The Flint, MI-based Tropi Tan salon chain is celebrating four decades of providing mid-Michigan with award-winning tanning facilities. As one of the country’s first tanning salons observes its 40th anniversary, Founder/IST Publisher, Vince Lorraine, reflects on the company’s history and success.
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Lorraine founded Tropi-Tan tanning salons in 1979 as a young college student. “I was about to graduate from high school and my mother and I were visiting colleges in California,” he recalls. “I had never heard of indoor tanning and happened to see a salon with people lined up to get in! I thought if they could sell sunshine in California, I could definitely do it in Michigan.” His entrepreneurial spirit kicked in and he opened a small facility in Flint.
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“When I opened my first salon in 1979, sunbeds and standups, and the combined UVA/UVB technology didn’t exist in the U.S.,” Lorraine recalled. “The only equipment available to offer was a booth that had eight UVB lamps – two in each corner – and people lined up to use them!” The initial concept was not perfect. “I had no idea how to market it,” Lorraine said. “The quick UVB booth sessions basically provided a kick-start for the tan someone would get on a sunny vacation, so getting repeat customers was a big challenge.”
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Things would soon turn around for Tropi Tan. “In 1981, I purchased my first stand-up system from HEX creator (the late) Joe Bommarito in Saginaw, MI,” Lorraine continued. “I bought my first two sunbeds that year – they had 20 lamps and wooden frames! Lines of people would stand outside my little salon at 8am on Mondays in ankle-deep snow to make appointments for the HEX and sunbeds. By 10am, the appointment book was full for the entire week. In 1983, I drove to Canada in a blizzard with my friend (and later, expert equipment tech) Stan Pope, to get two Sun Valley sunbeds. The border agents were very curious about the ‘tanning machines’ we were bringing back to the States. Tanners loved the new bed technology and it was hard to keep up with the demand … the Tan Biz had begun!”
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Lorraine operated his fledgling enterprise while pursuing a business degree at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, making a daily one-hour commute back to Flint. “I opened my second salon, then a third in 1984 … and I never looked back,” he said. Within a few years, he had built a chain of stores in Greater Flint that eventually grew to be Michigan’s largest and included a dozen franchisees.
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“I worked very hard to become an industry leader, and still look for ways to improve my business model.”
Vince Lorraine, Founder/IST Publisher
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With strategic and constant evolution of his successful business model, Lorraine met the industry’s challenges head-on. In 2002, the company underwent a re-branding to create a consistent, professional identity for all Tropi Tan salons, which feature custom-designed, upscale décor. “I’ve seen salons all over the country and I truly feel that mine are among the finest,” Lorraine added. “I worked very hard to become an industry leader, and still look for ways to improve my business model.”
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In 1997, after nearly 20 years in the industry, Lorraine started the award-winning tanning trade publication, Island Sun Times magazine (now IST). “I’ve become very involved in magazine publishing, but IST was my first foray,” he explained. “I felt that with my experience, I could offer other salon operators a top-quality business resource, and we’re still doing that 22 years later.”
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“In the early years,” Lorraine added, “tanning was so popular that expanding and making money was not only possible, but if you had a solid business model, you could enjoy great success. I made indoor tanning respected in my area, which allowed me to join prestigious community boards and run a professional company I am proud of.” Chainwide, Tropi Tan employs over 100 people. His daughter, Courtney Lorraine, started working in the salons as a child mopping tanning room floors and cleaning sunbeds after school. She is now the Corporate General Manager.
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By staying on the forefront of industry innovation and providing a superior guest experience, Tropi Tan has maintained a reputation as an industry leader for four decades. Lorraine makes it a priority to give back to the communities that support his business, and the salons donate to and raise funds for many local charitable organizations. “My success in tanning has allowed me and my family to live a very comfortable life,” Lorraine shares. “Many people in the industry have become my close friends and it’s been a great ride!”
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