Michael Vaughn

Buford, GA (USA)
Role(s):
Founder/Owner/Principal

FutureRetro, LLC

Find More Startups Startup
Location: Buford
Industry: Retail/Clothing
Year Founded: 2018
Number Employees: 1-10 people
Business Stage: Growth (not profitable)
Entity Type: Limited Liability Company
Description: FutureRetro started out as a little idea that quickly grew into something we could not only dream about but visualize happening. On the surface our concept seems pretty basic. We’re a sneaker shop. We sell shoes. But that’s not all there is to it. It’s more than putting cool shoes on your feet. It’s more than socks, and hats and laces. Anyone can sell you shoes. We know and understand that. FutureRetro offers a unique shopping environment with fresh, premium lifestyle sneaker brands. We have brands you won’t find at the mall. We don’t want to be the mall. They’re all the same. We want to be different. At FutureRetro we want to, and believe we can, exceed your shopping expectation . We want your shopping experience to be memorable. More warm and inviting. Not sterile and boring. Your shopping adventure, even with kids (big or little) shouldn’t feel like a chore. We want your investment with us to last well beyond the counter. Hang out. Play one of our video games. They’re free. Sit in our soft theatre seats and catch up with a friend. Watch a game or movie on one of our tv’s and just chill. Try on shoes while your kids play foosball or ride the rip stick in the store. Our vision includes bringing back the nostalgia of shopping days gone by. And not just through our vintage and 80’s themed décor. (Think Neon, eventually) Many of the styles of the 80’s and 90’s are making a comeback or being re-released by manufacturers. Beyond that, want you here even when you’re not shopping. We have live dj’s, ice cream parties, board game nights, movie viewing parties where you can just come and be entertained and enjoy your family, spouse, friends. We want your teenagers in here using our free wifi to study and hang out in an environment that’s cool and exciting. I mean, we have reading material in here. They’re comics, but still, words printed on paper. We are focused on our local community and creating a cool place to hang out and shop without having to go to the “Big City” or traveling long distances. When you and your family walk into our store you’ll hear 80’s music. Depending on who is working it could be Def Leppard, Madonna, Prince, Michael, New Edition, DeBarge, Whitney, pick one. We could have a live dj or pick a 90’s boy bands to rock that day. We’ll probably have The Smurfs or Scooby Doo on the tv’s. He-Man, G.I Joe, Transformers, Jem and the Holograms. You see where this is going. Our arcade provides you entertainment with Donkey Kong, Galaga, Frogger and more. A real 80’s kids dream. You loved it then and your kids will love it now. We’ve seen it happen. Well, we finished dreaming, we hired a professional to help with our business plan. We worked it. Did our research and then headed to the big, scary place with all the money, The Bank. They all said “That’s amazing! What a cool concept! I want to shop there!” They also said “No”. That left us with only one option. Self-fund. So, we pulled our own money from various places and off we went. We secured a great location. Attended shoe markets, spoke with everyone imaginable. Built this, hung that, ordered all of things and opened the doors. It was a great day. Magical. Rewarding and, by all accounts, successful. We’ve had lots of well attended, exciting events but something is missing. People don’t know who, or how awesome, we are. Unless we are hosting an event our visibility is low. That’s a problem and we want to fix that. We are now in a position where we have immediate financial needs. With your investment we will continue to create and establish our advertising and marketing plan that is already in motion. We need to cover our operating expenses until we gain traction in the local community and our advertising dollars start to generate more influence. In addition, our space is quite large and per the recommendations of professional merchandisers we have too much dead space. We would like to continue to fill out our “lounge area” by completing some small projects such as the wi-fi bar and art work to complete our retro look. Finally, were on the edge of establishing some big-name accounts with well-known shoe companies. Most require minimum orders and more longevity to establish an account. ( We currently have accounts with Saucony, Vionic, Asics, Tretorn, People Footwear (Canada) and Munich Shoes (Spain) just to name a few.