Photograph courtesy of Christian Walter
With the arrival of warm weather, Missouri’s first Flip Flop Shops (Upper Level West County Center, 314-909-4994) has also arrived. The store, which opened on May 23, stocks around 1,800 pairs of flip flops from brands like REEF, SANÜK, OluKai, Cobian, Quiksilver, ROXY, havaianas, Teva, and Cushe, among others.
The store offers 1,000 square feet of flip flops and sandals for men, women, and children. It also carries a range of flip flops with built-in support and men’s shoes up to size 17.
The franchise is owned by Christian and Beth Walter, who came across the company during Christian Walter’s hunt for flip flops last year. The Walters bring almost a decade of retail experience to this new endeavor. In addition to their St. Louis location, the couple also hopes to open locations in Kansas City and Omaha in the next year.
When asked about their plan for selling flip flops during a cold Missouri winter, Christian Walter replied, “Our business model is for areas with four seasons. Mall traffic is highest in December, so we are predicting it might be the best month for us.”
“People still go on vacation, travel, and buy gifts during the winter,” he added. “But all of our flip-flop brands make closed-toed shoes as well.”
Flip Flop Shops was founded in Boston in 2004. The company currently has almost 90 locations in North America and the Caribbean, with more than 100 new locations in the works. Stores will be opening soon in Columbia and Springfield, Mo., as well.
West County Center’s Flip Flop Shops will be holding an official grand opening sale June 6 through 9. Stop in during mall hours for a discount of 10 percent on everything in the store.
