Blog
ERIC FLORES May 31 2012
Tastemakers thought it apropos to run an interview on the co-owner of Backside, Eric Flores. After all, he did give us our own blog. I owe a lot to him. He’s provided countless opportunities to get my feet through doors, yet I’ve never given him proper shine. This was my chance.
After working with Backside for so many years, I understood how things work. There’s the seasonal buying, there’s the PR, there’s the signing of new accounts, there’s the online arm of the operation. But we wanted to know how Eric got to that point - how he became the face of two retail locations, and the guy that everyone in streetwear knows. So we spent a couple full days with him, not on an interviewer-interviewee level, but as colleagues, and more importantly, as friends.
And I’ll say this not because he is my friend, but because I really believe it - Eric made Backside what it is now. Prior to working in retail, all he knew was music. He worked for labels like Sony and Bad Boy, even managed artists riding the American Idol success wave, until he got fed up. He moved on to a more humble role and became a sales associate. By and large, Backside is a music store, and Eric arrived when music was transitioning to digital platforms and it needed to adapt. So he brought in fashion, and did it without experience. He did it by going to trade shows and collecting catalogs, by walking up and down Melrose Ave with his flip phone taking pictures of brands he thought would work, by turning the internet upside down to find contact information of sales reps, by bugging those reps until they gave him five minutes. The clothing aspect of the store started with three brands and now it’s up to 20+. Eric started on the floor and now he’s co-owner. He is testament to working hard, to learning by doing, to passion and patience.
It really was a pleasure to profile him in Tastemakers. Check it out HERE.
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