SAN DIEGO — Two Padre superfans loved hats so much, they decided to launch their own business that helps restore vintage caps.

Now the duo has gone from cleaning lids to creating ones, weaving San Diego’s rich sports history and culture in their design. 

“We were looking at our hat collection one day and we were saying there’s nothing on the market that actually cleans hats the way we wanted to,” said Nell Vaughn, co-founder and co-owner of Crown Kleen. “A lot of other competitors focus on the outside of the hat, not the inside of the hat.”

In 2016, the duo from Kearny Mesa and Oceanside decided to go into business together, creating a product that breathes new life into their collection. 

“We have friends that skateboard, play basketball, football, all sports in general and I thought we needed to come out with something easy, on the go and can clean your hat,” continued Anthony Garcia, co-founder and co-owner of Crown Kleen. 

Now, seven years later, Crown Kleen can be found in more than 200 stores across the country with its creators now focusing their attention on designing hats with San Diego’s history rooted at the center of their design. 

Crown Kleen and its products can be found on their Instagram page.

“The response was overwhelming, we had a line out the door the night before,” continued Vaughn. “We also had the blessing of the San Diego Chicken to design a Padres hat in his honor. I couldn’t have been happier at how the turnout happened.” 

“[San Diego] is what I grew up on,” continued Garcia. “I wanted to do something for Padres fans that also grew up watching.”