EDINA, Minnesota — There are so many things that make Minnesota great — or better yet — awesome.
"Things are nice here, and scenic, and lots of lakes," said Dan Gordon, who grew up in Bismarck but moved to Minnesota in his early twenties.
Dan and his brother, Mike Gordon, wanted to share their love of Minnesotan with other Minnesotans.
"Some time in 2014, I think we were in in a store in Mall of America and we just saw a lot of these shirts that were... geared towards tourists," Dan Gordon recalled, "They could probably use a little updating. They've been selling the same shirts for years."
That same year, Dan and Mike decided to launch their own business called Minnesota Awesome. The company designs and prints all of their apparel and accessories from their headquarters in Edina.
"We decided that there's so much state pride in Minnesota that maybe we could come up with some shirts that were high-quality shirts geared towards Minnesotans," Gordon said.
Minnesota Awesome leans into what makes the state unique, covering everything from historic sports events to the state's inside jokes.
"We have one that just says 1987 and 1991. For those who know, those are the two years we won the World Series," Gordon said.
Minnesota Awesome's bestseller is their "Hey Babe" shirt, featuring Babe the Blue Ox.
"We actually own the trademark for 'Hey Babe' for use on a shirt. So we were pretty proud to get that," Gordon said.
With the Olympics Opening Ceremony on Friday, Minnesota Awesome is helping Suni Lee fans show their support.
The company has two Suni Lee shirt designs as the St. Paul gymnast and all-around Olympic gold medalist prepares to compete in Paris.
"If you've ever seen the show 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia,' it's kind of a take on that. It's always Suni in Minnesota," Gordon said.
The company debuted its two Suni Lee shirts at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
"We sold them there actually and people loved them. They sold out right away," Gordon said.
Fans can order shirts or sweatshirts, in a variety of colors and sizes, on Minnesota Awesome's website.
"It's a great state. People like to celebrate it. We're also not afraid to make fun of ourselves a little bit," Gordon said.
Minnesota Awesome can be found online and in more than 100 stores across the state.
Their designs will also be featured at several booths at this year's Minnesota State Fair.