TAMPA, Fla. -- Sports are on pause right now, but not the printing press for a local unofficial Tampa Buccaneers gear company.
Wayne Curtiss, president and founder of Smack Apparel, has a finger on the pulse of the Tampa Bay fan base.
“It is, in fact, a new day in Tampa Bay,” Curtiss reads off of a freshly printed shirt.
“We kind of merged the old Bucco Bruce logo (with Tom Brady’s face). It’s been a big hit.”
When six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski joined the Bucs it created a new opportunity.
The newest shirt is a Brady Bunch theme.
“We’re kind of the new Brady Bunch, if you will,” Curtiss said. “So, we came up with the Brady Bucs.”
Since COVID-19 hit, his business has been down, but not out. However, the printing press is not running five-days a week like it did before.
“Right now we probably print once a week, 72-150 shirts, sort of the demand online,” Curtiss said. “Our business has been based on sports and situations in sports. Not a lot of situations going on.”
‘Smack apparel’ is not the only local company having fun with the new look Bucs. Motorworks Brewing in Bradenton, has created a beer named after Gronkowski called “Go Go Gronkzilla.”
They say it’s “brewed with genuine New England tears.” That IPA is available beginning on May 8.
