Rubber duck store crosses million-dollar-revenue mark with fowl gifts
New York — Since founding Quacker Gift Shop in 2005, Jennifer Brown and Steve Kudron get this question a lot: Is there money in selling rubber ducks?
Yes. So far, about a million dollars worth.
Their duck-themed shop — selling everything from a wedding greeting card to the ubiquitous rubber duckie — attracts customers of all ages, and Denver-area tourists, too. “How do you turn a $2 duck into a million-dollar business? It’s because you grab a hold of something people know and remember, and you leverage that,” said Kudron.
There’s plenty to leverage. Rubber ducks became popular in the 1970s after Ernie the Muppet from “Sesame Street” made the song “Rubber Duckie” famous.
In February, the company hit its first million dollars in sales. To keep the business afloat, Quacker Gift Shop runs duck races around the country, sells wholesale to other retailers, takes orders through its website (quackergiftshop.com). It also operates two Colorado stores — one in Englewood, next to its warehouse; and the other in Manitou Springs, which opened earlier this year. Last year, the company hired its first employee.
Brown, a former hedge-fund manager, was thrilled at the news their company had crossed over the million-dollar-revenue mark. But she refused to rest on her laurels.
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