Vintage Vernor's Bottle Opener | Original Pop-Realism Drawing by Mike Pitzer

Some objects become woven into family life so completely that we hardly notice them until decades later. For many Michiganders, Vernor's wasn't simply a soft drink. It was the taste of family gatherings, summer afternoons, upset stomachs, and Boston Coolers shared with people we loved. That's the essence of American Material Memory.

From the Artist

Growing up in Algonac, Michigan, there was one pop you drank when you were sick, when you were thirsty, or when someone made a Boston Cooler with Stroh's Vanilla Ice Cream.

This drawing is of one of the promotional bottle openers Vernor's used to give away. But we'd still use 'em to open a pop bottle or beer can.

We were the generation that drank from garden hoses and survived. So what was a little rust on a bottle opener when there was a cold Vernor's waiting on the other side?