Credit:When UTSA launched its football program in 2011, student Chris Allison, sensing an opportunity, created a fan site offering everything from game tickets to team apparel. The site wasn’t meant to be a money-making endeavor — he sold apparel at cost — but a hobby to help keep fans connected and engaged., an online store spun off from his original site that sells UTSA hats, T-shirts, hoodies and accessories.
After the initial production run of hats, Allison procured more inventory, selling hats out of his Ford Explorer at tailgate parties and other events. He even enlisted another buddy to help deliver some of the hats. As Allison relied solely on word-of-mouth marketing for his new attire business, the orders kept coming, including from markets across Texas and the country.
With the exception of accessories like phone cases, most of Palms Out Apparel’s items are sourced and assembled in the U.S., including hats from Idaho and T-shirts from a small, family-owned printing company on San Antonio’s North Side. The company currently sells hats , along with beanies , T-shirts, hoodies and accessories like iPhone and AirPod cases.
Allison said that as Palms Out Apparel continues to take up more of his time, he’s determined not to take on any debt and instead focus on slow and steady company growth, which he said will also help him control product quality.