Our Story

How It Got Started:

We want to say thank to all of you our amazing customers! We couldn’t do it without you. Tailgating Central started in the fall of 2019 with three schools and with an online presence only.Several years later it has grown into ten plus schools, and a thriving store front location in Frisco. Tailgating Central came about when we discovered that the selection of college apparel for women was very limited in terms of something other than gender neutral t-shirts or sweatshirts. After a spending a few years of working in brick and mortar for large retailers, I decided to take a leap of faith & start Tailgating Central. It has been an amazing journey!

How It's Going:

As we have pivoted and changed to better meet the needs of our business and our customers we have been blessed with our growth. While we still carry officially licensed merchandise and college merchandise we have also expanded to team colors as well.

As of now, we carry 11 schools when we started we carried 3 schools! The schools we carry are : Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, LSU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, SMU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech. And we also carry a variety of team colors and game day spirit apparel, accessories and gifts.

We would invite you to shop with us online or at our flagship location at Painted Tree Marketplace in Frisco.

Founder and CEO

Tailgating Central

About Owner Katherine:

Katherine grew up in Richardson & after graduation from Texas Tech moved back to Richardson. I am a 3rd generation college sports junkie who eagerly anticipates the kickoff of Football Season and the hype of March Madness. Growing up in a family that loves to watch their school move the ball down the field or court while yelling at the TV or in the stands, floods my mind with so many wonderful memories! For me, four years of college marching band at Texas Tech only intensified my passion for sports. My parents are both entrepreneurs at heart and it did not take long for me to realize that I am as well. After trying my hand in the world of brick and mortar retail, I quickly realized that it was time for me to combine my passion for college sports and entrepreneurial DNA by launching my own brand.

When Katherine is not working she enjoys spending time with her family & amazing fiancé and planning a wedding, friends, traveling, working out at Orange Theory and volunteering at her church & participating in her local Junior League. Oh and watching endless amounts of college football in the fall! My favorite place to be is watching football & watching ESPN College Gameday every Saturday on my parents patio , or in Lubbock Texas in the fall #WreckEmTech!

This is the best job and hardest job I have ever had & all thanks to God for the way he has blessed me with this.

Katherine's Favorite Things:

Food: Strawberries

Lover Of: Coffee, Wine & Margaritas
Favorite Meal: Mexican Food
Vacation Spot: Cruising & NYC
Dessert: Plain Cheesecake

Favorite Movie: Father Of The Bride 1

Favorite Team: Texas Tech
Favorite TV Show: Friends & Blue Bloods

Bible Verse: Proverbs 3:5-6

Fun Facts About Katherine:

I have played the clarinet for 24 years and still play every week in my church orchestra.

My childhood dream was to be in the Goin Band From Raiderland. I got to live out that dream while I was at Tech best 4 years of my life!

I grew up in a sports loving family who knew it was God's way of preparing me to love sports as much as I do & taking my love of sports and retail and turning it into a job!

My parents owned a store when I was growing up and ever since the I dreamed of having a store since I was a kid. I absolutely love retail.

My favorite part of my job is "show season". I truly love getting to see each and every one of you during "show season".

I am getting married in 2026. So very thankful for my fiancé and his constant support, helping move fixtures, stores and so much more.

This is the best job I have ever had. At 35 years old I never would have dreamed of having my own business.

Give Katherine a follow on Instagram to keep up with her @katherinem1990

The Tailgate Team: The tailgate team consists of Katherine's parents, aunt, uncle, cousin, and my fiancé who helps in every way possible. They help with taking orders to the post office, moving fixtures at stores, moving in and out of pop up shops, fulfilling orders, going to our stores to pull for your orders & so much more. They are also my cheerleaders and my constant support without them none of this would be possible. Chances are when you open an order one of them has helped get your order ready in some way.

Thank you for supporting our small business it truly is a family business and without our amazing customers we couldn't do this. You all are truly the best!

"It takes a village & I am thankful for this village." Katherine