Freed Sailors Share Hope

Animal House of Okoboji Releases New Designs

Imagine yourself drowning in the deep waters of the ocean. You are hopeless, helpless and alone. Time’s running out, and your life is on the line. But out on the horizon, you see a sailboat, and it’s coming straight for you. The water keeps churning and you start to go under. Then you see the sailboat and your Rescuer. With an outstretched arm, Jesus pulls you up out of the water, bringing you onboard into His love and giving you new life. As a result, you are now a FREED SAILOR.

“Freed because Jesus rescued you from your sin and death,” said Steve Strom, owner of Freed Sailors and the local surf shop, Animal House of Okoboji. “You are also a sailor because you now freely a laborer for your Captain, Jesus. This brand resonates with who I am as a person and I’m passionate about sharing its message.”

For almost 40 years, the Animal House in Arnolds Park has had a calling. Located at the bottom of the stairs in the historic Central Emporium, the Strom family has established the Animal House of Okoboji as a must-stop visit for their patrons.

The driving push behind the store’s success has been Steve Strom. Since 2007, he has overseen Animal House and always has it filled with name brand junior clothing labels. However, the real splash has been the shop’s house brands.

Every Friday, Steve hosts House Friday and features one of his own brands to the public, always offering a 15% discount. One such brand that’s truly loved by his customers is Freed Sailors.

“I love how the community has embraced Freed Sailors; it’s affirmation from those that they believe in the mission behind it,” Steve shared. “We especially love the stories we hear from customers or even our Freed Sailor Ambassadors, who came across the Brand and it helped them at a low point in life.”

How It All Started?

Freed Sailors was initially started in 2017 in a dorm room at Northwestern University in St. Paul, MN by Nick Terlizzi and Matthew Racine. These sophomore college students were inspired to create a clothing brand that fit their age group and represented the vision of the gospel.

“From the beginning, we wanted to create a brand that displayed and showcased the lifestyle of a Christian,” Nick shared. “Our goal is to mobilize a generation of Christians to walk out their new identity of freedom in Christ. Through the brand, we wanted to provide a platform to express a person’s values and identity, and to share your freedom with the world.”

A year later, Steve, a Northwestern alum, ran into a former college cross country teammate at a tradeshow in St. Paul. “She has a boutique in the Cities and told me about her brother’s brand. She was like you need to meet them! It would be perfect for the Animal House and the Lakes area.” Steve remembered.

Later that summer, Steve started carrying a small collection of Freed Sailors in the store and found it to be really popular. “Then Nick called me in December 2019 and asked if I’d like to buy Freed Sailors. He felt I had the background and ability to take it to the next level.” Steve recalled. “This was just after another brand had fallen through and my dad (Brad Strom) had told me to wait on the Lord. It would work out. Then Nick called!”

That spring Steve purchased the legacy and brand of Freed Sailors. “I told Nick I would love to take it!” he added.

On the same day Steve was filling his vehicles with Freed Sailors’ merchandise and product, COVID crazy hit. “We were driving home and uncertain about the future,” Steve shared. “I kept asking myself, ‘was I doing the right thing?’”

Nick spent time mentoring Steve during this time and the new owner gained the vision and passion for Freed Sailors. At this point, they didn’t even know if Animal House would be open that summer. “Thankfully, restrictions were lifted in late spring, and we were open for the summer, but we definitely needed to embrace the meaning of Freed Sailors in our own lives!” he said.

Designs

The initial logo comes from the founders Nick and Matthew, but the rest of the designs have been created by Steve or his son Jamison. In 2021, Animal House released the “Rescue” design, a sailboat incorporated into a hand, and it has become a staple to the collection.

“The rescue design totally fits the inspiration of Freed Sailors and has really meant a lot to some of our Freed Sailors Ambassadors,” Steve shared. “Every year, we just update the colors for the season to provide new freshness.”

In 2025, the “Jesus Calms the Storm” design was released and Steve said the purpose of this layout was “Whatever Storm in Life you are in, rely on Christ’s comfort.”

A new design was also shared on a sticker last summer, but in 2026, it comes in youth sizes. The sketch was created by Steve’s oldest son Jamison, who just finished fifth grade and it’s named the “Kraken.” The 11-year-old told his dad that he wanted to draw something that showed a sailboat with dead Pirates. “Jamison had a great idea. The Pirates are in skeleton form and show how we are ‘dead to sins,’ but are on a sailboat searching for the truth,” Steve said. “Jamison said, ‘Dad, Jesus is the Best Treasure!’”

All designs and graphics are chosen according to the upcoming season. Steve enjoys the process of picking colors for spring, summer, and fall, looking at swatches and colors. Last year, the new collection was sold out in a weekend. “We ordered more this year!” he said.

Follow Animal House of Okoboji on social media to learn every Friday’s house brand, whether it’s Freed Sailors, Animal House or Unsalted. For more information, contact Steve at (712) 332-9537 or animalhouseokoboji@gmail.com.