When in Milwaukee…

The concept of creating products and apparel around a city theme wasn’t revolutionary in 1986, when we started. We won’t be winning a Nobel Peace Prize for our Milwaukee County Jail shirts. Heck, we’d even take a Best of Milwaukee mention here or there.

However, we believe that our approach is quite unique.

1. When you travel to another city, have you ever seen locals in a “touristy” store?…buying products?…for themselves?

2. Can you purchase authentic products from that city, made within the city limits? Or are the designs the same, in every city’s airport?

3. How many other toursist destination stores create true profit solely from their local apparel (ie  not magazines, candy, coffee, corporate sponsorships…or, a college or sports team)?

4. How many of you would show up at the bar, to meet your friends, wearing a shirt with your city’s name on it, (again, not with a college, or sports affiliation) and still feel hip?

5. When can you actually learn about the city  you’ve traveled to, by simply looking at the products (ie “Oh, I had no idea Toronto was in Canada!”)?

Well, this is the approach we take. We want our Milwaukee shirts to be so cool, you had no idea people thought this way, or invested their time this way, or could have a touristy store with actual local fashion embedded within…or that you simply had to wear one.

This is what we’ve been doing, since 1986. From Cryptosporidium bottled water, to County Jail shirts, to Love Rocks in a zip-lock bag, to County Stadium dirt, Westallica shirts, Bubbler wear, micro-brewed Milwaukee beers, Don’t Whack our Wiener shirts, Beer Pouch Sweatshirts, Bottlecap hats, originally designed and personally licensed Miller apparel, and everything we might think up next.

So, the next time you’re traveling, we dare you to compare our Brew City home-brewed products to those from any other city in the world. You might long for the western shores of Lake Michigan, at sunset!

Am I any closer to the Nobel Peace Prize?

frank / brewcitybrand

Brew City Online Update

New! QuickView feature

Hey, I’m not saying that we’re going to take over Amazon tomorrow, but we have a new feature on brewcityonline.com that should help everyone to have a faster and more efficient experience on our website.

I’m sure you’ve seen this feature on other websites, called QuickView. When you mouse over products, some websites will allow you to get a sneak peek of the product page, and even add something to your shopping cart, without ever losing your spot!

Well, we added that feature as of Tuesday morning, on brewcityonline.com. You can try it by clicking here:  Quickview test

We’re in the process of making the QuickView window more visually friendly, but it functions fine. In the next week, you should also see a Recently Viewed feature, as well. We hope that we can make your shopping experience better than ever, with original designs, trademark products, and an ever-growing website. Thanks everyone!

frank / brewcitybrand

Brew City Online on Twitter!

Brew City Online on Twitter

As an owner of Brew City, I started an account on Twitter last June, @brewcitybrand. I thought that I would help to cross-promote our products and website. However, I found out that I was too free-spirited a tweeter to come back down to earth and talk about commerce! I also felt that it would be better if some of our customers got to know me, not just get a stream of sale links.

However, one of our senior managers, Will Boucher, said that he’d like to administer a Twitter account which tells more about just that:  new products, customer service, incentives, and crazy discounts. I said, FINE, let’s go for it!

So, as of Monday, our second Twitter name is @brewcityonline. Follow us for non-invasive, fun, crazy, and “interesting” discounts.

@brewcitybrand  for crazy Frank and his muses

@brewcityonline for product info, discounts, and incentives.

frank/brewcitybrand

Cash 4 Clunkers

Most people would say that we got the best out of our quarterback, and his time with the Jets and Vikings will be a bit past his prime.

So, here is our Cash 4 Clunkers design! It’s available on our website at http://www.brewcityonline.com.

Frank/Brew City Brand Apparel

Who Gives a Farv!

Here we go again! My mom was very upset that her Judge Judy show was interrupted because Brett Favre will be signing with the Vikings. She said, “Who Gives a Favre!” Well, she just designed our newest shirt.

Thanks Mom!

Who Gives a Farv is available for $18.99 on our website, brewcityonline.com, and at our Grand Avenue store.

Frank/Brew City Brand Apparel

www.brewcityonline.com

twitter: @brewcitybrand

Our Mayor ain’t no Cream Puff!

We have produced a new t-shirt which commends Mayor Tom Barrett on his heroic actions Saturday night, and to wish him a very speedy recovery. Everyone here at Brew City has been upset since hearing the news, and we had to do something with our creative energy! So, we quickly designed a great heroic design, and added a Superman-esque shield under the tagline, which reads, “Tom Barrett is our Hero,” with a “B” and lightning bolt.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the design will be donated to the Mayor’s Commission on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.

The shirts will be on sale starting Tuesday morning, August 18, at both our Grand Avenue location, and our website at www.brewcityonline.com.

I want to emphasize that we are not creating this design for profit! Our role is to step up and honor Mayor Barrett’s actions, and help domestic violence and their affects on children. Thank you for ALL of your support and positive messages. It means a lot to us, and we will keep you updated on our fundraising efforts.

Frank/Brew City Brand Apparel

@brewcitybrand on Twitter

A Milwaukee Story

Twenty-three years ago, we set out to improve the style and variety of wearables centered around the theme of “Milwaukee.” In 1986, to be honest, other than the “M…Great Place on a Great Lake” t-shirt, we had a tough time finding a single retailer who had the word “Milwaukee” on their products. Sure, there were products themed around the baseball team, football team, and colleges–but there was nothing out there which stood on Milwaukee alone.

So, we took a huge chance, and focused our entire business plan on Milwaukee–our companies, our events, our products, and our people. I distinctly remember an early customer, who burst out laughing in disbelief, “Hey honey, look at that, a t-shirt with MILWAUKEE on it!” However, we knew that Milwaukee had a lot to brag about, almost none of which was being depicted on products that actually went home with tourists, or were purchased by Milwaukee citizens.

This year, Milwaukee retail has hit a low point. Great local retailers are struggling to eek out the same sales figures they have in past years. We too, were met with challenges, especially as we developed our 2009 Spring line. Should we coast through the recession? Should we cut back on our innovation? Should we save some of our newest designs for next year?

We did nothing of the sort. Our design team created over 200 new conceptual Milwaukee designs for our 2009 Spring line. We wrote internal purchase orders for over 130 of them, and about 110 were actually printed and produced for our Brew City booth in the marketplace at Summerfest. We took a leap of faith that–despite economic challenges–pushing forward and ramping up our innovation was the right move for us.

Our sales at Summerfest were up, and thanks to you, so is our conviction for the future of Milwaukee. The energy you’re showing to us proves that there is a strong sense pride in our city, and a vision for our future. Tomorrow’s Milwaukee is here, and I think there are a lot of citizens who are sprinting out of the blocks to prove it.

We want to be a part of that future.

Frank / Brew City Brand / @brewcitybrand

The Elemental Milwaukee

I saw a Periodic Chart of Elements which had everything replaced with rock bands.   I wondered if there were enough Milwaukee Traditions to make an entire Periodic Chart of Elemental Milwaukee. After some brainstorm sessions, arguments, a corporate resignation (soon followed by a desperate corporate re-hire), here is the introduction of our 97-piece Elemental Milwaukee t-shirt design.

Did we include everything? Of course not! But, just as we might find new elements in the universe, maybe the Elemental Milwaukee t-shirt design can evolve over time, as well.

Frank / Brew City Brand / @brewcitybrand

Follow Brew City Brand on Twitter

Yes, we develop creative apparel for retail!  If you love Milwaukee, beer, or just fashion shirts, that’s great. But, if you want a bit more clever insight into the craziness behind Brew City Brand Apparel, you can follow my updates on Twitter @brewcitybrand.

Follow me, unfollow me, laugh, be perplexed, or just keep me in your back pocket.

Frank / Brew City Brand Apparel / @brewcitybrand

Milwaukee Neighborhoody!

Introducing the Milwaukee Neighborhoody, available at Brew City, Summerfest

We have been experimenting with Milwaukee designs which tell a story. Well, we’re really proud of our new, “Neighborhoods of Milwaukee” t-shirt design.

We managed to get all of our neighborhoods on the front of amazingly soft t-shirts and hoodies. With about 30 hours of research, and 40 hours of production, copy editing and merchandising, we tried to create a new Milwaukee classic.

Both educational and fashionable, it will be available on our website, our store at Grand Avenue, and at our Summerfest booth from June 26-July 6 at Milwaukee’s lakefront.

Get a Neighborhoody today!

Frank / Brew City Brand / @brewcitybrand