S. PLATT
The same motif that graces signs along Delmar is now coming to a ringspun cotton canvas near you.
For those who love tourism, anachronistic transportation options and old-timey rail lines, the Loop's $52 million trolley project has been an unmitigated success. For the rest of us, well, there's a T-shirt for that.
The shirt, created by St. Louis-based Dogfish USA, features a cyclist facing imminent doom on the trolley tracks and the simple slogan, "Welcome to Delmar." And lest that illustration seems a bit over-the-top, rest assured — it comes from the very street signs now installed along the street. Indeed, the old-school tracks that curve through the narrow street are so unfriendly to cyclists, the city fathers are contemplating a complete bicycle ban.
John Merli, who owns Dogfish USA, says the inspiration was a simple one: His son works at Big Shark, which pulled out of the Loop last year in part over concerns over how cyclists would mix with the tracks. "He forwarded me a picture of the sign and said, 'Do a T-shirt!' I thought it was funny, so I did."
In addition to being a custom graphic apparel company that prints shirts for other businesses, Dogfish USA sponsors a cycling team and offers a number of cycling-related products. So, yeah, the 23-year-old business comes by its concerns honestly.
Merli says they've sold only a few shirts to date, but he's not disappointed. "Kind of what expected," he says.
If you want one of your own, they're available online now.
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