Many great ventures have gotten their start in the basements and garages of average American homes, from Apple and The Wall Street Journal to Iowa State alumni’s very own Tailgate Clothing Company. The Iowa-based company was recently bought for an approximated $11 million by retail giant American Eagle Outfitters in a deal that includes the entire Todd Snyder label.

Tailgate was founded by award-winning menswear designer Todd Snyder, who graduated from Iowa State in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in textile and clothing design. Snyder left the Midwest after graduation to sharpen his skills in New York, where he worked for celebrated menswear designers at Polo Ralph Lauren, Gap and J. Crew.

Although Snyder left his hometown for the big city, his Huxley roots are what inspired the Tailgate concept. Whenever he returned home to visit friends and family, a Cyclone football game was on the agenda with Huxley, Iowa located just 20 miles from Iowa State University. While searching for a sweatshirt to support his alma mater, Snyder noticed that the apparel lacked the authentic feel that his old spirit wear sported. Everything was too modern.

“The goal was to recreate your favorite vintage sweatshirt, and that’s when it grew [into something bigger],” said Steve King, Vice President of Tailgate Clothing Company.

Snyder and King were classmates at Iowa State in the textile and clothing design program. King moved to New York shortly after Snyder in 1993. There he worked in womenswear production at J. Crew and moved to product development of men’s design at Polo Ralph Lauren in 1997, where he worked alongside Snyder once again.

With the sweatshirt incident fresh in his mind, Snyder flew back to New York. He shared his love of classic, vintage college apparel with King, and they began to bounce ideas off one another. As fervent sports fans, they both wanted to restore the tradition associated with collegiate apparel.

Tailgate Clothing Company began in the basement of Dennis Snyder, Todd’s father. Dennis was an engineer from Ames, Iowa who had a passion for college football and no experience with designing clothing. He was purely there to encourage the young men to pursue the untapped opportunity. The company was officially established in 1997 when both Todd and King were still living in New York. Operations continued to run out of the basement with Dennis lending a helping hand as further business plans were in the works.

The idea was to recreate vintage products with the classic American styling by using licensed logos. Also, to keep it authentic but integrate modernized fits and fabrics to satisfy updated market trends. The product offering started with graphic T-shirts of old school logos and grew to cover sweatshirts and sweatpants with additional graphics of popular hangouts, interests and lifestyles of the local community.

“It was very grassroots,” King said. “We picked out the stores we wanted to be in and went there [to sell our products].”

They first reached out to sports retailers like All Sports, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Scheels and Sports Page Sporting Goods in Ames. Orders were initially shipped out of the basement, but after a year of successful sales, they moved distribution to a warehouse in Ankeny, Iowa. In 1999 King formally joined Tailgate and moved back to Iowa to manage operations full time with Todd’s brother Jamie Snyder.

As a tribute to their beloved college years, Tailgate’s first collegiate collection was tailored to Iowa State traditions, bringing back original graphics of Cy and the school logo. In year two of business, Tailgate covered other midwestern colleges, including Indiana, Iowa, Kansas and Michigan State. They wanted to give the company a humble upbringing, as they had, to foster a sturdy base for future growth and prosperity.

Tailgate has indeed grown from its Midwest beginnings and currently designs apparel for more than 40 colleges across the nation with upwards of 2500 licensed logos to choose from. The company’s success has turned the founding three employees into 24, spread between the headquarters in Ankeny, the office in New York and the sourcing office in Miami. It has also expanded past simply selling collegiate apparel, and offers collections that feature iconic symbols of the Americana spirit, celebrating the entire nation’s heritage.

The company’s website reads, “What began as a goal to create curated college wear has translated into a passion for crafting clothes that show off the story of America through its prolific icons. Whether it’s Muhammad Ali or the Fighting Irish, Chevy or Templeton Rye, your favorite bar or vacation spot—our passion is in celebrating the lineage of American design, innovation and spirit.”

In 2014, Tailgate began the search for a brick and mortar location by scoping out prominent college towns for the ideal fit, including Ames, Iowa. Tailgate launched its first retail location in the heart of Iowa City near the frequented pedestrian mall. The rustic white-washed brick walls of the exterior and exposed brick lining the interior matched the vintage aesthetic and principles that the company was founded on.

Ideally, the company wanted to open a location in Ames due to the long-standing history with Todd, King and many other current employees, but they couldn’t find a building that fit the historic essence of the clothing.

“We went [to Ames] on several occasions and… It was tough to find a space because all the renovation of CampusTown and tearing down buildings,” King said. “Nobody wanted to extend a lease because they were working with new developers. It just didn’t fit what we were trying to do.”

Tailgate’s next venture is another Big Ten school in Madison, Wisconsin, which is set to open March or April 2016, along with three to five other locations throughout 2016 that haven’t been corroborated.

“If we find the right space we will definitely do something in Ames,” King said, hopeful about returning to campus.

Each individual location will be unique in that the physical buildings will be different historic structures and the apparel will be specific to each city and its cultural quirks. King said they begin by doing research on each town, talking to locals and learning about the ins and outs of the area. It usually comes down to an assortment of local bars, popular sites and inside jokes of the student population. As with Iowa City, Tailgate plans to gain a majority of its insider information from a brand ambassador, like former All-American kicker Nate Kaeding.

The company’s dedication to authenticity and American culture caught the attention of mass retailer American Eagle. The overlap between American Eagle’s ode to American leisurewear and Tailgate’s personalized vintage sportswear sealed the deal between the two companies in November 2015. After struggling with sales the last few quarters, Tailgate can give American Eagle a well-needed boost with the college demographic.

“Tailgate can create that specialized and localized product line in a smaller space,” King said, compared to the mass-produced stores that occupy malls throughout the country.

American Eagle hopes to open up to 200 Tailgate retail locations at universities nationwide, providing the capital Tailgate lacked to do so themselves. Unlike American Eagle’s products, Tailgate offers wearable and authentic clothing that adapts to trends in a fast fashion manner. These stores will integrate the local tradition and culture of each community into the designs, therefore becoming part of it. Classic denim from American Eagle and other third-party merchandise will be available in the stores to provide a one-stop-shop for classic collegiate sportswear.

The acquisition is more like a partnership that allows the Iowa-based company to expand rapidly and reach its full potential. The Tailgate team will remain intact with Todd Snyder joining American Eagle as an Executive Vice President where he will oversee design and marketing for the brand. Tailgate will also continue to outsource printing to Young’s Shirt Works in Des Moines, maintaining their Iowa roots.

“Tailgate has no plan of deviating, of changing from what has gotten us to this place,” King said, paying homage to its Midwestern heritage.