TheStormy Kromer cap is awoolen hat manufactured by Stormy Kromer Mercantile.[1] The hat is popular in theMidwestern United States and with hunters and outdoorsmen.[2][3] It is named for George "Stormy" Kromer (1876–1970), a semiprofessional baseball player fromKaukauna, Wisconsin, who later worked as arailroad engineer.[4]
Kromer lost many hats to the wind while working on trains, and in 1903, he asked his wife Ida (1877–1960) to make him a warm hat that would stay on more securely. She modified a baseball cap[4] into what became the Stormy Kromer cap by sewing on a pair of ear flaps.[2] A summer version, made frompillow ticking,[5] remains in use among modern American train engineers, and variants with red or bluepolka dots were formerly popular in the early 20th century.[6]
Due to popularity with other employees of the railroad, the Kromers formed the Kromer Cap Company in 1903 to produce the caps.[2][7] In 1919, responding to ever increasing demand, the Kromers opened a factory inMilwaukee, Wisconsin.[3] George Kromer sold the company in 1965 to Richard Grossman.[8] In 2001, the Kromer Cap Company planned to cease production of Stormy Kromer caps.[2][9] The rights to the caps were purchased by Bob Jacquart, owner of Jacquart Fabric Products, and production moved toIronwood, Michigan.[1] Stormy Kromer Mercantile was formed, increasing production to over 50,000 caps annually from the previous 3000 to 6000 caps.[1][2]
PresidentBarack Obama was presented with several Stormy Kromer caps when he visitedMarquette, Michigan, on February 10, 2011.[10] It has become a traditional garb in theUpper Peninsula.[11][12][13]
A version that is a "tip of the hat" to the hat's Wisconsin roots is available inGreen Bay Packers green with the team logo and sold throughLambeau Field.[14]
The hats are unusual in that they carry alifetime warranty against defects, and a three-year "insurance policy" for events such as loss, once the product is registered.[15] Versions for women are available, and they are called the "Ida Kromer" or some variant of "Petal Pusher."[16]
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