How Deep is Your Love?
Houston-centric shirts for the homer in all of us
Keep Houston Rich Doggie Tee, $20, www.keephoustonrich.com/khr/
Our Dome shirt, $28.99, www.cafepress.com/ourdome
H-Town T-shirts, $4.99 or 3 for $12, available at Houston Visitors Center or byphone at 713-437-5556
Men's shirt, $12, available at www.keephoustonrich.com/khr/
Keep Houston Rich Women's Cap-Sleeve Tee, $20, www.keephoustonrich.com/khr/
I’m not gonna lie. I’m a homer. I’m a third generation native Houstonian and pretty proud of it.
We know Austin is weird and Dallas is stuffy but what about Houston? Does just one label fit this metropolitan city where can you see hundreds of cowboys on horseback clip-clopping down the feeder road in February? Where you can satisfy cravings for both queso and pho so freely?
Sure, there’s heat, humidity, flat lands and large insects, but there’s also air conditioning, flat irons, green trees and boots big enough to squash anything that crawls. If you love this sprawling, un-zoned expanse of a city, why not show it and wear your heart on your sleeves?
- Sometimes we Houstonians need a smidge of validation before we give ourselves the green light to like something. The “It’s OK to Heart Houston” shirts ($28) designed by artist Dean Haddock at Hello Lucky do just that. Available in black and navy, the money from the shirts is donated to Spacetaker, non-profit organization that provides local artists and small non-profits access to economic, educational and networking resources.
Spacetaker took Haddock in after Hurricane Ike, giving him a place to work and Haddock repaid the kindness with the shirts. The message is clear. Houstonians really are good enough and smart enough and dog-gone it, who cares if anybody else likes us. We do and that’s all that matters.
Right? Right?
- When my mother went to Houston Astros games in the 60s, she wore a dress, pantyhose and heels. When I had my 12th birthday at the Astrodome, Jose Cruz hit a home run and the scoreboard lit up like the Fourth of July.
Now, my kids ask what that big round building is when we go to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at Reliant Stadium. Sigh.
It’s no surprise then that I’m all for repurposing the Astrodome and thankfully, I’m not alone. James Glassman, creator of Amnesia Houston, a group dedicated to telling Houston’s story while preserving its history and landmarks, has designed “Our Dome” shirts. There’s a shirt for everyone in the family and Glassman is using the funds from the shirt sales to run a website with links to various Astrodome proposals and a forum for sharing ideas about the building.
“Ultimately, I want everyone in Harris County to be engaged in finding a new use for the Astrodome. Remember, it’s ours!” Glassman said. There are cute fitted shirts and tank tops, golf shirts and hoodies, onsies and kid’s shirts ranging from $13.99 to $39.99.
- Houstonians don’t take themselves too seriously, so the “Keep Houston Rich” T-shirts are a tongue-in-cheek ode the good things about the city. Yes, there’s an oil derrick serving as the “i” in rich, but these shirts stand for more than just bucks.
Think ballet, opera, restaurants, museums and all the other culturally enriching elements of the city. The men’s and women’s shirts are $12 to $20, but my riches would be spent on the doggie T-shirt because wealth comes in all shapes and sizes.
- OK, so the Greater Houston Convention and Visitor's Bureau “H-Town” shirts may not win an award for most original slogan, but I give the city kudos for not relying on a space reference.
The all-American hues and the budget-friendly prices are certainly appealing, (the tees are $4.99 a piece or three for $12) and can be bought at the Houston Visitors Center on Bagby or by calling 713-437-5556.
