The outdoorsy vibe of Colorado may not feel overly beachy, but thanks to Jaclyn and Graham Nessel, the Rocky Mountain State can get their beach lifestyle fix with the new Flip Flop Shops franchise they recently opened in Castle Rock.
A few years ago, the couple both decided that they needed to make career changes. Jaclyn had been working as an auditor for a small business administration department for a bank and Graham had worked as a car salesman. The Colorado-based husband-and-wife team recognized that they would enjoy starting their own business. The couple began looking into various franchise options.
“We needed to find the right opportunity and the right timing,” Graham explains.
Last year, the Nessels came across Flip Flop Shops when looking into franchise opportunities and liked the retailer’s business model. Graham adds that there weren’t any Flip Flop Shops near them just south of Denver in Castle Rock, Colorado.
“We realized there’s no major store around us to get all the major flip flop brands in one place,” says Jaclyn. “Colorado in general is very outdoorsy, and people wear flip flops here year-round.”
With a hole in the marketplace, the couple knew opening a Flip Flop Shops in Castle Rock could be a great opportunity for them. They became franchise owners and officially opened a Flip Flop Shops at an outlet mall in Castle Rock in mid-February. The storefront hosted a grand-opening celebration March 23.
Graham says the new storefront seems to stand out from other shops in the outlet mall, with its vibrant color scheme.
“We’re the only shop that’s very bright and very colorful,” he says. “We always have some beachy themed and lounge music playing in the background. It’s just a very different vibe from the stores around us.”
Although there aren’t any beaches close to the new Castle Rock shop, Graham says the new store will serve locals looking for apparel and accessories to take with them on their beach vacations.
“There aren’t any other beach apparel stores in the area!” he says. “That’s kind of one of the bigger selling points for us. Stores might have one or two things for people shopping for their beach vacations, but there’s nothing really dedicated to that.”
Jaclyn says the store features most flip flop brands carried at many Flip Flop Shops stores, such as OluKai, Reef, Hey Dude, Birkenstock, Oofos, Flojos and Rainbow. The retailer also offers Bearpaw boots to appeal to hikers in the area. Lotus and Luna apparel and accessories are also available at the store.
“It’s been very exciting, and we’re doing pretty well considering we’re new to the area,” Jaclyn adds.
Jaclyn and Graham say they hope to expand the store’s product offerings in the coming year to offer more beachy options to customers in and around the Denver area.
Flip Flop Shops currently has more than 55 franchise shops across North America and the Caribbean.
