gina Thorsen, CEO of Stormy Kromer. “Every October we roll out the plaid carpet and welcome hundreds of plaid-clad folks to shop, dine, explore, and get their picture taken on Main Street. This quirky worldwide holiday is very special to our community and history.”
In 2011, Justin “Bugsy” Sailor founded the celebration of plaid in Lansing, Michigan when his friends pointed out he didn’t own any other pattern. Born and raised in the U.P., Bugsy declared the first Friday in October Plaidurday, and the celebration has since spread to multiple cities, with Stormy Kromer spearheading the party in Ironwood, MI.
The Ironwood Plaidurday Celebration will feature the following activities on October 7th and throughout the week:
October 7th:
● Live music from Mike Labo (5:00-5:45 pm) and Old Pine Road Band (6:00-7:00 pm)
● Movie Night at the Historic Ironwood Theatre (7:30 pm)
● Depot Park Farmers and Artisans Market (4:00-7:00 pm)
● Downtown-wide scavenger hunt for a Stormy Kromer prize drawing (4:00 - 7:30 pm)
● Group photo on Aurora St. (6:00 pm)
● Specials on local products
● Businesses will decorate windows with Stormy Kromer plaid patterns
● A chance to win one of the 3 Best in Ironwood Prize Packages
● Shops open late
● Games
● And more!
"Plaidurday began after being teased for wearing too much plaid, a friend said that the amount of plaid I wore was taking away from my potential in life,” said Justin “Bugsy” Sailor, founder of Plaidurday. “I told him, 'Not only am I going to wear my plaid, I'm going to create a holiday in honor of it.' This friend has participated every year since. Plaidurday exists because we're all connected by a common a thread."
Detroit Plaidurday will be held at Collect Beer Bar in the Eastern Market area and feature an U.P. beer takeover, giveaways, Stormy Kromer merchandise, and Detroit-style pasties from Ferndale Stockpot.
Businesses participating in the 3 Best of Ironwood Prize Packages are listed below:
● Superior Holistics & Boutique
Since 1903, the Stormy Kromer brand has been outfitting people with its signature Midwest outdoor gear and essentials. Most recently the company launched its fall line featuring 22 new products and top-selling Stormy Kromer staples.
To find Stormy Kromer online, visit www.stormykromer.com or follow along on social media at @StormyKromerOfficial on Instagram and @StormyKromer on Facebook. Plaidurday event details can be found on Facebook for the Ironwood and Marquette event. To stay up to date on Plaidurday, sign up for the newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dahP2.
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Established in 1903, Stormy Kromer is an outdoor apparel company comprised of genuine, hardworking artisans who strive to provide classic, yet contemporary products with the same passion, purity, and practicality as the first Stormy Kromer cap over a century ago. Located in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula, today Stormy Kromer proudly continues its tradition of hand-crafting American-made products and supporting American-made jobs. For more information, visit www.stormykromer.com.
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A BRIEF HISTORY
It all began in Lansing, Michigan. In part, it was inspired by the heckling one young man received from his co-workers. These co-workers (who he secretly has great admiration for) noticed that he was wearing plaid quite frequently. At which point we ask, what else would he wear? Solid colors? Polka dots? Stripes that don’t intersect? Argyle? Sounds foolish.
On the morning of August 26, 2010, an epiphany was had. Plaidurday! The word came to this young man’s mind. From where, nobody knows. But perhaps there is a higher being who happens to love plaid just as much as he does.
The part-ginger, full-Yooper, plaid-wearing man was destined to create the greatest holiday that ever existed. Plaidurday: The Worldwide Celebration of Plaid.
This day would bring together all the wonderful plaid-wearing people of the world.
The inaugural celebration took place on October 7, 2011. And forevermore the first Friday of October will be dedicated to plaid.
