In 1903, Stormy asked his beloved wife, Ida, to help him modify one of his many hats from his baseball days by sewing earflaps on the thing. The newly revised cap also featured a soft flexible visor — and was a great departure from the traditional engineer hats of the era.
Stormy Kromer caps became popular — first among locomotive engineers — and then among all the hard-working folks in the upper Midwest then in 1919 Stormy created the Kromer Cap Company, moving with his wife and employees to a large manufacturing factory in Milwaukee. Website. The original company was failing by 2001 but bought and revived by Bob Jacquart. Further reading.
