Early in November, as you may recall, scientists achieved an incredible feat by landing a space probe on a comet. One of the scientists working on the Rosetta Project was Dr. Matt Taylor, whom you will also recall sported some major tattoos and a really awesome Hawaiian-style shirt, as seen in this BBC video:

http://youtu.be/5Iv-5SOGm54

However, it was not his achievement that drew the attention of some feminists. It was The Shirt, which some angry feminists labeled as “sexist.” Our Victory Girls Nina and Cassy wrote about the so-called #ShirtStorm after the rage of the feminists caused Dr. Taylor to publicly apologize.

Shortly after this kerfuffle exploded, various bloggers discovered the source of The Shirt. It came from a small business called Alohaland, which is located in California and run by its proprietor, Judi. I was curious and investigated her website, and there I found a plethora of some of the most vibrant, colorful, and gloriously politically incorrect Hawaiian shirts I have ever seen.

Then The Husband got a gander at the shirts. Now, my husband has a commercial illustration and graphic design studio and lives almost daily in Hawaiian shirts during warm weather. It’s his schtick, his “man-style,” as he puts it, and, considering his business, they suit him well.

I told him he could pick out a shirt for his Christmas present, and after much deliberation he settled upon a shirt featuring a vintage pattern of cheesecake cowgirls. As The Husband was a little boy of the ’50’s who grew up in Wichita, Kansas, wearing cowboy shirts and hats, it reminded him of his childhood.

So the week before Thanksgiving I ordered his shirt. After three weeks had passed and no shirt arrived, I emailed Judi at Alohaland with a simple inquiry as to the status of the shirt.

Judi replied with apologies, telling me that since the Matt Taylor #ShirtStorm she had been deluged with orders, particularly for the Taylor shirt. She was willing to refund my money.

No worries, I told her. He really wanted the shirt and would wait for it. I explained how it reminded him of his boyhood.

Judi advised me to contact her the following week.

I emailed her as advised last week, and behold! The shirt was finished. A few emails back and forth confirming our address, and the shirt was on its way. It arrived on Christmas Eve during the day.

We traveled from Kansas City to Wichita for Christmas with my husband’s siblings, and everyone loved the shirt. Even the guy in the toll booth on our way home remarked, “What a great shirt!”

Now The Husband wants to purchase more shirts from Alohaland, once the winter ends and Hawaiian shirt weather starts again.

Now I don’t know Judi from Alohaland. I don’t know if she’s Republican or Democrat. I don’t know if she’s Christian, Jewish, a Buddhist or an agnostic. What I do know is she represents a little slice of what has made America great:  the small entrepreneur who pours on the coals to make a business dream work, even when that work is overwhelming. Judi met a demand which arose from customers who rejected the silly demands of political correctness and wanted the product that she was selling.

Score one for the Free Market. May it always thrive.