A little black and red for sale sign in the front window of the Flashback Malt Shoppe & Gifts in the Carousel Mall changed Boni Snydercrooks life.

Then living in Texas, Snydercrook was staying at the Worldmark by Wyndham for a Thanksgiving vacation.

While strolling along Broadway, the little sign caught Snydercrooks attention.

After touring the store, which had been for sale for three years, and talking to the owners, she made an offer.

She told the owners, I am going to have turkey with my dad in Walla Walla, Wash. and I will be back in three days. You guys talk about it, and we will see if we can make a deal.

When she returned, the owners had good news for her. I said, you have accepted my offer, great! You still have to stay here.

Her daughter was getting her bachelors degree at the University of Texas and she was not going to graduate until May, Snydercrook explained.

On April 1, Snydercrook celebrated her fifth anniversary as the owner of Flashback.

Flashback, in business since 2000, is a traditional soda counter and ice cream parlor. Snydercrook boasts that they have thousands of float combinations 200 sodas and 38 ice cream flavors as well as more traditional ice cream desserts like a Pink Lady and a T-Bird. The shop also features more than 200 sodas and pop culture gifts, from Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne to Elvis Presley.

Our customers are from age 80 to age 8really 8 months, Snydercrook said.

Snydercrook said when she took over Flashback she did not change much about the business, though she did add a few things.

One of her proudest addi- tions is the Flashback Sodas her own root beer, blue cream, birch root beer and cherry cola.

It started out with root beer, which Snydercrook said she thought was a safe bet. If people did not like it by itself, they could use it for their floats.

After that, Snydercrook and her employees began to hear from customers that they wanted to find Blue Nehi. Blue Nehi is a blue cream soda that Sny- dercrook said had been out of production for many years. After that came the birch root beer and the cherry cola. She hopes to add two more flavors in the future.

My mission, my passion is to get other businesses to go with me to get the soda as a non-alcoholic option, Snydercrook said. Eventually, she wants her sodas to be the go-to choice at restaurants throughout the community.

Flashback Soda is sold at the KOA Campground in Warrenton and is being sampled by a couple of restaurants in Seaside. Snydercrook said she also hopes to get it into local hotels.

Snydercrook also uses the soda to raise funds for charitable causes, including the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society.

Snydercrook grew up in California and went to college at Oregon State University. After that, she spent her career in the business world, most recently at Motorola in Texas.

?She said after a career of work- ing for other people, being a business owner has been a welcome change of pace.

It is great to work for yourself, Snydercrook said. It is great to be in charge of your own success.

Beyond becoming a firsttime business owner, moving to Seaside was a big change for Snydercrook. She said she does not recall spending much time in Seaside before moving here full time in 2008 – with the exception of maybe visiting as a child.

It was one initial thing, though, that really drove her attraction.

The ocean, Snydercrook said. Who doesnt love the ocean?

She said most of her business comes from people visiting from out of town. With theme days and Flashbacks location in the Carousel Mall, Snydercrook said she works hard to create repeat customers. As a result, she said, she and her employees work hard to

listen to and cater to customers from different cultures and communities.

Seasides business community, Snydercrook said, also plays a big role in welcoming visitors and encouraging people to come back.

Each business is an ambassador of Seaside, Snydercrook said. I feel strongly about that. Its a team effort with the business owners, the employers, everything.

For Snydercrook, focus is the key to success.

I tell that to my nieces and nephews, Snydercrook said. Stay focused and know exactly what you want. I mean even now Im a 120-day person. Im not a 30-day person.

You have to stay ahead, you have to listen. You have to have fun.

Snydercrook said, challenges permitting, she plans on owning Flashback for a long time to come.

I hope to be here for another 20 years.