SwitchFlops creator Lindsay Phillips comes to Beadcage in Columbus on June 17

Lindsay Phillips jokes that it’s taken her nine years to become what some people call “an overnight success.”

Phillips, 25, is the creator of SwitchFlops and the owner of the company that makes flip flop-like shoes with colorful straps and buttons that can easily be switched out for different looks. The shoe line includes kitten heels, ballet flats and espadrilles.

She will present her shoes at a trunk show from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday at the Beadcage, 6401 Whitesville Road.

Phillips said her business was launched thanks to a high school art project.

She made ceramic shoes with Florida-themed buttons on them. Her parents, Liz and Paul, prominently displayed the shoes in their home.

Family friends would visit and ask where they could buy the shoes.

“After the 10th person, I thought there might be something there,” Phillips said.

So she bought cheap flip flops and got a glue gun.

“The buttons wouldn’t stay put,” she said. “So I started using Velcro and gluing the buttons on the Velcro. That was my organic ah-ha moment.”

She started making prototypes for her family to wear.

“Everyone loved them.”

And to change out the straps for the flip flops, she used different colored “gems” and flowers and buttons so that one pair of shoes could several outfits.

Phillips said she researched the patent office’s archives to make sure no one else was making anything like her SwitchFlops.

And Phillips came up with the slogan for her fledgling business: “Change your look, not your sole.”

She applied for a patent while still in high school. Four years later, she had the patent for SwitchFlops.

While waiting for the patent, she went to Rollins College in Winter Park and graduated with a degree in art history.

The challenges begin

Phillips had the idea, now she had to manufacture the SwitchFlops.

“I really need to make this happen,” she told herself and her parents.

She tried to meet with American shoe manufacturers before heading overseas.

“That was the most challenging step along the way,” she said.

None of the American companies wanted to talk to her.

Undiscouraged, she decided to take out a loan and go to China.

“I went on a plane to China to find a factory,” she said. “My mom went along with me. I had to find a translator.

“I knew this (SwitchFlops) was going to be big. I had to be persistent. I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.”

She found a translator and factory and placed her first order for 5,000 SwitchFlops.

When she got home, she was horrified at the thought of having to store 5,000 pairs of shoes.

Phillips and her mom rented a storage unit which became their first “warehouse.”

Selling SwitchFlops

In January of 2007, SwitchFlops was a bona fide business.

She went to her first show, the Surf Expo in Orlando. A couple of local gift shops wanted to carry her line.

Uh, oh, she thought. How was she supposed to get the shoes to the retailers?

“I didn’t know how to ship,” she said. “This has been quite a learning experience for me. I could have gotten an MBA 10 times over.”

Two years ago, as the business was taking off, Phillips decided she needed help. So she turned to her mother, who had been with her from the beginning, and asked her to join the company. That allowed Phillips to finish college.

“Yes, they (her parents) are definitely proud of me,” Phillips said. They’ve been very supportive. Who has parents who listen to a high school student and go along with her dream? And they’ve been helpful. I feel blessed.”

Visiting the retailers

With 4,000 stores nationwide selling her products, it’s impossible for her to visit every one of them. But she visits at least 15 stores a year.

She rewards the top sellers by holding trunk shows letting store owners and customers see new merchandise.

Phillips will be at The Beadcage Thursday.

“I love going to events,” Phillips said. “When I go to my destination stores, I bring my whole line. I’ll take someone and dress them in the whole Lindsay Phillips experience.”

Paula J. Rosenberg owns The Beadcage, and has been carrying Phillips’ products for 2 1/2 years.

“I saw the SwitchFlops at the International Gift Market in Atlanta,” Rosenberg said. “I didn’t meet her. She had just left. I was really reluctant to get them because I’m not a shoe store. But I thought, all my customers wear shoes. I figured it might work. I didn’t buy too many, but I sold out the first week.”

Rosenberg thinks the weak economy has helped her sell SwitchFlops and other merchandise. She said people like a good deal. And with SwitchFlops, you buy the shoe, and then add the accessories.

She travels a lot, and she usually takes two pairs of Phillips’ shoes. And then packs eight straps so she can go from a casual look to a fancier one.

In the Columbus area, who is buying SwitchFlops?

“I thought it would appeal to younger people,” Rosenberg said. “But I have not noticed an age. I have grandmothers, teenagers, moms, teachers buying them. It seems to hit pretty much everybody who likes flip flops.”

What’s new and what’s next?

This year, Phillips added children’s shoes, scarves and tote bags to her business.

All of her products feature “color and unexpected styles, and are flirty and fun.”

The fall line will have new colors and the bags will be smaller.

The Lindsay “brand” will eventually include clothing that Phillips will design.

“I’m going to start with more accessories,” she said. “Accessories are what makes an outfit. And that’s what makes me stand out.”