If you’re a proud Sacramentan — born and raised, or just someone who’s logged a lot of years in the City of Trees — you’ve probably heard it all before: Sacramento is “boring.” Sacramento is “lame.” Sacramento is a place people can’t wait to leave.
Well, guess what? Sacramento Hates You Too.
That’s the name of a Sacramento clothing brand that’s turning all that trash talk into a statement. Their mission: to spread love for the city and people of Sacramento.
The brand, often shortened to SHYT, was born out of a bar in Sacramento when co-founder Kellen McConnell was speaking with his then-co-founder, defending the city he grew up in.
McConnell said people would also give him flak for being from Sacramento—his response was to give the brand a tongue-in-cheek take on Sacramento’s negative perception.
“It started when I would tell people when I was traveling, like, ‘Oh, where are you from?’ And I’d say ‘I’m from Sacramento,’ and they’d say, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’ and I would just think to myself like, “F— you man! Like I love it here,’” McConnell said. “It’s just love for the hood is kind of at the roots of the whole thing.”
Now, several years later, the brand is still going strong and has expanded by partnering with local bars and breweries like Touchstone Brewery and Club Raven, and by offering all types of items.
This Saturday, September 5, 2026, SHYT is teaming up with Elixir Bar & Grill for their 21st anniversary party.
“We’re doing a shirt that’s got a dice on it that spells out 21 from the game 1424 that we call ‘Something Beatable’ for Elixir Bar & Grill,” McConnell said. “Elixir has been a great proponent for our brand ever since we’ve started, we have done a ton of pop-ups over there.”
SHYT products
SHYT has a wide variety of items that include hats, stickers, keychains, hoodies, crewnecks, tote bags, pins, and vintage items. Many of the items for sale are an ode to Sacramento, both literally and culturally.
The brand has a shirt with the notorious Sacramento serial killer Dorothea Puente that says “Bury me in Sacramento,” and a patch dedicated to Scoopy, which is the Sacramento Bee mascot created by Walt Disney.
Notorious Sacramento serial killer Dorothea Puente is one of the SHYT items that customers can purchase.Keyshawn Davis/CapRadio
“We’re also working on this thing called SHYT Reworks, which is where we’re grabbing some vintage stuff like flannels and jackets, and we’re embroidering them in our garage with our borrowed crest on the back of it,” McConnell said.
In addition to the collaborations with Club Raven and Elixir Bar & Grill, they’ve also collaborated with additional bars in the city.
“This brand was born in a bar, so we’ve done things with Golden Bear, Elixir, Tank House, Bottle & Barlow, and Hilltop,” he said. “We are working on something coming up very quickly with Touchstone Brewery, where we’re going to be doing a battle of the brewery bands on September 12th.”
McConnell mentioned the items with the city crest are popular, as well as items that pay an ode to the “team that plays down the street,” the Athletics.
SHYT sale
Customers looking for SHYT products can purchase the products on their website, or attend a local pop-up garage sale that they do in the backyard of McConnell’s home.
“We post on our Instagram that’ll say DM for East SAC address if you know, you know, and we respond to that and just let everyone know where we’re selling, just without giving our address out to every single person,” McConnell said.
You can also get SHYT items at Superbum, which is a vintage boutique in East Sacramento.
Superbum features around 20 local artists and small businesses, including a section called the Closet Club for community members who want to rent and sell items. Vanessa Van Vleck, owner of Superbum, said SHYT has been at the boutique since November.
“I’m always impressed with how creative Kellen is and what he brings in,” Van Vleck said.
Sacramento Hates You Too stickers, patches and keychains products at co-founder Kellen McConnell’s house in East Sacramento.Keyshawn Davis/CapRadio
Van Vleck’s favorites include a green hoodie and a Black shirt that resembles a freeway sign with SHYT in bold letters.
Although the word ‘hate’ is a part of the brand, Van Vleck said she’s witnessed nothing but positivity from customers. She said she has to sometimes explain that this product is actually a positive to people who are from Sacramento.
“I only hear love when people come into the store,” Van Vleck said. “People love his product, and every once in a while, get someone that doesn’t quite understand it.”
Van Vleck said many of the customers she’s noticed buying the products are Sacramentans, but also people who visit from out of town.
“I have people that come in and buy stuff for their friends that don’t live in Sacramento,” she said. “So when they go visit them, they’ll bring them Sacramento Hates You Too Stuff.”
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