If you haven’t heard of Fred Flare, you’re missing out. This amazing website has a lot to offer- fun giftable items such as trendy accessories, terrific tees, genius jewelry, and more all for men and women. Luckily we got a great opportunity to poke the brains behind this fun site. Melissa and myself visited their flagship store in Brooklyn. You’ll see through the pictures below that they were in the process of putting together their Valentines day displays. This is definitely the place you’ll want to buy your loved one a gift. I’ll let you know now that the person receiving it will appreciate it because its not your typical Godiva chocolate box, Victoria Secret lingerie, and overpriced flowers! Ewwww, lets get creative people.
Many thanks to Jen and the team over at Fred Flare who welcomed us at the store!
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Tell us about Fred Flare. How did the initial concept start? Who started it, when, where, etc?
Chris Bick and Keith Carollo moved from Chicago to NYC and produced their very first product in 1998. They made a pad of disposable drink coasters that they sold off the back of a bike in SoHo. Over the past 10+ years the line has grown to include stationery, home decor, accessories and clothes!
Not many people know this, but the name "Fred Flare" is actually derived from Hollywood megatalent Fred Astaire. Chris and Keith always believed that great design should be as fun and entertaining as an old musical or a modern music video. Fred Flare is meant to reflect this idea with a sparkling pop presentation of all of their favorite things!
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Fred flare is influenced by pop culture and kitschy cuteness! We like to sell the must haves that you didn't even know you needed! It's really hard to choose, but we try to do a little trendcasting and hope for the best! We seem to be doing something right! And our customers are never shy, so they always let us know what's on their radar.
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Chris, We're so glad to have met you at the store. You have such great energy. How do you find that important in life? And how do you find that a key quality as a representative of the FF?
Thanks for noticing! it's kind of my thing... With out all this energy, I don't know where we would be! There's always so much to do and the entire fred flare staff wears tons of different hats. You gotta be on your toes to keep up with all the cute fashion out there and since we are web based, we have to keep on top of the ever changing tech world. Balancing everything takes a lot of energy, luckily I have some to spare!
Keith and Chris, founders of Fred Flare!
Thanks for noticing! it's kind of my thing... With out all this energy, I don't know where we would be! There's always so much to do and the entire fred flare staff wears tons of different hats. You gotta be on your toes to keep up with all the cute fashion out there and since we are web based, we have to keep on top of the ever changing tech world. Balancing everything takes a lot of energy, luckily I have some to spare!
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Jen, Tell us a bit of how your typical day is like. We're definitely interested in the work day and environment at a fun company. Its too bad we missed you at the store.
Hmmm... That's an interesting question. A typical day? I don't think I've ever had a typical day! Ha ha ha. For me, as the General Manager, literally, every single day is different. I try to always start with a blog or two, then off to morning meeting, it's kind of like the fred flare homeroom. We all get to touch base on our day and then kind of give each other a pep talk! We pump up the jams, pick some orders and whistle while we work. In the summer, we have cook outs and in the winter we have pizza parties! Even though we do have A LOT of fun, we also work really super hard!
Jen, the wonderful GM at FF, here with Chris....drill bit and a deer, hmmm...interesting!
Hmmm... That's an interesting question. A typical day? I don't think I've ever had a typical day! Ha ha ha. For me, as the General Manager, literally, every single day is different. I try to always start with a blog or two, then off to morning meeting, it's kind of like the fred flare homeroom. We all get to touch base on our day and then kind of give each other a pep talk! We pump up the jams, pick some orders and whistle while we work. In the summer, we have cook outs and in the winter we have pizza parties! Even though we do have A LOT of fun, we also work really super hard!
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What is admirable about FF is that the site is more than a shop. It truly represents the nature of the upbeat company. The site has music, your blog, features, BFF's and of course your online shop. Why? Why the need to extend the site into other areas?
We think it's really important for our customers to know us, to see the behind the scenes and to really get an "experience". One thing I really love about our site is that you can turn up the Boombox while you're surfing the blog, see an outfit or an accessory on a celeb you really like and then jump over to the shop and find it. And don't forget about the contests! We have small contests like "what's your fave song" and then you win $25, we've even given away a wedding dress and an Ipod shuffle in the past; then you have HUGE contests like our annual NEXT BIG THING. The winner gets $1,000 and we introduce our customers to a whole heap of new crafters. We like to give our customers (also known as our besties) a well-rounded experience.
We think it's really important for our customers to know us, to see the behind the scenes and to really get an "experience". One thing I really love about our site is that you can turn up the Boombox while you're surfing the blog, see an outfit or an accessory on a celeb you really like and then jump over to the shop and find it. And don't forget about the contests! We have small contests like "what's your fave song" and then you win $25, we've even given away a wedding dress and an Ipod shuffle in the past; then you have HUGE contests like our annual NEXT BIG THING. The winner gets $1,000 and we introduce our customers to a whole heap of new crafters. We like to give our customers (also known as our besties) a well-rounded experience.
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Some readers might love the idea of being a BFF, how does one get chosen and what is the criteria to be one?
Most of the BFF's work here, but we do have some "Guest BFF's". The "Guest BFF's" have been around since the beginning of the blog, commenting on EVERYTHING and really participating in any events or contests we have on the blog. We're pretty open to making new "Guest BFF's" so I guess everyone should keep on commenting...
I've gotta say Fred Flare podcast rocks! It gets me through the day. Now what can we see in the future for the podcast?
Ooohh. The podcast. That's pretty up in the air. I don't think we have a definite plan for that just yet... We'll definitely keep coming up with great episodes!
We were lucky to stop in your flagship store in Brooklyn, do you have any plans on opening the store anywhere else in the US?
Only time will tell! We really love this store, so we're open to the idea.
Most of the BFF's work here, but we do have some "Guest BFF's". The "Guest BFF's" have been around since the beginning of the blog, commenting on EVERYTHING and really participating in any events or contests we have on the blog. We're pretty open to making new "Guest BFF's" so I guess everyone should keep on commenting...
I've gotta say Fred Flare podcast rocks! It gets me through the day. Now what can we see in the future for the podcast?
Ooohh. The podcast. That's pretty up in the air. I don't think we have a definite plan for that just yet... We'll definitely keep coming up with great episodes!
We were lucky to stop in your flagship store in Brooklyn, do you have any plans on opening the store anywhere else in the US?
Only time will tell! We really love this store, so we're open to the idea.
What new trends will we see in the future? Anything shocking and bold? Do you find yourself trend setters?
Well, as you know, we think CUTE is always in! We LOVE sunglasses and we'll definitely be stocked out with tons of great styles for the summer! In fact, we're gonna have tons of great EVERYTHING for the summer. Cute dresses, great jewelry and super fun home accessories. Trend setters?! Heck yes! We hope so.
How do you find all these cool brands?
We LOVE going to trade shows and checking out local vendors. We get emails and sample from all over the world; what ever moves us, we go for!
How do you stay away from like other stores...Urban Outfitters?
We really believe in fred flare! We love being cute and nice and super positive. We don't try to stay away from any store, fred flare just has everything we need, so it's the one stop shop!
Well, as you know, we think CUTE is always in! We LOVE sunglasses and we'll definitely be stocked out with tons of great styles for the summer! In fact, we're gonna have tons of great EVERYTHING for the summer. Cute dresses, great jewelry and super fun home accessories. Trend setters?! Heck yes! We hope so.
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We LOVE going to trade shows and checking out local vendors. We get emails and sample from all over the world; what ever moves us, we go for!
How do you stay away from like other stores...Urban Outfitters?
We really believe in fred flare! We love being cute and nice and super positive. We don't try to stay away from any store, fred flare just has everything we need, so it's the one stop shop!
as FF would say: Stay Cute! Please check out their site www.fredflare.com
Look out for more interviews here on, www.itsdesignrelated.com!
Look out for more interviews here on, www.itsdesignrelated.com!
*partial photos courtesy of Fred Flare.
