Sommer Elston is a fifth-generation Nevadan. So, it seems kismet that she’d make a name for herself repping Reno. Six years ago, she started a brand of merchandise using a With Love From Reno logo and then grew that brand to include regions throughout the state, and beyond. It started with a t-shirt. Now there are beanies, stickers, murals, sweatpants, and more.
The designs.
The original With Love from Reno logo is what Elston calls a love letter to the city. As someone who used to run a stationary company, it felt fitting, and she came up with the block letter design in order to offer something both gender-neutral and simple. She later added another design with a more feminine touch—cursive writing across an outline of Nevada.
Get your own gear.
With Love from Reno branded merchandise can be found in local stores like Home Means Nevada and sometimes Scheels. She sells most of her merch, however, online. “I do a drop in the spring and fall every year,” she says. These inevitably include her original designs in new colors and applications, plus specialty pieces like sweatpants, tie-dye, etc. “Once those are gone, they are gone.”
There’s artwork, too.
There have been two With Love from Reno murals in the city, although only one still stands today. The remaining mural is on the northside wall of The Nest, an antique shop on Keystone Avenue. While Elston designed the pieces, they were painted by local artists in town, and the inspiration came from the murals famous in Nashville where Elston visits family often. “I wanted to do something like that here in Reno.”
It's called a side hustle, baby.
While With Love from Reno has certainly blossomed from one item to a full-blown merchandise company, Elston still considers it a side hustle. That’s because the single mom works on the business while her three kids are asleep or on the weekends. Her full-time job is with Roundabout Catering where she runs social and graphic design for their various brands and businesses.
“I’ve never lived anywhere else, our roots run really deep here.”
