“This month we will complete the sale of Crazy Shirts Inc. and after 37 years it will pass into the hands of a new owner. Among the assets that constitute the value of the company are the 40 retail stores, most of which you have designed and built out. For a retail chain such as ours the primary vehicle to communicate our image is the face we present to our customers through our stores. You were given, what I believe is the most difficult task an architect can have. You were challenged to create a store image that was clearly “Crazy Shirts” in each location, yet also required to create a unique look making each store a “one of a kind”. Your ability and talent at meeting this challenge has impressed and amazed us all over these many years.

I’ve lost track Steve of the number of stores you designed for us, some have been closed over the years as customer demographics have changed. But I know they included locations in Florida, New York City, New Orleans, Rocky Mountain ski resorts, San Francisco, Palm Springs, Southern California, Hawaii, and Guam. Each location had its own challenges which you met with creativity, combined with an understanding of the practical aspects of the retail work environment. Each store became an addition that we were proud to share with our customers. You also displayed remarkable patience in working through the design process with a very demanding entrepreneur owner and store operations group. The results not only looked great but they worked. As a result the retail operations staff always looked forward to a “Rynerson project” knowing you approached the work as member of a team synthesizing the needs, changes, and concerns of all the constituents.

As you know, your involvement went well beyond the design and build out requirements as we relied on you to develop custom fixtures, and product presentation vehicles. What you may not have heard is the numerous customer compliments we received each day, in each store, for the look and feel of all the elements working together. It’s also been interesting through the years to see the number of our competitors that have quickly adopted the innovations that you brought to our store interiors, a high form of praise.

On behalf of everyone here at Crazy Shirts who has had the pleasure of working with you through the years, and for our many customers, I want to say thank you. Thanks for being part of our team, thanks for the legacy of beautiful stores across the country, and thanks for providing an attractive and functional workplace for thousands of employees over the years.”

Aloha, and best wishes always,
Randy Yeager
President, CEO
Crazy Shirts, Inc.