IRONWOOD, Mich. - It’s a genuine up north hat.  This iconic winter cap has been warming heads since 1903 and it's made in Ironwood!

It’s a timeless tradition in the northland passed down from generation to generation.  It’s the legendary Stormy Kromer.  "I’ve got photos of my grandfather wearing one, I’ve got a picture of my great uncles wearing hats, I’ve got family traditions going way back," said Stormy Kromer Mercantile Owner Bob Jacquart.  Four generations of the Jacquart family have worn the iconic hat and today Bob Jacquart of Ironwood is keeping that tradition alive.  "I thought there would be town pride, family pride, Upper Peninsula pride and all of that," said Jacquart.

So when the Kromer Cap Company based out of Milwaukee decided to stop production of the winter cap, Jacquart decided to buy it.  "When I said get me the number, I’ll buy the company; it was almost like a dream, it was something that would never ever happen to me," said Jacquart.  That was in 2001, now Stormy Kromer Mercantile in Ironwood expects to make 65,000 hats this year from the original pattern designed in 1903 by George "Stormy" Kromer of Kaukauna, Wisconsin.  "Stormy Komer worked for the railroad, the Chicago Northwestern Railroad in 1903.  He was frustrated with his head being cold and so he went home and took his summer baseball hat and put earflaps on it," said Jacquart.  And it became a hit; first worn by locomotive engineers and loggers; now worn by outdoor enthusiasts across the country.  "It’s kind of made for the people that love to be outside and it's a great hat," said Jacquart.

Ironwood is home to the legendary Stormy Kromer.  You can't miss a giant statue that was placed alongside U.S. Highway 2, 2 years ago.  It's a sure sign family tradition lives on.  "There is that sense of camaraderie of bringing families together, hunting groups together, comrades together and there is all that around a wonderful hat," said Jacquart.  And it's made at their headquarters in Ironwood, it's a regular assembly line production.  "I just very much enjoy it.  I get to do a lot, a lot of different things," said Barbara Wilman.  Wilman sews up 300-400 hats a day.   "Once you let the machine do the work, it's not bad, not bad at all," said Wilman.  "I do the monogramming on the Stormy Kromer ear bands.  Several hundred I can get out in the day, it’s been very enjoyable," said Debra Toth. 

"These are local people, it has very American roots and to keep the hat production here is really, really important to us," said Jacquart's daughter Gina Thorsen.  Thorsen works alongside her father everyday.  It’s a family business that one day could be her's.  It’s Jacquart's hope to pass down the company to his 2 daughters.  "For me to pass this company on with Stormy Kromer is about as special as you can imagine," said Jacquart.  After all it was once only a dream.  Now they're creating the legendary Stormy Kromer, a genuine up north hat.  "I still would love to know that my grandfather is looking fondly on me," said Jacquart.  "I think it's very nostalgic.  This runs deep in families and history and traditions," said Thorsen.

The Jacquart's hope to add winter clothing to their line in the future and they dream of creating a Stormy Kromer museum one day.  The hats are sold at stores across the northern U.S.  For more information log onto their website at www.stormykromer.com