Shady Rays is opening its first Florida store and ninth location nationwide at St. Johns Town Center, with the grand opening set for Friday morning at 9:40 a.m. The Kentucky-founded sunglasses brand is skipping a traditional ribbon-cutting in favor of a celebration built around local groups, including a youth fishing program it plans to support with a cash donation.
The new store sits at 10281 Midtown Parkway, Unit 197, next to Great American Cookies and Marble Slab Creamery in the traffic circle around Maggiano's Little Italy. The storefront occupies roughly 907 square feet, according to a permit the City of Jacksonville issued in July, first reported by the Jacksonville Daily Record. Dean Builds Inc. of Lexington, Kentucky, served as contractor on the $409,699 build-out, per the same report.
As part of the opening-day festivities, the first 50 customers who arrive in-store at 10 a.m. will receive a free mystery pair of sunglasses, according to a Nov. 10 news release. Members of Kids4Reel, the Flagler Sportfishing Club, the Flagler County Education Foundation and area schools are expected to attend the celebration, and Shady Rays will donate $2,500 to Kids4Reel, a youth fishing program.
The $2,500 donation will support Kids4Reel, a youth fishing program.
A Kentucky Brand With Deep Roots in the Outdoors
A Kentucky Brand With Deep Roots in the Outdoors Shady Rays founder and CEO Chris Ratterman started the company after graduating from Indiana University Southeast. The company was shipping orders in 2013 and makes durable polarized sunglasses built for high visibility.
The company's store list includes nine locations across seven states, including Jacksonville, its first Florida location.
From Warehouse Expansion to Storefront Growth
From Warehouse Expansion to Storefront Growth The retail push follows the 2018 grand opening of Shady Rays' 75,000-square-foot corporate headquarters in Simpsonville Commons, Kentucky, where Ratterman and his brother cut the ribbon.
Shady Rays offers polarized sunglasses, with prescription sunglasses available on select styles in the United States. The brand describes its products as built for adventure and backed by its lost and broken program.
The company’s “Lost & Broken” promise has specific limits: its current U.S. policy requires a processing fee and allows up to two replacements per item within 24 months of purchase. The idea grew out of founder Chris Ratterman’s own experience losing or breaking sunglasses. Ratterman started developing the business after graduating from Indiana University Southeast; in its early days, his father helped process and ship orders.
