Two Yoopers Connect in Italy Thanks to Yooper Steez

This is a guest post from Cindy of L’Anse. When I received this e-mail from Cindy I was ecstatic. Cindy’s story about her son is the epitome of what Yooper Steez is all about. A great thanks to Mike’s aunt for sending the shirt, Mike for wearing the shirt, Jamie for commenting on the shirt, and Cindy relaying the story back all the way from Italy. To date, Yooper Steez shirts have been delivered to or worn in Argentina, Beijing, Italy, Afghanistan, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Finland, and soon Egypt will be on the list.

Just wanted to share this story with Bugsy [and Yooper Steez].

I’ll try to make it brief.

My son Mike just moved to Italy (Air Force) last week for a couple of years. While staying at a hotel in Naples, (waiting for permanent housing to open up) he was at the pool area and lounge area of the hotel and he was wearing one of the [Yooper Steez] tee shirts that my sister bought him for his birthday.

He was getting aquainted with a young lady that he had spoken to earlier that day, so she commented from looking at the shirt “You must be from the U.P.”. He said yes and she said so am I. (She is in the Navy) He asked her where in the UP she is from, and she said she was born and raised in a small town, L’Anse. Of course, he said “So was I”. As it turns out, she knew my son Jesse, her name is Jamie.

What a small world, as it turns out they will both be in Italy for a few years and may be able to maintain a friendship during this time.

I think in Bugsy’s presentation about his Hometown Invasion Tour at the library last year, he talked about the power of the T-Shirt and how it can create conversations and open doors that may not have otherwise been opened.

This is a perfect example of that.