Hundreds braved a chilly and rainy morning to line up for the grand opening of Rhoback’s first-ever brick-and-mortar store this past Saturday in Charlottesville’s Barracks Road Shopping Center.
The turnout was a testament to the popularity of the activewear brand but also the hometown advantage Rhoback has in Hooville.
Rhoback was founded in 2016 by Matt and Kristina Loftus, University of Virginia Darden School of Business graduates, in collaboration with friend Kevin Hubbard, who was based in Washington, D.C., at the time.
Since its founding, Rhoback has been online-only. But Saturday changed that.
Speaking with The Daily Progress at the grand opening, Hubbard said the hundreds-strong crowd wasn’t shocking but it was reassuring.
“I think there were over 50 people here at 4:30 a.m. which is wild. So it just shows really the amazing support we’ve had from this community, and we are beyond grateful,” Hubbard said.
The decision to open its first physical location in Charlottesville, a city with a population of just more than 46,000, was a "no-brainer," Hubbard said.
It wasn’t about the population and customer pool, Kristina Loftus said, but about the pride and proximity.
“We wanted it to be in our backyard. We wanted to be close to it. We wanted to meet our customers and the community that has supported us since the very beginning, and we just thought it was the best place to start,” she told The Daily Progress.
She said she and the other owners started to talk about opening a brick-and-mortar location at the start of the year, but they didn’t begin putting pen to paper until June.
“It was our amazing team that made it happen, and how quickly and efficient they were to get operations going and the build out and the lease negotiations,” she said.
Rhoback has opened at 2124 Barracks Road, a 1,200-square-foot space that was the previous home of Start 2 Finish Nutrition.
Now with its first real storefront, Rhoback has no intention of slowing down.
Matt Loftus said he plans to open more brick-and-mortar locations.
“We’re making strides and hopefully growing it from here. This is our first store. Hopefully, if this is successful, we can, we can grow from there,” he told the Daily Progress.
The Loftuses and Hubbard said they are eyeing Richmond, as well as Houston and Dallas, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio.
“Up until this year, we’ve been almost, almost 100% just website sales,” Hubbard said. “We’re opening up wholesale, so getting into golf clubs and some specialty retail stores. That’s a big change — selling in person.”
The owners know they face stiffer competition in those larger markets, but Rhoback’s quality will set it apart from other brands.
“We spend so much time on our fabric and making sure it’s the highest-quality product on the market. So we believe once we get it in the hands of our community and our customers, that people will be really excited to learn about the brand,” Hubbard said.
Rhoback’s short-sleeve polo shirts, one of its bestsellers, retails for around $98 and a pair of women’s high-rise leggings costs $94.
Rhoback’s new store is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com