Decked out

Take a look around, and you’ll see that locals here wear Lake Tahoe-themed gear the way that people from other places sport the branded attire of their cities’ professional sports teams. Of course, the lake is about as famous as any National Football League or Major League Baseball team—so perhaps it’s not all that surprising. Furthermore, Tahoe is home to several clothing and ski brands that are known nationwide. When it comes to getting Tahoe-themed apparel and art, there are plenty of places to shop right on the valley floor in Reno.

The Reno eNVy store, located in the heart of downtown, has been clothing the local population in Reno-centric duds for more than a decade. It’s also the headquarters for Home Means Nevada Co. and the Reno Tahoe Visitor Center, where folks can stop in for information on the area’s recreational opportunities. The store carries Tahoe-themed clothes for men, women and children, as well as things like hats and knickknacks.

The company Nevada Tahoe Love keeps a shop inside the Basement, located in the old Reno post office downtown—and the brand often sets up a booth at larger local events. Nevada Tahoe Love was started by Ashley and Adam Sayre who say on their company’s website that they hope to inspire the community through their own “lifestyle as adventurers” and get people as “excited and anxious” about protecting and enjoying Lake Tahoe as they are. They stock a wide variety of apparel and jewelry, as well as things like Lake Tahoe-themed water bottles.

Tahoe Basics is a mom-and-pop company founded in 2012. The brand is available online and in some local shops, including The Melting Pot World Emporium on Virginia Street in midtown. In addition to apparel, the company designs things like Tahoe-shaped cookie cutters, stickers and glassware. And they donate to local charities, including the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center and the Bear League.

The Melting Pot also sells other Tahoe-themed jewelry, jewelry designed by Tahoe artists and locally made, 3-D wooden maps of the Lake. These kinds of wooden maps can be purchased from many different companies online. But this variety, popular with locals, is made by the local company Tahoe Wood Maps, established in 2014. The company makes maps of Lake Tahoe, San Francisco and Monterey Bay and—recently—of Coeur d’Alene Lake in Idaho.

Tahoe Made is a brand that was established in 2007 and is available in stores around the region, including The Potlatch and Tahoe Provisions in Incline Village and Bobo’s Ski & Board in Reno. The people behind the company are also involved in the popular outdoor apparel brand Deso Supply Co. In addition to apparel for adults, Tahoe Made makes some of the stranger Tahoe-themed things a person will find, things like a bicycle-mounted leather wine bottle holder with a stainless steel opener.

California 89 is a brand based in Truckee started by a woman named Lisa Gotts when she moved to the area in 2000. It’s named for California State Route 89 that runs from Truckee up to the lake. Some of the brand’s designs sport the names of popular lake destinations like Emerald Bay and Squaw Valley. A portion of the proceeds from every sale goes to the Tahoe Fund, which helps with restoration and preservation projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin; and High Fives Foundation, which raises money and awareness for athletes with life-altering injuries who want to continue enjoying winter sports.