Business Spotlight: HAIL to Village Fans!

By Kim Beach

Little did Jonathan Brodhag know he would be riding the tail of a big Michigan win when he launched his company, Village Fans, at the end of 2023! On Monday, January 8, 2024, Michigan became the winner of the College Football Playoff National Championship game, beating the Washington Huskies 34-13. Jonathan’s initial concept for his company was to integrate his alma mater, the University of Michigan, with his beloved hometown of Mariemont.

Jonathan and Kathy originally moved here when Kathy was in MBA school at Duke, and she landed a summer internship with Johnson & Johnson. Kathy, who hails from Northern Michigan, attended the U of M for her undergraduate degree. The couple ended up moving to Cincinnati permanently when she was offered a full-time position after receiving her MBA. Jonathan’s legal career had taken off and he was working remotely for his national law firm out of Charlotte, NC. Several years ago, the Brodhags decided that Jonathan would step back from his career to focus on raising their two sons, Jack, 10 and Matt, 8. He has been a full-time stay-at-home dad since and has not regretted this important decision.

The idea for Village Fans was spurred by a visual that Jonathan saw where the “I” in Michigan’s “HAIL” was a local landmark in Chicago (think Sears Tower). This sparked the idea to replace the “I” with the Bell Tower to tie both Michigan and Mariemont together. He then came up with additional visual tie-ins with local sports teams.

When not working on his “side hustle,” you can find Jonathan enjoying the South 80 or taking the boys to their favorite local restaurant, Skyline. And following dinner, the Brodhag family loves to visit our Village favorite, Graeters.

For more information about Village Fans, please visit their website: https://villagefans. com. To receive a special discount for Town Crier readers, please enter “MTC”. You will receive 20% off at checkout, valid through the month of February.

Jonathan is a transplant to Mariemont via Charlotte, NC, where he grew up. He went to the University of North Carolina and then received his law degree from the University of Michigan, where he also met his wife, Kathy. They have been Village residents for 15 plus years and have enjoyed their Homewood location as their family has grown.

The products you can purchase with these logos include t-shirts, sweatshirts, tumblers, and flags. The teams represented are Bengals, Reds, UC, Xavier, OSU, Michigan (of course), and FC Cincinnati. When asked what inspired him to launch the business, Jonathan mentioned his curiosity and willingness to “pull the thread” on the idea to see where it took him. As a risk-taker, he likes the local tiein and is willing to see if there is an interest in his niche idea. Jonathan’s go-to saying, “Be Nice and Work Hard” embodies Village Fans' local focus and drive.

Creating awareness is the biggest opportunity Jonathan sees for Village Fans in the coming year. He is looking forward to spring when folks are out and about in their sportswear and hopes to capture some of this market share.