By Abby Walton
Get Flasky began as a solution to Ashten Houpt’s problem. “It was the summer of 2012 and my friend and I were at a First Friday event. I commented to my friend about how expensive drinks were and she suggested I get a flask. So I went across the street and bought a plain, metal flask which looked really boring,” Houpt said. But what happened after that purchase has changed this Zionsville native’s life forever. “I went to Michael’s craft store and got some scrapbooking paper and covered my flask with it. Then when I was out, I started getting compliments and people began asking where I got it. When I said I made it, they asked if I would make them one,” she said. After she posted a few of her creations on Facebook and Instagram, Get Flasky was born.
For $25, people can pick a design for their flask, which Houpt, a student at Herron School of Art and Design, creates and then prints onto laminated vinyl. “I really want to work with local businesses, if possible, so we actually do our printing in Zionsville,” she said. What started out as making flasks for friends has turned into a business. Houpt’s creations are in 42 boutiques nationwide including local stores such as Delaney’s. “I love being able to go into a store and say, ‘My friend made that,’” Kate Ruddell, Houpt’s business partner said. Ruddell, who’s also a Zionsville native, graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Tourism and Event Planning. “I have more of a sales background and of course, Ashten is the creative one, so our partnership works,” she said.
And by ‘works,’ Ruddell means it’s growing quickly. Over the summer, Houpt went to Los Angeles and sold her flasks to different boutiques. She and Ruddell have also been to New York and Chicago, but their sights are now set on Las Vegas. “In February, we’re headed to Magic, which is the largest retail trade show in the United States. You actually have to apply and be chosen to attend,” Houpt said. At this show, buyers from large stores such as Urban Outfitters come to see what the fashion retail world has deemed “the next big thing.” Houpt said that although being considered an up-and-coming business is amazing, Get Flasky’s main goal is to work with and create collaborative partnerships with other small, local businesses.
The ladies of Get Flasky want to not only expand their brand, but one day add sister brands such as Get Flasky shot glasses, Get Hoppy beer and Get Shady sunglasses. And if that isn’t enough, Houpt wants to create a bar on Indianapolis’s north side called, what else, Get Flasky. Houpt said she attributes her strong work ethic to parents. “I wouldn’t be able to do this without them and all the support I’ve received from people in the community,” she said. Just in their early 20s, Ruddell and Houpt have started a business that is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
