As the Homer Blanky story goes: Once upon a time in the mid-1980s, a small band of neighborhood brothers – the Abdos and the Picketts – had youthful adventures played out on the streets and in the woods of Little Canada, Minn. Baseball games occurred during carefree summer days in cul-de-sacs and backyards where dreams were formed of one day making it big in the Big Leagues. In 2013, their dreams evolved into an entrepreneurial business partnership that inspired the creation of the first Homer Blanky. The brothers acknowledged that “homer” conjured up love for one’s home and community, while “blanky” equated to warmth and comfort, which never goes out of style in Minnesota.
“We always wanted to work together, and so it was only a matter of time before the right opportunity came along,” said Mick Pickett, Homer Blanky co-founder. “That opportunity occurred in 2009 in the middle of game 163, one of the last baseball games the Twins played at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, when friends Evan Pheneger and Troy Cook, Homer Blanky part-owners, were cheering in the stands.”
At that time, Minnesota was transitioning from indoor to outdoor baseball for the start of the 2010 season. Pheneger and Cook brought a bedsheet to the game that Pheneger had branded Homer Blanky. “Fortunately, a photo was taken of the sheet, and the second I saw it the lightbulb went off. I knew we had our product idea and that producing the Homer Blanky could be a fun business idea,” said Pickett.
The brothers launched an initial run of blankets before Opening Day of the Twins’ 2013 season. Although a success, technology constraints limited production and scalability, which resulted in halting production. Nevertheless, the Homer Blanky flame remained lit.
Thanks to today’s production and distribution advancements paired with the contributions of seasoned creative professionals Taylor Dekker of Bone Designs for the refreshed product logo; Kasey Robinson of Studio Forty Two for product design and social media management; Veronica Barnes of VB Photo for website images; and Jordan Obinger and crew at Edition Studios for marketing strategy, an expanded product line now exists! Come check it out!