Winter 2018

Can’t Hide Your Hometown Pride By Sam Ujvary

I once heard about a hometown college hockey team whose motto was “Love + Honor” and it really stuck with me. For me, the notion rings true, especially when it comes to the steadfastness I have for where I grew up and my hometown teams.

Hometown and team pride are instilled in us, most often from a young age. We take pride in our respective hometowns because we’re so frequently shaped by where we grew up. By the community around us, the food, the architecture, the history and so much more. And whether it starts with peewee soccer, high school football or a college homecoming game, most of us have grown up ardent sports fans. And there’s no deficit in apparel, home décor and accent items that showcase a customer’s loyalty to their neighborhood, state, favorite sports team and the like.

It’s a devotion to one’s city that My State Threads aims to manifest in its customers. “There is a confidence, purity, strength, and love that is written into the DNA of our communities that binds our hearts to our state and to others who share our roots.” This is what it says on the company’s website, and this sentiment is what motivated the concept.

“We’re tapping into something so much deeper than a physical location,” said Danny Stull, CEO and founder of My State Threads. “Hometown pride is such a huge market because where you’re from is a large part of who you are.” The company’s primary market is the 35- to 44-year-old customer (specifically female) who has spent a little time on their own and has let it sink in just how much their hometown has shaped them.

At Magnolia Lane, they know people are passionate about their schools and their teams. “The pride, pageantry and traditions are all integral parts of the college experience, and those memories last a lifetime,” he said.

But this kind of pride doesn’t apply only to sports and teams. People are relentlessly devoted to the places they call home, with city- and state-specific products skyrocketing in creativity. Corbé’s State Plates are popular gifts for the grownup. Think: weddings, anniversaries and housewarmings, mainly because people are so sentimental about where they’re from. “And for good reason,” said Kaitlyn Lawless, co-owner and maker of Corbé. “They have memories closely tied to cities, towns and states.” Sometimes these recipients are not living in the area where they grew up anymore, so something like these State Plates are a little piece of a home they miss. And the feedback has been great. Corbé has received some amazing messages from its customers who feel they were provided with specific memories from places they call — or used to call — home.

The group at Catstudio echoes this sentiment. “Our business is based on the notion that people have emotional connections to different places around the country and world,” said Ginny Ball, director of sales and marketing for the company. People want to feel connected and celebrate the places and memories that are special to them. She believes this so much, in fact, that her favorite city design is of the area where she was engaged, married and has vacationed.

Whether customers are hopeful students, recent graduates, sports fanatics or just favor a specific area, these gifts act as universal symbols of the love and appreciation they carry for their hometown.