THE RAD APARTMENT SERIES: FLOORPLAY SOCKS
A few weeks back on the popular Queen St W, we met Janet Wright, the Chief Sock Executive of FloorPlay. Janet told Rad + Raw right off the bat “when you wear a really nice shoe and a crappy sock, you’re not going to get the benefits of your shoe” and we no doubt believe her. Janet explained how after 6 months of opening FloorPlay Socks she thought she would go bankrupt. Instead in that time, she paid back every single loan out to start the business and was looking for her second site. Janet & FloorPlay Socks currently have 3 stores and a ‘ pretty successful online business’ is how she described it. Floorplay socks went from a “ let’s see what happens” to a “ multi-million dollar business”….really quickly. FloorPlay Socks now sell hundreds and thousands of socks a year.
Janet also spoke about the time where a good laugh turned into a major %.“ The first company I went to, I told them that I am going to be their #1 Canadian retailer. They laughed at me. Now, we have over 50% of the Canadian market” Of course hinting at the name Janet & FloorPlay Socks only really sells socks but her philosophy is “ We only carry good brands. We have had brands come and go but if you came back in 3 months and wore them once with a hole in them, I’m taking them back. Customer service is the most important thing in our company” All of Janet’s staff are trained and not just in the sock game but in the fibers and why you need a good sock vs a cheap sock. Though we had to ask when our rad gents come into FloorPlay Socks, what is the first thing they gravitate to, is it the fan fav Babsocks? “ Our target market isn’t necessarily 100% what our customer market is. Our target market is the guys from 20-45, who work in corporate America, wearing suits every day. It’s switching now, ties are being replaced by socks. The man who was wearing a suit everyday is picky about his tie, doesn’t really care about his tie anymore ( generalizing) Men want to pull up their pants and show their socks. We service anyone who wants really great socks”
“Men are also gravitating to FloorPlay Socks for their weddings” We actually had a guy in here today, with a 16 foot and sourced him out a specialized sock,” says Janet “ The brighter the better, or our customers customize each sock to their personality. Maybe you have a groomsman that is into hockey – you get him a Babsock or a groomsman that is an accountant – you get him a money sock. We always remind them of fathers and sons too. Get them socks”.
Speaking of getting others a pair of socks. Now I bet you want to see their socks so you can Tom Cruise – Risky Business anywhere you go. You can check out the closest location to you HERE and make sure you follow their social by clicking their Twitter HERE and Instagram HERE
