VIP Café Show – Youngstown, Ohio – Local Guests with Amazing Impact to Our Community
Friendships begin based on numerous circumstances. Many are created because of similar interests and hobbies. For example, being part of the same sports team or maybe being a member of the same academic club. Other friendships are formed based on proximity or what neighborhood you grew up in. Whatever the reason, having a good solid friendship is a wonderful thing.We believe Podcasts are very similar to friendships. They are many times created by a few people who have common interests and share a similar vision. They are generally formed to help “inform” others about a variety of topics and subject matter. The question many Podcasters ask themselves is….why me/us? With so many options to choose from as a listener, what makes one Podcast better than another? We believe it all begins with….a good host or pair of hosts! That is exactly how The VIP Café Show came to fruition. Two friends, Greg Smith and Brian Blasko had a conversation while enjoying a cigar on a cool crisp January evening and the rest as they say…is history.The VIP Café Show was created to inform, educate and entertain listeners from the great city of Youngstown, OH. Although The VIP Café Show listeners reach far beyond the Youngstown area, the primary focus of the show is to highlight local “Youngstowners” and to hear their story. The Podcast also dives into a variety of fascinating topics besides Youngstown. Greg and Brian love discussing leadership, public speaking, customer care, team building, and life in general. They are always fascinated by what makes people tick and how people became (or are becoming) the person they are today! The VIP Café Show is a fun and informative program that engages the audience with every interview, conversation, and dialog that transpires.
VIP Café Show – Youngstown, Ohio – Local Guests with Amazing Impact to Our Community
E32: VIP Café Show featuring Rick Blase from Rick's Factory Boot Outlet
https://www.twofreeboots.com/
Boot Factory Outlet
7336 Market Street
Youngstown, OH 44512
Phone: (330) 726-8436
Hours: Mon - Sat 10:00am to 9:00pm and Sun 11:00am to 6:00pm
RICK BLASE (courtesy of Business Journal)
It is fitting that when Rick Blase, owner of Rick’s Factory Boot Outlet, opened his business 44 years ago, he did so with hard work and a little cowboy bravado.
“I started it with 72 pairs of actual boots and 500 empty boxes,” Blase says, sitting in the office of his store in Boardman.
The year was 1978, and the 23-year-old Blase was a manager at Regal Shoes inside the Southern Park Mall. Having transferred to the area from Cleveland, the young Blase planned to stay a year and open a store.
“Do I want to go into footwear and get a really small piece of a really big pie, or do I want to get a really big piece of a smaller pie?” he asked himself.
Blase chose the latter, deciding his store would focus on boots, mainly of the cowboy variety. He saved the boxes of every pair of boots he sold at Regal and asked several friends in the business to do likewise.