Niche store that only sells a single item sees business booming for unusual reason

A bright-yellow store successful California has achieved much income than they ever could person imagined, contempt lone selling 1 niche point - artifact ducks.

Kwak, a whimsical spot astatine Pier 39 successful San Francisco that is considered 'the largest rubber duck store West of the Mississippi', rapidly turned profitable aft the owners, Joanne Calabrese and John Walton, opened its doors successful June 2023.

But what started connected a 'bit of a whim' morphed into a thriving concern - partially owed to the antithetic fanatic duck-swapping traditions of Jeep owners and cruisegoers, The San Francisco Standard reported.

'Within a month, I was similar "this is crazy,"' Calabrese told the outlet. 'I didn't cognize we could bash this overmuch business.'

Kwak offers astir 600 variations of rubber ducks, including holiday, Taylor Swift and Willie Nelson inspired toys.

Additionally, the store is filled with career-inspired ducks, sassy 'duck you' ducks, governmental ducks, ample ducks, tiny ducks and of course, classical bathtub ducks.

'We truly deed you successful the look with ducks erstwhile you locomotion successful and marque you laughter immediately,' Calabrese told the outlet. 

Their occurrence was unexpected and near 'folks agog', arsenic Walton phrased it.

'I mean, we can't judge it either,' helium added. 

One ecstatic antheral from Singapore walked retired of the store with 48 ducks - yet breaking the grounds for the largest buying spree ever preformed astatine Kwak.   

Just past year, Kwak sold a whopping 50,000 rubber ducks - much past they could've ever imagined from their impulsive thought that turned into reality. 

But it wasn't conscionable duck-lovers and tourists that led to the booming concern - it was a peculiar contented that happens to revolve astir the usage of a rubber duck. 

Jeep owners 'duck' strangers' cars, mysteriously leaving the artifact connected the vehicle's windshield oregon broadside mirrors.

The aforesaid contented goes for vacationers connected cruises, who fell rubber ducks for each different astir the vessel - making it a extremity to find them earlier returning backmost location from sea.

The tradition, which has taken disconnected connected Facebook successful caller years, garnered wide attraction for being a silly and innocently mischievous game. 

Calabrese and Walton's distinctive thought for the tiny concern emerged aft they had talked astir utilizing their decades of retail acquisition to unfastened their ain store successful the sunny streets of San Fran.

The business-savvy duo had formally worked alongside each different astatine Gap. 

Although the brace spoke astir the anticipation for years, the conception lone began to snowball into thing much erstwhile Calabrese cold-emailed the leasing enforcement of Pier 39 - asking if the country had immoderate disposable short-term rental spaces.

And of course, she pitched their wacky idea. 

Its silly conception chosen retired of impulse meant thing to the owners earlier launching their store - they had nary peculiar feelings oregon passionateness for the child's bath toy. 

Nevertheless, they began stocking up connected ducks earlier they adjacent signed the lease.

The brace were granted a six-month pop-up shop, but the overwhelming involvement made them recognize that their store had imaginable - and staying power.

Within the archetypal 12-months of operation, the brace began achieving profitability - indicating a six-figure revenue. 

Now 18 months in, they're moving with their landlord to unafraid a two-year hold connected the colorful abstraction arsenic they person go palmy capable to prosecute and wage respective employees to assistance out.

Kwak brings successful caller styles each six to 8 weeks - regularly phasing retired their ducks that don't person arsenic overmuch attention, including their 'princess fairy' duck, and replacing them with different benignant to try.

Most of the shop's ducks outgo anyplace from $10 to $12, but 'higher-end' ducks are $20 and larger pop-culture items by CelebriDucks - a California marque - spell for $24.

Recently, Kwak has expanded to selling accessories for the adorable yellowish bird, including beanies, bucket hates and umbrellas.

But the accepted ducks stay the store's bestseller by a agelong shot, including spa ducks, clown ducks and ghost-face ducks - each of which being immoderate of the shoppers favorites. 

The duo's fast-track occurrence has precocious led to collaborating with an enactment successful regards to what the process of franchising the store would look like.

While determination are a fistful of different duck-dedicated shops crossed the United States, Walton inactive believes that the conception is an 'underserved market'.

'Our adjacent measurement is looking for ways to grow it,' helium said. 'Part of that is evidently the bottommost line, but it's besides conscionable fun.'

'Both Joanne and I person had precise superior retail jobs that were tough, and the happening astir this is that it's conscionable joyous.'

And arsenic 1 does successful modern times, Kwak's duck inventory is disposable online. But that takes distant the wide in-store acquisition that drives concern up the wall.

Customers are ever coming successful with groups and household - taking turns picking which duck champion represents each person. 

'It's astir however you consciousness erstwhile you locomotion in,' Calabrese said. 'It's wholly silly, but we're having the astir amusive ever.'