Toledo T-Shirt Company Jupmode Embraces Local Pride

In 2006, John Amato was tuned in to the National Championship Game in which the Ohio State Buckeyes faced off against the Florida Gators. As he watched Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressel pace the sidelines in his scarlet sweater vest, Amato remarked to his father that somebody should make a T-shirt that replicated Tressel’s iconic look. 

Amato, who grew up in Toledo and Perrysburg before graduating from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business in 2005, took a shot at pitching his T-shirt idea. When he submitted his design to The Ohio State University’s licensing department, it was approved. 

“Ohio State University was independent and made [licensing] decisions on their own,” Amato says. “They were more willing to take a chance on a young kid like me with one good idea.”

Amato’s design hit the shelves of Meijer and The Andersons stores in 2007. A year later, he created a gray version (Tressel often alternated wearing a gray sweater vest) as well as a youth version and onesies of the design. Eventually, he added additional collegiate-focused tees to his lineup. 

Today, Amato operates Jupmode, a company that has around 30 employees.  It makes shirts, jackets, hats and socks that honor local landmarks and historic slogans. A perennial favorite is Jupmode’s “You Will Do Better in Toledo” design, a phrase C.W. Lammers coined in 1913 to win a Toledo Commerce Club tourism promotion contest.

“We like to celebrate the good things that are happening in our area,” Amato says. “And remind people of why Toledo, Ohio, or the Midwest is a great place to be.”

Many of Jupmode’s illustrations are inspired by local history. The creative team often uses vintage brochures and classic company logos as a starting point for designs. For example, their Tiedtke’s tee honors a former downtown Toledo department store that operated from 1894 to 1972. Although designs can be ordered online, Jupmode has a physical store on Monroe Street, between the Toledo Museum of Art and Fifth Third Field.

“It was important for us to be [there] because … you need to have a vibrant downtown in order to really see growth and excitement in the city,” Amato says. “We are doing our best to live that.”

1811 Monroe St., Toledo 43604, 419/318-2029, jupmode.com

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