When one wanted something different, inexpensive, and durable, PEX United Military Supply Inc., on Wisconsin Ave., was the store to visit. Where else did a punk rocker need to go to get camo pants, combat boots, and an army jacket? What about the breakdancing parachute pants? Or the gas mask for Halloween? When one took the bus to visit downtown Milwaukee, PEX was an essential place to spend some time.

If one had a chance to occupy a seat of the 2,156 available at Milwaukee's Melody Top Theatre on Good Hope Road from 1963 to 1986, they experienced the best of summer stock musical theatre. Melody Top's domed tent, theatre-in-the-round design provided Milwaukeeans some of the industry's best actors performing favorite musicals. The list includes Jo Ann Worley, John Raitt, Tommy Tune, Rita Morena, Leonard Nimoy, Betty White, Christopher Walken, Jane Powell, Van Johnson, Chita Rivera, and Christine Ebersole. Lucille Ball even visited Milwaukee to see her children perform at the Melody Top. Include the intimate end-of-performance speeches by actors along with memories of a mouse on stage, roaming skunks, mosquitos and balmy nights, and one understands why attending the Melody Top Theatre remains a memorable experience for so many Milwaukeeans.

Echo Bowl was so much more than a bowling alley. Started in 1956 by Frank Prasnikar, it lasted 48 years and was a family affair. On any given weekend, it hosted birthday parties, dates, an occasional wedding, “Thunder Alley” rock 'n' bowl, and of course outstanding bowling experiences. It was a dependable sponsor of league and tournament bowling and a refuge for Glendale kids. During the 60s, 70s, and 80s, Milwaukee was a hub for bowling, and Echo Bowl represented the best the sport had to offer.

Available in vintage navy, black, red, royal and premium heather along with extra colors only in women sizes.

Pill & Puff stores, founded by Al and Lou Stein, originated in Milwaukee on Wisconsin Avenue. The stores grew in number and became a familiar site throughout Milwaukee in the 70s. We remember them for their distinct and attractive orange signage and visiting them with our mothers for whatever our mothers bought when we were kids. The stores were a niche retail concept and started the trend in the Midwest. We love the subversive and counterculture context of the Pill & Puff name today compared to its original intention of appealing to mainstream customers. Check out “Retail Schmetail: One Hundred Years, Two Immigrants, Three Generations, Four Hundred Projects” by Sanford Stein for more details on Pill & Puff stores.

Available in vintage navy, black, red, royal and premium heather.

When the shops on the 2600 block of Downer Avenue were dark, you could rely on seeing lights and silhouettes through The Coffee Trader windows. The Coffee Trader on Downer Avenue was a Milwaukee East Side institution during the 70s and 80s, and ahead of its time of American coffee houses. It offered an abundant variety of coffees from which to choose and countless underage students filled up on coffee or cokes until its 11 pm closing during weeknights and 1 am closing on weekends. It was not unusual for teenagers to stay for hours. Its expansive space, notable ceiling fans, soothing lighting and dependable menu items offered an oasis for patrons. Local celebrities also frequented The Coffee Trader. The Coffee Trader on Downer Avenue was the place to be, despite its reputation for slow service.

Available in vintage navy, black, red, royal and premium heather.

Bowling was especially popular in Milwaukee during the 70s and 80s, and Red Carpet Lanes was the main source of bowling fun. We could find a bowling TV show every day of the week broadcast from a Red Capet Lanes location. Who remembers The Bowling Game, Bowling For Dollars and Bowling With The Champs? We do. The best of local television and a chance for 15 minutes of fame.

Available in vintage navy, black, red, royal and premium heather.

Riegelman's Downer Pharmacy was a staple of Milwaukee's East Side in the 1960s and 70s. Located across from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, it had, “Everything for the student.” It offered burgers and malts at the soda fountain, music albums, fantastic candy, sundries, and of course prescriptions. Students of all ages could relax at Riegelman's, and it was a bastion of Downer Avenue vitality for the counter culture.

This is the original t-shirt design sold at Riegelman's.

Available in vintage navy, black, red, royal and premium heather.

Hayek's opened in 1918 and it was the heart of Shorewood for 100 years. Three generations of Hayeks served customers. For many children, the path home from school went through Hayek's to buy outstanding candy for pennies and dimes. Many would later work at Hayek's during high school and college. It was a quintessential local pharmacy and its iconic signage, shown on this tee, made it a landmark. It was “Shorewood's Finest Drug Store”.

Available in vintage royal.

Built in 1888, Century Hall had a revival in the 1970s and became one of the best rock and roll clubs in Milwaukee. It was the place to see local and national bands that resonated with the counterculture. Performances were memorable and sometimes legendary. Also, anyone looking for frugal entertainment could count on “never a cover at the front bar” promoted on concert fliers. A spectacular explosion ended Century Hall in 1988.

The logo appears on this tee as it did on original Century Hall matchbook covers and “never a cover at the front bar” is in the original typeface shown on fliers.

Available in vintage navy, black, red, royal and premium heather.

The iconic “Oriental Drugs” sign outside Oriental Pharmacy, as seen on this tee, symbolized East Side bohemian lifestyle. The lit letters signified one of few places open 24 hours and a crossroads of Milwaukee's East Side. It expressed a dependable community gathering place during two-thirds of the twentieth century.

Available in vintage navy, black, red, royal and premium heather.

The Oriental Pharmacy lunch counter was a neighborhood institution. People from all walks of life gathered there where one never knew who would sit next to them. It could be a business type, could be a street person, but this was its attraction. It was a people watcher's place that served food, conversation and a sense of togetherness.

Anyone who sat at the counter would recognize this design as the original menu cover.

Available in vintage red. 

“One, two, three o'clock, four o'clock rock.” Pig N' Whistle, located on Capitol Drive “At the bridge,” was a throwback to the 1950s. Garry Marshall used the interior of the Pig N' Whistle as his inspiration for inside “Al's” on the hit television show “Happy Days.” We remember it as one of the best places in town to get a burger and ice cream Sunday like the “Half 'n Half Nut Fudge.” As kids, the “Pig” always made us wear a smile, and we couldn't wait to get back into its cozy booths for another treat.

Original sign and logo elements make up the Pig N' Whistle Vintage Tee.

Available in vintage royal and premium heather.

Tom and Patricia Brass opened Brass’ Hi-Fi Lounge in Brookfield, Wisconsin in 1963. Their son Tim later ran it, and like a true neighborhood institution, it nurtured the community that surrounded it. It was a popular, dependable destination for 35 years and not a stretch to say it treated customers and employees like family. Brass' was one of those comfortable places you could go to enjoy a summertime beer or a homemade "Tom and Jerry" in winter. Its history is woven with many stories and events described in Tim's book, “Feeding the Body and Soul of an Era”. Brass' was a true original.

The Brass' Hi-Fi Lounge Vintage Tee shows the original logo design.

Available in premium heather and also in vintage royal for women.

As kids, the first thing we looked for while driving along Milwaukee's lakefront was “Love Rock.” We didn't understand what it was, but we loved it. It was mysterious, iconic, and even though we didn't travel much, we were sure it was like nothing else on earth. Thank you to the stealth “hippies” for turning a bland concrete cover of a water intake pipe into a classic symbol. If you were lucky enough to witness “Love Rock” in person, you deserve bragging rights with this tee.

Available in vintage navy, black, red, royal and premium heather.

We love old pictures of “Able Cable” and “Twinkle Tow” carrying beachgoers to and from Atwater Beach. They operated 1967 to 1977 and made a lasting impression on kids and parents alike. The ride was a highlight of beach time, and they remain icons of Shorewood from the 1970s. 

Available in vintage navy, black, red, royal and premium heather.

Frenchy's was an East Side hotspot in Milwaukee from 1945 to 1975. Paul LaPointe, also known as “Frenchy,” ran the restaurant as the chef. LaPointe's son described the experience, “like you were in an imaginary world circa the Gay Nineties, with interesting and unexpected things all around you.” The walls were of red velvet and exotic hardwoods, waitresses dressed as French maids, there were semi-secluded seating areas called “opera boxes,” bronze and marble statues at every turn, prominent jazz acts, and a menu that included African wild game. Entreé items included zebra, lion, hippopotamus, raccoon, and pigeon.

This tee shows the original  graphic on the Frenchy's menu.

Available in vintage red.

Farrell's was pure ice cream and sweets fun. Our birthday celebrations at Farrell's in the 70s might still be the best we have ever had. It was magical mayhem. Lights flashed, and the biggest sundae we ever saw appeared on a stretcher followed by singing, whistles, bells, drum thumping, banjo, and sparklers. Maybe we would have passed on getting swooped up and carried around, but it was still awesome. On any other day at Farrell's, we gave it our best to devour the “The Trough” sundae. We still love the well-deserved badge, “I MADE A PIG OF MYSELF at FARRELL'S.”

Available in vintage navy, black, red, royal and premium heather.

The Milwaukee Elks Club built their "Wonder Lodge" in 1925 at the end of Wisconsin Avenue overlooking the lakefront. At the time, it was the largest Elks “clubhouse” in the country. At ten stories tall, it featured an Olympic-sized pool, 10-lane bowling alley, tennis and handball courts, steam room, sauna, restaurant, billiards room, lounge, dormitories and lodge hall with a Wurlitzer pipe organ that could accommodate 600 diners. It was an extraordinary venue where adults spent time with their children and grandchildren to swim, “schvitz,” dine and socialize.

Matchbooks distributed at the club featured this ornate design.

Available in vintage navy, black, red, royal and premium heather

Always kept relatively small to maintain high quality, the A. Gettelman brewery lasted in the Menomonee River Valley from 1856 to 1961. Three generations of Gettelmans ran the brewery before it was sold, but the original building still exists in Milwaukee. While the brewery is remembered by “Milwaukee's Best” beer which started in 1895, it also made innovations in the industry. Frederick Gettelman designed the practical steel keg in 1933, which the A.O. Smith Company manufactured in Milwaukee, and this led to the “keg-lined” beer can. More reasons to be Milwaukee proud next time you're tapping a keg or opening a cold one.

During the summer beer festivals, it's always fun to wear your favorite beer tee. Here's a new one to show off. The Braumeister Pilsner, like the Braumeister Lager, was a favorite from the Independent Milwaukee Brewery. Located at 13th St. and Cleveland Ave., the brewery started more than fifty years after the first breweries in Wisconsin. When it came time to start again after Prohibition, the founders were the first brewers to regain their beer manufacturing permit. In a rush to serve people a beer, gotta love it.

This tee shows the original Braumeister Pilsner logo in vintage weathered style.

Available in vintage navy, black, red, royal and premium heather.

In 1901, Henry Bills and Emil Czarnecki established the Independent Milwaukee Brewery. We can picture this old brewery right at home represented at a present-day outdoor beer festival under the summer sun. As a real independent on Milwaukee's south side, it advertised, “Not in any trust,” like today's “certified independent craft” seal. Their slogan was “The Real Life,” and we imagine ourselves strolling with friends and enjoying a cold one. The brewery had 12 varieties to quench your thirst, including its most famous Braumeister Lager, seen here. G. Heileman purchased the brewery in 1962 and closed it soon after.

Available in vintage black

One of our favorite things to do is visit the “Old Milwaukee” Facebook page. The pictures and comments from Milwaukeeans captivate us. The places mentioned weave Milwaukee's history and represent indelible memories. We're fans. As a result, we made a tee that reminds us of it(thank you Adam) with a landmark that we think of as a beacon for Milwaukeeans. You can say it's our “Old Milwaukee” fan club tee.

Available in vintage navy, black, red, royal and premium heather.

There is no older, more recognizable landmark for Milwaukee than its City Hall. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and stood as Milwaukee's tallest building from 1895 to 1973. The city continues to evolve and progress while the iconic City Hall building remains a beacon that unites Milwaukeeans near and far. It is fitting that we connect it to the pride we have in Milwaukee's growing LGBTQ community that has enriched the city's culture and development.

Available in 100% cotton and as a triblend for women. Choose from a wide selection of shirt colors.

Nino's Steak Round-Up was a Milwaukee classic that had a devoted following for its steak dinners, French dressing, piano playing, and waitresses called out by numbers. Nino's was a chain of restaurants native to Milwaukee and with a couple of locations in surrounding areas. Nino Costerella, its founder, opened the first location on Plankinton Avenue. Each Nino's had its crowd too, ranging from theatergoers to wrestlers(as in Da Crusher). For those lucky enough to have experienced Nino's, our Nino's Vintage Tee recalls a place of wonderful memories.