Footwear Insight

6 • Footwear Insight ~ March/April 2018 footwearinsight.com THE FOOTWEAR EYE Clockwise from left : Everyday California's Michael Samer and Chris Lynch; Lynch kayaking; the brand's headwear styles. By Bob McGee C hris Lynch was facing a bleak job market when he graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in economics during the 2008 recession. He contemplated a career in finance like his dad and subsequently dabbled in acting before he got a call from a former col- lege associate, Michael Samer, about a business opportunity. A La Jolla, CA, man, whom they had both worked for earlier, was selling his kayaking permits. "It was either spend $200,000 to go to grad school or buy this permit and start our own company," remembers Lynch, adding the negoti- ated sale closed November 1, 2010. In a matter of days, Chris, 25, found himself living on the beach and being hands-on in a business with only a pick-up truck, a few kayaks, some old wetsuits, two cell phones and a storage unit. Fast forward eight years, that nascent business has evolved into Everyday California, an outdoor lifestyle and adventure brand partly owned by Cherokee. Lynch and Samer are working closely with the publicly-traded company on a long-term, wholesale strategy for the brand while also craft- ing a strategy for Everyday California's retail and online segment that includes quadrupling e-commerce revenues and potentially opening a store inside the San Diego International Airport. According to a public filing, Cherokee paid $1 million cash for the brand and related trademarks in May 2015, with $600,000 in potential earn outs over two fiscal years if sales targets were met. "We have a symbiotic relationship with Cherokee, working hand in hand," says Lynch, adding the mass market and wholesaling are not two segments he and Samer wanted to focus on immediately. Instead, the business partners and former classmates are intent on building the brand's awareness, online revenues and brick-and-mortar presence via destination locations, all while drawing inspiration from the likes of Patagonia and Life is Good. Everyday California sells its headwear, T-shirt and sandal range from a 560-square-foot flagship store at La Jolla Shores that debuted in May 2011. Last October, the company opened a test Amazon store where only legacy products are available. The Brazil- sourced sandals are described as mid-priced, less expensive than Olukai, that target the 24- to 35-year old demographic. The footwear is pres- ently distributed in 60 Flip Flop Shops, whose trademark and brand name were acquired by Cherokee in October 2015, alongside about a dozen other brands, including Birkenstock, Cobian, Flojos, Roxy and Sanuk. A kids' line will be key design focus in 2018. "50,000 people come through our door and go out with us on the water, whether it's a kayak, paddleboard or surfboard. After their experience, they come back through the store to bring part of that experience home with them," says Lynch. Across the street in La Jolla is The Treehouse, the brand's corporate headquarters that will have 75 employees on the payroll by June. The staff already includes directors of sales and opera- tions, a graphic designer, a photographer and a full-time staffer focused on fulfillment, inven- tory management and manufacturing. As part of its giveback mission, Everyday California has partnered with both OnePercentforthePlanet, where corporate donations are earmarked for the environment, and Green Ways, a company that uses kelp forests to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. O Everyday California Dreamin' LIFESTYLE BRAND "50,000 people come through our door and go out with us on the water, whether it's a kayak, paddleboard or surfboard. After their experience, they come back through the store to bring part of that experience home with them."

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