Behind the Scenes, Travel

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Cabin

By Kromer Country

December 21, 2015

Guest Post by SK Brand Ambassador, Jill Emmer

Hi! My name is Jill Emmer. I am a mom, a photographer & a bit of an adventurer. I live in Minneapolis, MN. It is an honor to also be a Stormy Kromer brand ambassador. You can learn more about me at www.ShineOnPhotos.com. Today I am going to tell you the story of how I became involved with Stormy Kromer.

About a week before school started, I decided to take my boys on a spur-of-the-moment road trip. My husband had to work, so it was just myself and the boys. We went up to the North Shore of Minnesota, then down along the southern side of Lake Superior and through Upper Michigan and into Wisconsin until we reached the family cabin on the northeast side of Wisconsin.

Along the way we visited places such as Gooseberry Falls State Park, Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, Park Point Rec Area in Duluth, Amnicon Falls State Park, Brule River State Forest and the Porcupine Mountain area.

It was a wonderful trip. The sort of trip you hope will give your kids memories for years to come. Skipping rocks, collecting rocks, hiking near waterfalls, singing silly songs, seeing all sorts of wildlife, rainy nights in hotel pools and all three of us accidentally falling asleep in the same bed nearly every night.

While we were traveling, I made a point to take us through the towns of Ironwood, MI and Hurley, WI. I remembered how beautiful the area was from countless ski trips up to that area growing up. I had seen the area many times in the winter, but never in the summer.

While we were driving through Ironwood, MI, my son Arlo pointed out the window at a statue of a giant hat and said “Grandma Lynn!” Sure enough, it was a statue of a hat my mom wears all the time! A Stormy Kromer! How funny to pass right by that giant hat. I have always had a love for the brand: my dad is an avid outdoorsman of all types – hunting, fishing, skiing, etc. In fact, he grew up in a small town not too far from Ironwood, MI. He is a very practical outdoorsman who would never consider spending more than $30 on a pair of jeans (he has bought his jeans from Fleet Farm for as long as I can remember) and he has always had a Stormy on his head. I have heard him say many times that it is the best hat possible for ice fishing. Warm. Keeps the sun out. Easy to grab on and off. And most importantly, it allows you to cover your ears on an as-needed basis!

Anyways – my dad converted all of my family into Stormy lovers. My mom (and dad) volunteer at a humane society and spend 20-30 hours a week walking dogs. No matter what the weather is – they walk for hours! My mom has at least 4 Stormy Kromers.

So, of course I pulled in and we bought our first and only souvenirs (besides rocks of course) of the trip! A round of new hats for all!

That night I stalked Stormy Kromer out on social media and found out they were looking for Brand Ambassadors! It seemed a bit fateful that I happened to pass through their hometown at just the right time. So I threw my name into the hat and a little while later I found out I was accepted as a Brand Ambassador!

I have turned down many offers from other companies to act as their rep. To be honest, I am not a big fan of advertising in social media. I try to use my photography and my Instagram account for art, not marketing. This was certainly the first time I asked a company to be their rep! However, I am already taking photos of everyone in my family with these hats on so it seems logical – and exciting.