Netshops USA LLC attracts crowd during grand opening
A steady crowd flowed through Netshops USA LLC, a business in Matlacha, last week during the grand opening, checking out the merchandise, listening to music and watching an artist in action.
“It started at 9 a.m. and it’s been pretty steady,” Jan Sheen, owner of Netshops USA, said of the customer traffic.
Roy Sheen, also an owner, said they were very busy all day long.
“We have done real well,” he said, adding that they had a really good response from the community during the grand opening.
Scott Hickman of Seascapes By Scott had a tent set up outside of Netshops USA LLC last week during the grand opening to showcase some of his sandal art. He said he began painting flip-flops three years ago on plywood, metal and fiberglass.
The idea behind creating different sceneries on flip-flops started after a friend asked him to make someone a flip-flop for their birthday.
Netshops USA LLC is the only location on the island that sells Hickman’s creations, which can be personalized for an individual.
The part he enjoys the most is “the smile on people’s faces when they see the finished project.”
Mark Northey also played music outside the shop during business hours last Wednesday. Cheese, crackers and cookies were offered as refreshments, as well as wine and beer.
The shop has two sides – one that is mostly an art gallery and the other featuring mostly clothing and jewelry.
“The whole thing we are trying to do is be affordable,” Roy said. “We want people to come back because we are an affordable shop.”
Jan said she did a lot of T-shirt transfers during the grand opening. She said she can take a photograph and transfer it onto a T-shirt for someone if they chose.
In addition, the shop also has health items, pepper spray and stun guns, E-Cigs, as well as other small gift items for individuals to purchase.
Roy said they wanted to create something totally different from everywhere else on the island with unheard of prices.
“I want to target locals and snowbirds because they are the lifeblood of this business,” he said.