Kromer!

Believe it or not, it sometimes snows down here in Atlanta. And when it does, I get to wear my kromer!

What? You don't know what a kromer is? A kromer is a wool cap with a small brim and ear flaps that you can pull down when it gets really cold. It is the perfect winter hat. Warm over a wide range of temperatures (anything 40 degrees or below), while the brim keeps the snow out of your eyes. The height of fashion. (Note: A kromer is cool. Please don't confuse it with an Elmer Fudd had, which is not cool.) And it is very popular where I'm from, in Upper Michigan.

Want to check out kromers, maybe buy one? This is the place, Stormy Kromer Mercantile, in my hometown of Ironwood, Michigan:
http://www.stormykromer.com/

The classic Kromer cap is the basic bright red (as pictured above). (That's the color kromer I have!)
http://www.stormykromer.com/mens/caps/original-stormy-kromer-cap

A little history is in order. Kromer caps were invented, if that's the right word, by George and Ida Kromer because George needed a warm work cap while working on the railroad in the winter. Check out the History page on the Stormy Kromer website:
http://www.stormykromer.com/history

I like this part: "Stormy Kromer is a division of Jacquart Fabric Products located in Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula." I still have a canvas book bag that I got as a kid in third grade from Jacquart's.

Kromer Cap Company used to be based in Milwaukee. (My Kromer is still a "Milwaukee" kromer, by the way, not one from the new Story Kromer company.) Not sure what happened, but I think that 90% of all kromers were sold in the U.P. (I'm surely exaggerating, I don't know that for sure, maybe it just seemed that way.) When the Kromer Cap Company was going to discontinue the cap Jacquart's bought the rights to make the cap, and to the name. I'm very happy they did.
http://www.jacquarts.com/stormy-kromer

Couple pictures are in order.  First the big kromer on US 2.

And one of my daughters, wearing my kromer.

Late addendum: Coincidentally, the day after this blog post ran (I typed it up a week or so in advance), I bought kromers for my girls. Here is a picture of them in a wigwam that my dad built for them to play in. Hard to see the new kromers in the picture, but it's all I have for now.