Introducing the Hometown Series
If you’ve spend any time looking at Our Story, you’ll know that our goal is to make one-of-a-kind keepsakes from some of our favorite places. When Louanne and I talked about how to launch Woz Here Co., it only made sense to us to begin with the places we’ve lived because, as they say, there’s no place like home. The Hometown Series is composed of four different designs representing the four places we called home.
Wallingford, Connecticut
We grew up in a suburb of New Haven, Connecticut called Wallingford. We lived on a house on a hill with each other, our parents, brother and several dogs throughout our childhood. We played sports, went to the local high school and had a very lovely childhood. While Wallingford might not be a top-selling sticker (but we’re ready to be happily surprised), it means a lot to us. When I think of Wallingford, I think of sledding down the little hill our house sat on. I think about the winding road that we lived on, where the foothills opened up into the soccer fields where we played many games. I think of the quaint downtown where we’d grab sandwiches and chicken wings, and the little wishing well right in the center of town. And the gazebo (which might have been inspiration for the gazebo in Gossip Girl).
As we do with every sticker, Louanne and I list out all that we love about where we visit and pick a few items for the sticker design. That’s why some of the items included in the designs might not be the most iconic or even the most obvious, they are what resonated the most with us, which is why the Wallingford design had to include doughnuts. One of my favorite childhood memories was when dad would work the midnight shift and bring us donuts from Neil’s Donuts.
Aiken, South Carolina
Throughout our childhood, we’d go to Aiken twice a year for Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July to visit our extended family. We’d fill up every seat in my grandparent’s house every Thanksgiving, and for the Fourth of July, we’d craft custom patriotic t-shirts, swim in the community pool, sit in fields to watch giant fireworks and play flashlight tag. It was a really fun family tradition that both Louanne and I cherish. Then, basically everyone from our family left.
But you can’t keep our family out of Aiken it turns out, and both sides of our family have migrated back down there, including our mom, aunts and cousin. While Louanne and I have technically never lived in Aiken, by way of the “home is where the heart it,” slogan, Aiken definitely is home.
When I think of Aiken, I think of lush golf courses, painted horses, fireworks, mini golf and long car rides. I think of a table full of family and taking pictures on a giant staircase. I think of the ‘Blessing of the Hounds’ and climbing up muddy river ravines on Thanksgiving morning. I also think of the long, snaking brick wall that would be the sign that we were close to our destination, which is why we incorporated it into our Aiken design.
Charlotte, North Carolina
When Louanne went to college, she made like a bird and headed South. A couple of our cousins went to Clemson University, so she followed in their footsteps. While I’m sure eventually we’ll make a Clemson design in a future college city series, for now, let’s just say that Clemson led Louanne to her adult-life home of Charlotte, North Carolina.
While you might hear Louanne say things like, “Maybe I’ll move to Boston,” she’s been in Charlotte since her internship junior year in college. She’s become a Panthers fan, Knights fan, Checkers fan and now an MLS soccer fan. She’s probably attended every food festival in Charlotte.
When I think of Charlotte, I think of the Halloween bar crawl. I think of skyscrapers and rooftop bars. I think of countless breweries with large outdoor, dog-friendly areas. I think of indoor putt putt courses. I think of fun, unique neighborhoods like Camp North End and NoDa (which I favor because it kind of reminds me of Richmond).
I think of strolling around the city and stumbling upon a giant mirror Disco Chicken downtown. I also think of a crown since it’s the Queen’s City. That’s why you’ll see a chicken with a crown incorporated in our Charlotte design.
Richmond, Virginia
And last, but certainly not least in our Hometown Series is my beloved Richmond, Virginia. I too moved to a new city after college (Go JMU dukes!) for a job. My job didn’t quite work out the same way Louanne’s did, but the city sure did. I fell in love with the small town, mid-size city vibe. I love the community I built here. I loved the culture and heartbeat of the city, with large murals across the city, and the concerts down on Brown’s Island. I loved the delicious restaurant scene (so much that I started a brunch-themed Instagram @RichmondBrunch).
I’ve gotten to live in many of the different neighborhoods, from the Fan and Museum District to Union Hill near Church Hill. When I think of Richmond, I think of the canal cruise and the James River. I think of the picturesque James River Bridge and all of our farmer’s markets. I think of doing yoga at my local neighborhood studio and the view of the city from Libby Hill Park. I think of all the breweries in Scott’s Addition and Hollywood Cemetery in Oregon Hill.
I also think of the ivy that crawls over the city and the kayaker’s that I see floating down the James River, which are two elements that I was excited to see Louanne incorporate into the Richmond design.
Whether any of these four are your hometown too, or if you’ve visited once and are compelled to buy something, we appreciate you! We’re excited to launch Woz Here Co., and hope our unique travel mementos can help you remember your favorite vacations, just like they do for us.
If a city you want hasn’t been produced yet, please sign up for our email list! We’re going to be regularly dropping new city designs. Our goal is to be the place you shop for travel souvenirs, so we’re going to keep adding to our store. In the meantime, follow us on Instagram and comment on our posts with where you’d like a design from. The more demand we know we have for a city, the faster Louanne will draw it (maybe).
Need a place to put your travel stickers? May we recommend one of our ‘I Woz Here’ water bottles below, which are the perfect way to tell the world that you woz here.
