The flip side

Imagine smelling the sweet scent of coconut. You hear laid-back music. You see palm trees. And sandals everywhere.

You’re not on vacation yet, but this is a good place to stop before leaving town.
This is the atmosphere of the new Flip Flop Shops store at Perkins Rowe.

Owner Gene Rogers, who has a franchise location in Lafayette, too, says the idea for the store came from a woman who broke her sandal in Las Vegas and couldn’t find a place to buy a new pair.

With the motto “Free Your Toes,” the company prides itself on a laid-back experience. Shops up North sell “side-walk surfers” year-round as a warmer closed-toe shoe with a flip-flop bottom.

Rogers says local customers frequently come in preparing for a cruise or vacation. He lives like it is summer all year long.

“I’m always wearing flip flops, shorts and a t-shirt,” he says. “So I thought, ‘I’ve got to give this a go.'” flipflopshops.com