WILMINGTON -- Freakers USA, a small business founded in Wilmington, has started production on a sock line, Freaker Feet.
The company was able to move forward with plans for expansion after a campaign started on Kickstarter, a crowd funding website, reached its $250,000 goal earlier this week. About 5,000 people contributed to the campaign.
Lauren Krakauskas, Freaker USA’s co-founder said: "It's all just individual, small donations to get a project off the ground and so it was beautiful."
Edge of Urge, a Wilmington store that sells mainly local products, is Freaker USA’s exclusive retail partner. Christa Pun-Chuen, a sales associate at Edge of Urge, said she was excited about the new line.
"Pretty much, 90 percent of our customers purchase a Freaker every day, so they're very popular,” Pun-Chuen said, "People like that it's from Wilmington and they're USA made."
Krakauskas said a big part of the company’s mission is to create a product made in North Carolina because many American manufacturers have moved production offshore. Eight in-state businesses are helping get Freaker Feet off the ground. Freaker products are designed in Wilmington and manufactured outside of Charlotte. The cotton used is sourced domestically.
"For something that's domestically manufactured, sourced, and made, you're helping little families, your neighbors, your communities,” said Krakauskas.
The sock line is starting with 127 designs and should be available in stores in May or June 2015.