Ironwood

Description: The Stormy Kromer hat is a wool hat produced in Ironwood, Michigan. It is named after George “Stormy” Kromer (1876-1970), a semi-professional baseball player from Wisconsin. Kromer lost many hats to the wind while working on the trains, and in 1903 he asked his wife Ida to make him a warm hat that would fit better. She modified a baseball cap into what would later become the Stormy Kromer hat by sewing on a pair of earflaps. Due to its popularity with other railroad employees, the Kromers founded the Kromer Cap Company in 1903 to produce the caps. In 1919, the Kromers opened a factory in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, due to the ever-increasing demand. George Kromer sold the company to Richard Grossman in 1965 and in 2001 the Kromer Cap Company planned to discontinue the production of Stormy Kromer caps. The rights to the caps were purchased by Bob Jacquart, owner of Jacquart Fabric Products, and production was moved to Ironwood, Michigan. Stormy Kromer Mercantile was founded and increased production from the previous 3000 to 6000 caps to over 50,000 caps per year. The hats are unusual in that they offer a lifetime warranty against defects and a three-year insurance policy for events such as loss once the product is registered.