Just in time for the grand opening, official merchandise is now out for the Gordie Howe International Bridge. The bridge announced the release of the summer catalogue in a post to social media on Wednesday. Focused on hyper-local, the products are an array of creations by Windsor-Essex-based businesses Whiskeyjack Boutique, Dave Houle Design and RARE Apparel. All of the merchandise is on the shelves at Whiskeyjack, a downtown Windsor business known for offering products from creators across Canada. “Everything that we make is made in Canada, and we thought we’d be a perfect fit,” said boutique co-owner Allison Mistakidis. Vendors applied in November to be selected by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority. The rollout followed many demands from residents on both sides of the border who asked for Gordie-themed merch. Mistakidis and boutique employee Sarah Robbins, a local designer and muralist, worked to bring their illustrations to life for a design featured on much of their gear and keepsakes. “The random sketches that I made on the back of napkins, I just sent over her way to make into something actually nice that people might wear,” she explained. In the early days of availability, the store has already seen more than 260 purchases of the bridge-themed gear. Aside from popularity in Canada, orders have also been placed from Michigan, Texas and California. “[Americans] still see us as partners and even if all of the politics might overshadow it a little bit, still, at the bottom is this understanding and support for each country,” Mistakidis said. According to the GHIB website, the Howe Foundation will receive a portion of merchandise sales to reinvest back into the Windsor and Detroit communities. The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority will not receive any profits from the sales. For their work, Mistakidis said it was important to incorporate the multi-use trail, which will draw people to walk and bike over the bridge. “One of the main things we wanted to focus on was more of how it integrates into the community,” she said. “So, you know, people walking, biking and [we] love pushing that forward because obviously it’s something that we want to do and encourage.” From the designer responsible for making the mugs, to the creators of the physical shirts, each item is Canadian-made. For Tam Nguyen, the owner of RARE Apparel, a business grounded in working with fellow local businesses, the opportunity was a no-brainer. “It’s very important for us to be able to put, like, Windsor artists, local businesses on the map by working with the people locally and just kind of sharing those talented artists and just sharing all of the talents that we have to offer right here on,” he said. For this round of merchandise, RARE focused on art prints and postcards to provide some variety. In future releases, Nguyen said they have designs for t-shirts they’re excited to roll out. “So, we all met and we kind of decided, like, everybody’s going to do a little different part of the piece of the pie, basically,” Nguyen said about the process. Over the years, Nguyen said the progress towards building the bridge was already a source of inspiration for him. Being able to now play a role in history, he said, has been “surreal.” “I don’t think it really, truly hit home until we actually, like, got a chance to be a part of this, and then even so, it didn’t even feel truly real until recently when they announced the opening,” he said. As part of marketing the brand, Mistakidis pitched an idea to have a photo shoot on the bridge. Members of the design teams, as well as a few staff members from the WDBA, posed on the bridge deck for product photos. Ahead of the planned opening on Monday, Mistakidis added that travellers on both sides of the border have something to look forward to. “You’ll feel it as soon as you drive on how massive it is, and a lot cooler than the Ambassador Bridge,” she said.
