NEW BUSINESS: Rubber ducks migrate to Marblehead – Marblehead Current

Mandy Labraico, her wife Courtney and their daughter Sophia enjoy traveling in Europe. They love the winding cobblestone streets, old architecture, museums and, of course, the rubber duck shops. The Labraicos soon became rubber duck connoisseurs, and they decided to bring their own flock to Marblehead.

“It really just brought our family together and started this whole new tradition for us,” said Mandy. “Now every time we go, we need to find the duck store.”

They started to realize that while the idea was popular in Europe, it hadn’t caught on in America yet. It was a great opportunity for them to share their passion for rubber ducks with their own community. So they decided to open up their own rubber duck shop in Marblehead.

“We started seeing all of these duck stores popping up in every major city in Europe,” said Mandy. “We always bought some for ourselves, but then we thought that we should get in on this in America.”
The Wicked Ducks grand opening was Oct. 2, and now they are open for business on 27 Atlantic Ave. At Wicked Ducks, Mandy and Courtney sell rubber ducks of all shapes and sizes.

But these are not your typical rubber ducks. There’s no discrimination here, the ducks represent a diverse group of animals and characters. From the shark in “Jaws” to rabbis and Taylor Swift, it seems that Wicked Ducks has every single rubber duck imaginable. They are even collaborating with duck manufacturers to create ducks showcasing Marblehead spirit.

“We designed a Marblehead Magicians duck as well,” said Mandy. “Everyone worked together, even our daughter Sophia was involved in this.”

The Magicians duck will be ready for sale by the holiday season.

Ducks range in price from $8.99 to $25.99.

While a store specifically for rubber ducks may sound crazy to Americans, it’s very popular in many European cities. The rubber duck trend started in Amsterdam, and quickly spread out across Europe to cities like Venice, Paris, and London.

The Labraicos are focused on selling ducks that will be sustainably and naturally produced, with as few chemicals as possible.

“Right now we’re trying to move towards more sustainable ducks,” said Courtney. We carry an entire line of sustainable ducks, and a couple from other brands, but eventually we would like to have our own sustainable brand.”

They also plan to donating ducks for charity rubber duck races on the Charles River.

Mandy and Courtney think that this duck store will bring the Marblehead community together, and give people joy.

“I feel like Disney World is no longer the happiest place on earth,” said Mandy. “I think it’s the duck store.”

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