“When I was dreaming up Des Moines Mercantile, I knew I wanted to carry Des Moines inspired t-shirts. I had screen printed one of The Side Garage’s t-shirts at the farmer’s market before I had even met them a year or so before. I knew that I loved their design and other folks had nothing but amazing things to say about The Side Garage. I sent them an email to ask if we could stop by and share the vision of Des Moines Mercantile to see if they would be interested in printing some shirts for us. I think they were the very first vendors I talked to in person - I was so nervous. They are very cool! We hit it off and began dreaming together to come up with new designs and even do events together. They have become dear friends.” - Mallory
Ashleigh and Elena Leon launched The Side Garage in the fall of 2016 after Ashleigh had taken the year off from screen printing and design at another business. Even though it began as a “side hustle,” mobile screen printing out of Ashleigh’s ‘99 Toyota 4-Runner and late nights at their small press in their garage, Ashleigh says the vision was to always take it bigger. It didn’t take long for The Side Garage to live up to its tagline, “More than a side hustle,” -- moving from their personal garage into a bigger garage and from that garage to a bigger garage, partnering with many small businesses in Des Moines to develop custom merch, setting up their own designs at the Downtown Des Moines Farmer’s Market, hiring employees. If you’re in Des Moines and support any local businesses, chances are you’ve seen their work even if you don’t know it. Definitely more than a side hustle.
Though we’ve loved and worked with The Side Garage for years, carrying their own designs and ones they’ve developed specifically for Des Moines Mercantile, we’re particularly excited to be carrying some of their designs from their latest collection, The Iowa Parks Project – 5% of the sales from this collection support local Iowa organizations who are safeguarding and preserving Iowa’s wild spaces. To celebrate The Iowa Parks Project, we had a conversation with Ashleigh Leon about The Side Garage and about why she’s passionate about Iowa’s parks.
Rebekah: What are your favorite projects to work on at The Side Garage?
Ashleigh: You would definitely get a different answer from everyone on our team if you asked each of us this question, which is a real blessing because it creates a solid balance.
Personally, I love working on projects that have impact. So, yes, I love working on design/product development for small business and non-profits because those are typically an extension of their story and the way they connect with their audience. It can help them create impact in their respective communities.
I also really love working on our human_KIND and Iowa Parks Project collections because those are products that give back to things we care about personally.
R: I know you value community connection. What has been the best or most unexpected part of working with and in your local community?
A: This answer has been pretty consistent since we first started but we love how our live printing places us in communities and spaces that we may not seek out on our own. We're big believers in the power of exposure to communities outside of your own because it broadens our understanding of our world as a whole.
R: How and why did you come up with the idea for the Iowa Parks Project?
A: Since college I've wanted to develop an apparel brand that has more of an impact than just a cool design that someone connects with.
In the summer of 2023 we had two talented interns from Iowa State University. During their internship we gave them the prompt to design badges/icons for various Iowa Parks. Cyrus Yoder produced some really solid base work that we felt had a lot of potential. But as many small business owners may be able to relate, you often put your big ideas on hold while you focus on your clients.
Summer ended, our interns went back to school, and the first iteration of Iowa Parks badges went into the vault. When Cyrus joined our team full-time in 2024 we decided to take a leap and spend the summer developing the concepts to see how people would respond to it.
In the fall of 2024 we brought our first line-up of Iowa Parks Project gear to the Downtown Farmer’s Market and were blown away by the response. It gave us hope that the brand could create impact for local organizations and contribute to fostering a community of local people who love getting outdoors.
R: Where are your favorite parks in Iowa to hike or camp?
A: For proximity, we love camping at Ledges and Lake Ahquabi. We recently found this beautiful county park in Northwest Iowa at Hitchcock Nature Center - really great hiking trails in the Loess Hills region and a solid array of campsites. We highly recommend it!
R: Have you always had a love of the outdoors? If not, when and how did that happen?
A: My mom will be the first to say that I loved the outdoors as a young kid. I grew up in West Texas, and up until I was about 6/7 years old, we spent most of our weekends camping at a multi-family owned property that was primarily used for racing and riding dirt bikes and 4-wheelers. I have a lot of core memories from that experience.
However, I spent most of my childhood and young adult life in a basketball gym (which is how I arrived in Iowa). Of course I did normal kid stuff like ride my bike, frequent the neighborhood park, swim, etc. - but not a ton of time spent camping or in nature so-to-speak.
Fast forward to post-college life when Elena entered my orbit. She was working for her brother's civil engineering firm during the week and Active Endeavors on Sundays. It was through our early relationship that she provided experiences in nature that have kept me seeking a life that is spent outside and in nature as much as possible.
R: What do you wish Iowans knew or valued about our parks and lands?
A: I wish they knew that there is beauty beyond the mountains and there is stillness on the dirt trails. Iowa has a ton of really beautiful trails to explore all over the state. Our friend Matt with Iowa Parklands has done an incredible job providing detailed overviews on his website that highlight some of Iowa's trail systems. We highly recommend checking it out!
And I'd be remiss without saying that I also wish more people would support groups such as our partner Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and others that lobby and fight to keep these spaces alive and thriving for us now and our future explorers. These spaces are so important for the wellbeing of our local ecosystem.
We hope this inspires you to check out The Side Garage's new (and beautiful) designs that support Iowa's parks, but, more importantly, we hope it inspires you to get outside, explore what Iowa has to offer, and seek out ways to support Iowa's parks and wildlife. To learn more about the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, check out their website here. You can find The Side Garage at Des Moines Mercantile, Stoked, REI, The Downtown Farmer's Market, Vintage & Made Fair, and their online store.