North Platte, NE — What began as a small garage project in Georgia has become one of North Platte’s newest downtown success stories. Hide Park Apparel celebrated its official ribbon cutting this week, drawing a packed crowd that filled the shop and spilled onto the sidewalk outside—marking another milestone for the creative small business that’s turning old footballs into game-day fashion.
Owners Josh and Katelyn Sperle were joined by friends, family, and community leaders for the ceremony, hosted by the North Platte Area Chamber and Development Corporation. The event highlighted both the business’s rapid growth and its deepening local roots.
“It’s just such a cool place for them to be downtown,” said Chamber President and CEO Gary Person. “They’ve fixed it up beautifully. It’s a production facility, but it’s also a space that really reflects their story. What started as a part-time hobby has grown into a full-time business and now a brick-and-mortar shop. It’s the kind of American dream story we love to see come true.”
Person noted that Hide Park Apparel was recently named Entrepreneur of the Year, selected from dozens of new businesses in the area. “They really springboarded the whole thing through our Big Idea competition,” Person said, referring to the local pitch contest where winners earn investment money for their business ideas. “To see them go from that idea stage to what they’ve built now—it’s really inspiring.”
Sperle recalled that journey with a mix of humor and humility. “We repurpose game-used footballs and make really cool game-day gear out of them—mostly hats, but also keychains and earrings,” he said. “We’re on pace to repurpose about 700 footballs this year and sell 10,000 hats. It’s grown way beyond what we imagined when we started.”
Hide Park’s path began in 2019 as a passion project in Atlanta. When the Sperles moved back to Katelyn’s hometown of North Platte, they continued building the business, eventually pitching at the Big Idea competition, where they earned second place and a $5,000 award to reinvest in equipment and inventory.
“This community has really believed in us,” Sperle said. “Winning the Entrepreneur of the Year award was humbling. We didn’t even know we were in the running. To see so many people show up today, wearing our hats and supporting what we’re doing—it’s just overwhelming in the best way.”
During the ribbon cutting, Sperle also took time to thank those who helped make their downtown location possible, from local contractors to the Prairie Arts Center’s Public Art Fund, which led the creation of a vibrant canteen-themed mural along the building’s wall. “We wanted something the whole community could be proud of,” Sperle said. “They absolutely nailed it.”
Mayor Brandon Kelliher congratulated the couple during the ceremony for their investment in the community. “The more small businesses we have, the better off we are,” Kelliher said. “You’ve taken a risk to build something here, and we’ll all be telling this story for years.”
Hide Park Apparel now ships to over 30 states, and the Sperles say they plan to keep expanding while maintaining their North Platte home base. “We want this to be a place the whole community can be proud of,” Sperle said. “We’re so grateful for the support—and the prayers—as we keep growing.”