Indianapolis company powering Indiana State Fair gift shop

Bright tie dye colors, unique designs highlighting fair favorite foods, and Indiana-themed merchandise greet visitors inside the Ag/Hort Building at the Indiana State Fair.

Walk closer and to the right of the cheese cow you’ll find stuffed animals, brightly colored pillows, and dozens of stickers and magnets.

Indianapolis-based United State of Indiana has created merchandise for the Indiana State Fair gift shop since 2021.

This year’s theme is “The Art and Nature of Fun,” presented by Newfields.

“We really focused on the world of fine art, took some inspiration from cool, fine art stuff that people would recognize and gave it a state fair twist,” owner Graham Brown said. “We had lots of ideas … at the same time, you also want to dial yourself back and think what does the average fairgoer like, what are they going to think is clever, what are they going to think is funny?”

USI launched in 2011 and has grown into an online store, retail location near Broad Ripple and event exhibitor. The team, which includes a graphic designer, begins working with the fair team in January on products. All T-shirts are screen printed by USI staff at their print shop in Terre Haute.

Brown said many state fairs use national companies for their merchandise and the products all looks similar. Over the last few years, the USI team has built a community with the fair team, customers and fellow vendors.

“We grew up going to the fair; we were a vendor ourselves at the fair for many years before we ever started doing a gift shop. It’s a world we know really well,” Brown said. “I don’t think our gift shop feels like a typical gift shop because it is very inspired by our weirdness and our creativity and our experience.”

USI merchandise can be found in the Ag/Hort building and the Hoosier Lottery Grandstand.