GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — During the pandemic, many people took isolation as an opportunity to start their own businesses.
That’s exactly what one local family did when they created Authentic Michigander.
“It started an idea five or six, seven years ago. And just during the pandemic, it became a good time," said Authentic Michigander owner Lee Bronkema. "Things were slowed down...kids were at school and I had less work to do and just downtime, and decided to just maybe now's a good time to start this."
The blended family includes seven kids made up mostly of teens and a couple of college students.
“They helped me pick out apparel because let's be honest, my style is not everyone's style," Bronkema said. "And I mean, I'm the old dad. So I've got them to help me out with making decisions on what designs look good."
The small business offers a growing list of new products and designs such as t-shirts and sweatshirts or head gear and stickers.
“It's been a fun experience to see like, we do decals too and to see one on a car driving by and it's somebody we don't know. And so that's been kind of encouraging," Bronkema said.
Everyone has a hand in the family business, from processing online orders, to pressing patches onto hats, to marketing on social media and folding items for packages.
“Michigan has definitely some things that stick out and just wanted to create more pride in Michigan," Bronkema said.
While Authentic Michigander is primarily e-commerce based, you can find some of its products at Katie and Company in Newaygo.
The goal is to expand to even more stores in 2022.
“I hope it's just more in the community. I want to walk down the street, I want to see people wearing stuff, just because they're so prideful of Michigan and just want to show it off," Bronkema said.
From the lakeshore to the rugged trails and snowy landscapes or the skyline of Grand Rapids, you can show your love for the mitten state by being an Authentic Michigander.
To learn more about Authentic Michigander, click here.
From now until the end of the year you can get 25% off with the code WZZM.
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