Meesh & Mia scores Super Bowl TD

SANDPOINT — No matter which way today’s Super Bowl game tilts, Elizabeth Turley is bound to come out on top. As president of a local company called Meesh & Mia, she comes out a winner either way.

The Sandpoint-based company sells women’s apparel and accessories with a twist — the tops, sweaters and jackets all feature team logos.

“I have Seahawks for the locals,” Turley said, showing off the top she wore before turning around to reveal the back of her jacket, “and Broncos for me.”

This dual loyalty would seem like heresy in any other environment, but, for Meesh & Mia, it’s all in a day’s work. Founded in 2010 in a small Sandpoint business incubator space, the firm was rolled out as a collegiate concept, focusing its attention on providing a fashionable alternative for women who wanted to support their alma mater in style.

The concept caught on quickly, spiraling out from colleges and universities to professional football.

“Star players’ wives and moms and the wives of team owners are now becoming year-round Meesh & Mia fans, so we have this ambassadorship that’s growing,” said Turley. “The word is getting out about our fashion and quality — this is a good place to be.”

Fast-forward to Super Bowl XLVIII and the match-up between the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos and it looks as if the stars have aligned for the local apparel company. With just a couple of weeks to pounce after the playoff games determined which teams would vie for the Vince Lombardi Trophy, Meesh & Mia was more than prepared.

The reason behind this readiness was the fact that the Seahawks already were the company’s bestseller, with the Broncos hot on their heels.

“It’s amazing how quickly your loyalty changes, depending on who generates the most revenue,” said Turley. “We saw that happen this year with Auburn and Florida State in the BCS Bowl, because both teams are great customers of ours.

“Now, it’s the same thing with the Broncos and the Seahawks — I love it!” the company president enthused, jumping out of her chair to throw her arms up in the classic touchdown pose. “We won!”

Does this particular Super Standoff matter in other ways?

“Oh, it so does,” Turley said, showing just how much fashion and merchandising sense come into play when she chooses who to root for. “I was watching the playoffs and literally praying that the Seahawks would win, because then, both Super Bowl teams would be navy blue.”

And though this perennial Broncos fan has her eye on a Denver prize, she has been won over by the sheer ferocity of the Seattle fan base. In tribute, Meesh & Mia offers a top emblazoned simply with the number 12.

“They are diehard,” the president said. “The 12th Man definitely plays into their success. The Seahawks fight so hard and they want it so badly — it’s great to see them in the Super Bowl.”

When Meesh & Mia hit the scene, the idea of stylish women’s wear with a team spirit flair was unheard of. College bookstores were the sole purveyors of team wear and, for women, they could either buy the same blocky jerseys or baggy hoodies the guys wore, or choose from a sorely limited selection of similar merchandise in smaller sizes died in pink.

Company sales exploded after Turley rocked that world in a new direction — up 280 percent after the first year of manufacturing and another 200 percent the following season. In 2013, the company was approved to provide logo wear for all of the 30-plus National Football League franchises. As it turned out, that season ended up being a kind of team-building year for Meesh & Mia, because the logo approval process took longer than anticipated. With that task behind them, the company entered 2014 ready to rumble.

“This is going to be our year,” the president said. “We’re ready, we’re manufacturing, we’re on the move. Orders-to-date are up 400 percent over last year.

“We’re struggling to keep up with growth,” she added. “It has become a matter of who’s going to grab us and drag us their way next.”

Adding to the fray is the recent interest from the Canadian Football League, which currently is licensing Meesh & Mia to provide products for its smaller, but decidedly popular teams.

“You talk about fans,” Turley said. “The CFL fans are unbelievable. It’s turning into a fabulous venue for us.”

Meesh & Mia rolled into the marketplace at a time when the depths of an economic downturn were becoming painfully obvious to the world at large. Like the quarterback behind an unstoppable offense, Turley kept grinding the ball forward. Her determination now seems to have been rewarded with an open field running opportunity.

“I am the luckiest woman in the world,” she said. “I have this incredible team of people who have even more passion than any of the fans out there. I consider us blessed to still be here and growing as a company.

“We made it through the tough times and now we’re here to celebrate the good times.”

For Seahawks fans, that sentiment might sound a bit familiar.

For information on Meesh & Mia and a list of schools and sports franchises currently offering its products, visit: www.meeshandmia.com.