Pursuits
Bear Market: How the Griz Coat Became a Millennial Phenomenon
How twin brothers turned a $199 grizzly costume into a millennial phenomenon
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“Excuse me, but what’s in that box?” a sixtysomething man asks Karl Reichstetter, 33. A cardboard cube rests at Reichstetter’s feet in Philz Coffee, in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco. Two furry, triangular ears poke up out of the box’s open top. “It’s a bear coat that you can wear for fun,” Reichstetter explains as the man starts backing away. “It’s made by a brand called Griz Coat. It’s a San Francisco brand.” He pulls the product from its packaging. “This head comes with a coat that has realistic claws. It’s a whole get-up.”