With social media Appleton business partners make military surplus a style of its own
APPLETON, Wis. (CBS 58) – Since the end of the Civil War Americans have collected and worn military surplus. The clothing and gear that was originally produced for soldiers or other members of the military and later sold off relatively cheaply by the government when it lost its use.
Often bought by older generations and veterans, the hobby of wearing the clothes and collecting the gear is finding new life thanks to a younger-than-ever source in Appleton, Wisconsin, with a couple of friends growing a business that started in one of their parents’ basement, into a full time-operation with more than 20 employees and multiple warehouses full of surplus.
Logan McGrath and Aiden Olsen started Americana Pipedream Apparel during the COVID-19 pandemic, after the two young men graduated high school and McGrath determined college wasn’t the right path for him.
After building an Instagram page based on military history to more than 100,000 followers, McGrath was offered a sponsorship deal to post advertisements.
“Which was a really big light for me to kind of push him,” Olsen said. “Like ‘you should try to market stuff, it could turn into something.’”
At first, McGrath tried his hand at selling vintage gear and later found military surplus to be a marketable niche. Like many small businesses, Americana Pipedream started out slow.
“We were lucky to get a sale a week,” Olsen said. “When we got a sale, it was like ‘Yo! This is the best thing ever.’”
Their inventory covers all kinds of military clothing produced from the early 1900’s to today, with designs as simple as wool pants and coats to vibrant and complex camouflage patterns. Vintage helmets, backpacks, training manuals also have a place on AP’s shelves.
As demand for the products grew, they ran out of room in the basement of McGrath’s parents’ home and after making enough money from their side-hustle, they moved into a warehouse they filled up with surplus within a year. McGrath said the company would buy up as much as they could from wholesalers and whoever else would sell to them.
“We’ve executed that strategy every time we have the space to but then inevitably reach the point where we can’t buy any more stuff because we don’t have any more room to put it,” McGrath said.
Their success eventually led them to buying a warehouse of their own, allowing them to stock even more inventory, stacked ceiling high.
Beyond appreciating the unique style or rugged quality of the clothes, collecting surplus from around the world can give people a sense of history and culture from places they might not know much about. It can also lead to some touching stories.
“One particularly touching email came through recently from a Bulgarian-American immigrant whose grandfather was a general in the Bulgarian People's Army. We are currently selling a ton of Bulgarian wool coats from the 1950’s-1970’s. When he got the one, he ordered, he teared up because of the smell and how it reminded him of his grandpa,” McGrath said. “Things like that are one of the reasons I love selling surplus.”
McGrath said stories like that are fulfilling because they can foster a tangible connection between someone and their family’s past.
A key part of Americana Pipedream’s business is their marketing strategy. The 23-year-olds, having grown up in the age of social media, have a unique way of introducing their stock to prospective customers– taking their 20th century inventory and combining it with the 21st century’s world-wide web to make videos with a level of creativity that major brands simply don’t employ.
Usually, their ads are couched in the history of a specific product. On their Instagram, YouTube or TikTok pages you’ll often find McGrath dressed like a period-accurate soldier showing off a pair of boots or a jacket, giving information about its design and what inspired it.
Other videos are zany and high-energy, with McGrath sprinting around his warehouse screaming about how he needs to get rid of some denim work pants. Some ads are downright strange, including one showing off some Austrian cargo pants filled with several pounds of baked beans to illustrate how much you can fit in the pockets (at least 10 pounds, bacon-bits included).
The strategy has paid off, with the company having reached more than half-a-million followers and nearly 50,000,000 views across their various social media pages.
“We’re just telling an engaging story that keeps people coming back,” McGrath said. “They’re not here just to watch advertisements but they’re also here to learn something new.”
As for the future, the company plans to build a 20,000 square foot warehouse next to their main building so they can more efficiently sort the huge pallets of surplus that come in every month.
“The next pillar is making more U.S.-made apparel,” McGrath said.
The company has sold watch caps and a limited run of jackets inspired by vintage clothing they collected themselves. Making clothes in the U.S. can be a lot more expensive than having a factory produce them overseas. But the two friends aren’t discouraged. In fact, they’re dreaming bigger than ever.
“We’re hoping to rival companies like Carhartt and Dickies in terms of the quality and the workmanship, but doing it here in the United States, which is something that’s really important to me,” McGrath said.
With new clothes already in the works, including a consistently stocked line of jackets and work pants, they’re hoping it will expand their reach.
“That new apparel is a way we really believe we’ll have a future in allowing the company to grow and also cater to people who may not like surplus,” Olsen said.
With their unique inventory, marketing style and focus on bringing back clothing manufacturing to the U.S.-- “we’re going to be able to hire more people,” said McGrath, “continue to grow the company and just in general bring more commerce and business to Appleton, our hometown.”