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 News from Around Banderas Bay | February 2006 
Crocs in Vallarta?
 Bob Cohen - PVNN
| | Hop on a boat, stroll on the beach, or walk to a meeting, CROCS are the most comfortable and versatile shoes you'll ever own. | 
| | Puerto Vallarta Crocs Profit Center Manager, Brenda Retzlaff shows off the merchandise at V. Carranza #491, the first Crocs store to open in PV. |
Puerto Vallarta - Crocs in Vallarta? You bet! This week, a group of Puerto Vallarta residents were invited to a Crocs party at a great new restaurant in town; Joe Jack's Fish Shack.
First of all, just what are Crocs? They're shoes, comfortable shoes, shoes that are perfect for our Puerto Vallarta climate, whether it is dry and dusty or hot and rainy. Actually, they're ugly shoes, so ugly that they've become the hippest thing to wear on your feet.
Crocs are the newest beachwear phenomenon to hit the market, starting out in Boulder, Colorado just three year ago. They look cheap, they look gaudy, they come in 20 different colors - but stores in the U.S. cannot keep them on their shelves. They are made from a material called Croslite, which is neither plastic nor rubber.
Why is this news? A new franchise just opened in Puerto Vallarta at V. Carranza #491, between Jacarenderas and Naranjo, just across the street from El Brujo Restaurant.
A second store will be opening in Puerto Vallarta sometime during the next 3-4 weeks at Allende #103, next to the popular Tenis clothing store, just a block up from the Malecon. Other Crocs franchises are in the planning stages and soon stores will be opening throughout Mexico.
Brenda Retzlaff, a five-year resident of PV, was named the Profit Center Manager in Puerto Vallarta, but in the meantime, she will be exclusively managing the first store until more begin to open.
As the guests arrived, we were asked what size shoe we wear and were greeted with a pair of our very own Crocs as a gift. Joe Jack's Fish Shack, located on Basilio Badillo #212, supplied some terrific food and drink to all of the guests, who strutted around on the second floor of the restaurant showing off their new footwear.
I was given a traditional, conservative black pair, while the lucky women were given pink, orange, blue, green and yellow shoes. They have holes on top and on the side, a strap in back and are made of a material that is microbial, which means that they are resistant to the foot odor that all of our sandals and shoes tend to have.
The company went public last week as an IPO (Initial Public Offering) on the NASDAQ stock exchange and was set to open at $20 a share with the symbol being CROX. Only those individuals that had the underwriters on their side ever saw that price. They zoomed to $30 a share in the first day of trading.
There is already a Top Ten list for "Why you gotta have 'em"
1. Really soft, super comfortable, molds to your feet
2. Barely there, weighing only six ounces
3. Vented so air passes through, keeping feet cool
4. Non-marking, slip resistant soles
5. Bacteria and odor resistant
6. Ultra-hip Italian styling
7. Port holes allow water and sand to pass through
8. Can be sterilized in water and bleach
9. Easy maintenance, just wipe clean
10. Orthotic molded foot bed for ultimate comfort and support
The cost for these fabulous shoes will be $350 pesos, the same price they go for in the United States - even though they are far more popular in our tropical climate. The only thing added on will be the IVA tax to import them.
I gave my new shoes their first "test drive" by walking home on the cobblestone streets - and they passed with flying colors! So, I got a pair of cool new shoes, ate at a new restaurant and made some new friends... not a bad day in paradise.
For more information about the product and company, visit the Crocs website at www.crocs.com or go visit Brenda and try a pair on; you don't even have to wear socks while checking them out. |
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