CLEVELAND — When it comes to sports here in Northeast Ohio, our fans go big or go home. And part of being a top-notch fan is having the right gear.
For many years, GV Art + Design has proven to be a cut above the rest when it comes to sportswear.
It all began in on a whim back in 2007.
After going viral, and seeing success after making their first t-shirts, brothers Greg and George Vlosich decided to go into business together with the help of their dad.
The company that started in the garage of their Lakewood home has now become synonymous with Cleveland sports.
"I think what makes us different is just the creativity behind each design. So we're artists first and foremost," explained Greg Vlosich. "It's, it's cool now, any event that's going on, people know to, you know, see what we have or, or come, come shop at our store."
The Vlosich bothers created their products knowing that Clevelanders were looking for a positive way to align with one another in a meaningful way.
"We knew people had, you know, a strong affiliation with Cleveland and wanted to represent it. They just didn't have a great way to do it yet. And it just took off," said Greg.
With more than a decade in the business, GV Art has been there for multiple iconic sports moments in The Land, and they’ve had memorable partnerships with local athletes like José Ramírez, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Myles Garrett, and countless others.
However, for the Vlosich family, the passion for Cleveland sports began long before the business.
"We grew up, we would go to the games and we would make posters with my dad," explained Greg. "Holding up these posters for our players and stuff. And I feel like that's literally what we're doing now, just on a larger scale."
Able to capitalizing on a shared experience, the Volsich family has now open four locations in Lakewood, Willoughby, Kent, and Avon.
"We're never fully satisfied. You know, we, we appreciate it and we love it, Um, but we're always okay, what's the next thing and how can we, you know, do that?," said Greg.
And for GV Art + Design, that means staying ready, so they don’t have to get ready.
"We have probably 50 designs on our, our computer right now, just waiting for the right time, " Greg explained. " It's always extra special when you're ahead of the moment where you're like, 'Oh, I think this might happen. Let's have something ready to go.'"
However, things don't always go as planned. For example when the Guardians clinched this year’s AL Central division title sooner than they anticipated.
"We were kind of counting on them to clinch maybe Tuesday, Wednesday, and had some designs in the works," said Greg, both he and his brother were out of town that weekend thinking they had time. .
"So they clenched on Sunday and immediately our phones, Twitter, everything was blowing up with like, where's the designs, where's the designs? And we're like, just, just give us some time, like promise you won't be disappointed," said Greg of the demand they received.
And fans weren’t - for baseball in October, GV Art launched two signature shirts plus hoodies for colder games, many of which sold out online within 24 hours.
"We did a, um, kind of full team, one called "The Young Guns" and it's, it really represents every player done in kind of a vintage style" said Greg of the designs. " We did a guard the yard shirt, which is kind of like our official unofficial tagline for it, you know, we know they have the three home games coming up."
And now, just like always, the GV Art team has their bases covered and are ready to help cheer on the Guardians this playoff season with the rest of the city.
"We're diehard Cleveland diehard sports fans, and the fact that they're choosing our stuff, it's just so cool. It means a lot."
For a look at the collections from GV Art + Design, click here.
*Editor's Note: The video in the player above is from a previous report.