POCATELLO — An Idaho Falls man who opened a Pick Me Up soda shop franchise in Pocatello says he’s already served over 1,500 customers since opening on Halloween.

Brad Camphouse, 40, said his business at 1000 Pocatello Creek Road near the Ridley’s supermarket offers a wide variety of soda flavors, hot chocolate mixes and energy drinks as well as multiple kinds of cookies and popcorn.

He said he was especially encouraged by the number of customers he served on Halloween and he hopes to open additional locations in the Pocatello area.

“We had a great day,” Camphouse said about his soda shop’s opening day. “We rivaled some of the Idaho Falls locations that have been up and running for a while.”

Camphouse, who also works as a real estate agent in Idaho Falls, said it’s been a new experience owning a soda shop.

“At first I didn’t even know anything about soda,” he said.

But that’s actually the great thing about it.

“I don’t know if it’s necessarily about the soda,” Camphouse said. “It’s more about the good vibes and going around and getting into the community.”

Camphouse says the business is all about the customer experience.

In fact, the former rugby player who attended Idaho State University — and is now feeling some aches and pains from his rugby days— said he found out he can make money while being involved in putting out good vibes.

“That’s kind of what my motto is here,” Camphouse said. “It’s not about the soda. It’s about the experience.”

He continued, “That’s kinda why I think I’m getting into it more and I really love business in general.”

Camphouse added that Pick Me Up’s customer service has to be first rate.

“So I’m really pushing that all the time like no matter what,” he said.

Camphouse says running a business isn’t necessarily about the product that’s being offered.

“It’s about the businessman behind it,” he said. “It’s about the focus.”

Camphouse says what he’s focusing on is what’s going to expand his business’ reach in the best possible way.

He wants Pick Me Up to be a place people immediately think of going to when they’re dragging during the mid-afternoon hours and need a boost.

“It’s about coming in and getting picked up,” he said. “Not only getting a treat, it’s a pick-me-up during the middle of your day.”

Camphouse’s Pick Me Up location also has a drive-thru for added convenience.

He plans to get his business heavily involved in philanthropy and sponsoring worthy causes in the Pocatello community.

“People can call and say, ‘Hey, can you sponsor us in our debate?’” Camphouse said. “That’s kind of what I think sets us apart is how involved we are going to be in Pocatello.”

Camphouse says he comes down from Idaho Falls to visit his Pocatello soda shop about twice a week.

“Just to kind of touch base — make sure everything’s going the way you need it to,” he said.

And more is yet to come. In fact, in the next year or so Camphouse said he plans to open at least three more Pick Me Up locations in Pocatello and the surrounding area.

At his current Pocatello location he’s already seeing the business grow as much as 20 percent to 30 percent per week.

“We’ll keep growing quickly,” he said. “I have a lot of people that help me out.”

So even though he’s not at his Pocatello location every day, he’s trained his employees to run it and hopes to promote some of them as he opens up new locations.

“What you focus on is how are you growing things for yourself and for others at the same time,” Camphouse said.

Pick Me Up in Pocatello is open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.