John’s Crazy Socks reached our 5th anniversary on December 9, 2021, and to celebrate, we hosted an Open House Party and Pop Up Shop on Saturday, December 11, 2021. If we were going to have a party, we wanted our supporters and customers to join in the fun. After all, they are the ones who make everything possible.
We threw the doors to our office and warehouse open, and hundreds of people came streaming in to join us. There was Santa, music, photos with John, games for kids (and adults too) and, of course, socks, socks, and more socks.
There were visitors from across Long Island and the New York metropolitan area. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone stopped by with his son to do a little Christmas shopping. State Senator Jim Gaughran, State Assemblyman Steve Stern and Suffolk County Legislator Tom Donnelly paid visits to enjoy the festivities and congratulate John.
Turning a Challenge into an Opportunity
All of this started in the fall of 2016 as John Cronin entered his last year of high school. He started looking around to see what he could do after finish school but did not see anything he liked. John is a natural entrepreneur: if he could not find a job he wanted, he would create one. He told his Dad, Mark X. Cronin, that he wanted to go int the business with him. Eventually, John said, “We should sell crazy socks.”
The father-son team set to work to test the dream. They would build a business with a mission to spread happiness. The pair started with 37 different sock styles that they could spread onto one table. From those decidedly humble beginnings, John’s Crazy Socks has grown into the World’s Largest Sock Store with more than 3,500 different socks.
John and Mark clearly love what they do and speak in unison saying, “We are just a couple of knuckleheads selling socks and all we want to do is change the world.”
Mark is quick to add, “We are able to do this because of the team that has joined us on this mission. We have the ideal strategic partner in the Rothstein Family and Gold Medal International. We are fortunate to work with great people committed to making a difference.”
Much to Celebrate
Only 50 percent of new businesses reach their fifth year, so the fact that John’s Crazy Socks has endured for the first five years, including a pandemic, is reason to celebrate. But there is so much more. John’s Crazy Socks is a social enterprise with a mission to spread happiness that has touched hundreds of thousands of people. Some of the achievements include:
- We have created 31 year-round jobs with 22 held by people with differing abilities.
- We have raised over $450,000 for our charity partners, including more than $100,000 for the Special Olympics.
- We have shipped 360,000 packages to 88 different counties.
- We have built a community with 240,000 Facebook followers and 60,000 Instagram followers.
- We have made customers happy evidenced by the 29,000 five star reviews.
- Standing up for people with differing abilities has led John and Mark to testify twice before the U.S. Congress and to speak at the United Nations.
We are so grateful for our customers. That’s why we held our Open House party and Pop Up Shop, to celebrate with the people who make this possible, our customers.
About John’s Crazy Socks
John’s Crazy Socks was inspired by John Lee Cronin, a young man with Down syndrome, and his love of colorful and fun socks—what he calls his “crazy socks.” He and his father, Mark X. Cronin, started the company as a social enterprise with a mission of Spreading Happiness™. They do this by offering socks people can love that allows an expression of one’s true self and by giving back, by creating jobs for people with differing abilities and by Spreading Happiness™.
For more information about John’s Crazy Socks, visit our webpage, Facebook page, Instagram account or YouTube channel. You can also contact us at 631-760-5625 or via email at service@johnscrazysocks.com.
