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They Float
Kansas City Star, Nov 2, 2003
They come in happy colors such as pink and green. As shoes go, they’re kind of funny looking. But they are slip-resistant, mold to your feet like a sock and apparently are amazingly comfortable. Since Sept. 1, Mary Schrock, a stay-at-home mom in Leawood, has sold more than 250 pairs.
We’re talking Crocs, a new round-toe sandal in a jellylike closed-cell resin. About $30 a pair, they’re becoming, well, a foot fad.
Shrock, who is originally from Boulder, Colo., says she wore Birkenstock sandals 20 years ago and more recently has opted for sporty shoes like Teva sandals. But on a trip back home last summer, she discovered Crocs and has worn them every day since. “I just started telling my friends, and they started taking off,” she says.
They are especially appealing to people who spend considerable time on their feet, such as health-care workers and teachers. “I just had a call from a nurse at KU Med Center who ordered 40 pair,” Schrock says.
Lyndon Hanson, a partner in the Boulder-based business, says he and company founder George Boedecker knew they were on to something when they wore prototypes on a sailing trip in the Caribbean. “They were so comfortable. And everywhere we went people asked about them.”
They originally planned to market them in beach areas, but calls came from around the country after they introduced them a year ago at a boat show. Since the first of the year, the company has had a 1,200 percent increase in sales and picked up 200 dealers.
“They appeal to a 15-year-old kid because they’re funky and cool and a 70- year-old because they are comfortable,” he says. In January, the company will introduce a line geared to health-care workers.
Will they break the fashionistas dress code of stilettos and high boots? Probably not. But they are a hit with the foot patrol. Check out www.crocs.com.
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