Penfield entrepreneur knee-deep in business of socks

People are paying more attention to what they wear on their feet. And I’m not referring to shoes.

Jeff Rogers noticed people were turning away from plain old black or white socks and advertising funky sock patterns. An entrepreneur by nature, Rogers saw a business opportunity in trendy socks.

In March 2017, Rogers put Sockonality in motion. Sockonality sells custom socks, patterned socks and other “cool swag” for adults and children to wear.

“Sockonality started out with the idea of being able to express your personality through your sock,” says Rogers, president of Sockonality. “I wanted to create a positive brand with the ‘life is good’ mentality.”

On Sockonality’s apparel, customers will find Simon “Sox” McCoy—the company’s very own mascot—along with punny quotes like “Got Socks?” and “Let’s Have Sox!” According to the legend of Sox McCoy, he caught the attention of his high school crush and future wife with his jazzy socks. You never know what exciting possibilities lie ahead when you express your personality through the material that keeps your feet warm.

Rogers, a Penfield resident, notes that customers from all different backgrounds have been drawn to Sockonality. Though Sockonality does not aim at a single demographic, Rogers has found the company fits into a couple of niches.

“We have a lot of people coming to us for custom design socks,” he says. “Youth organizations, colleges, businesses and things like that are using socks as their branding.”

Many customers also seek Sockonality’s help creating custom photo socks, in which clients come to Rogers with a photo and ask that he print it on a pair of socks. Sockonality products can be purchased online and at local festivals such as the Brockport Arts Festival.

Rogers says he is proud to say that Sockonality’s merchandise is produced in the United States. Though it is often cheaper to outsource manufacturing to other countries, keeping the business on American soil is important to Rogers. In the future, he says he hopes to eventually handle production here in Rochester.

Sockonality is in the midst of expanding a new line of awareness socks. Socks designed to support organizations such as autism awareness and Alzheimer’s awareness have already been released, and Rogers is looking to spread awareness for other causes such as breast cancer. In addition to raising awareness for these groups, a percentage of the profits from the awareness socks are donated to the charities that the socks represent.

Rogers is no stranger to the small-business world. In fact, Sockonality is the fifth small business he has established.

“I like the freedom and flexibility that comes with owning my own business,” he says. “I also enjoy the challenge of building something.”

And growing Sockonality and expanding its breadth is what Rogers says he intends to do. He does not plan on letting Sockonality remain a local company; he is determined to turn the business into a national brand.

A well-practiced business owner, Rogers encourages other entrepreneurs to avoid waiting for a good time to start a business.

“There are lots of reasons to procrastinate, but entrepreneurs need to get started,” says Rogers. “There is never a perfect time to start a business, so just get on it.”

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Small Business is a biweekly feature focusing on entrepreneurs. Send suggestions for Small Business stories to reporter/editorial assistant Nicole Sheldon at [email protected].