Clothing maker’s ‘Oso Strong’ shirts sell out at Arlington event

One of the busiest places in town Saturday was the parking lot of an Arlington grocery store where a special piece of clothing sold out in no time.

Customers crowded under a small, portable awning to snatch up a limited supply of t-shirts and sweatshirts, produced by a local clothing maker.

Oso Strong has become the motto around the Stillaguamish Valley.

“Some of the locals came to us and started suggesting, ‘why don’t you make an Oso Strong shirt’ and I thought that’s a great idea, so we came up with a design and it’s just taken off,” said Jeff Barkshire, owner of safetyshirtz.

He said his company is donating all the profits to the local fire district and Cascade Valley Hospital.

The shirts sold out in a couple of hours in a feeding frenzy of charity.