Today we’d like to introduce you to Lizzie Means Duplantis and Sarah Means.
Lizzie and Sarah, please share your with story with us.
Through our lives, Sarah and I were gifted custom cowboy boots to mark special occasions, and we loved them and wore them and they always garnered attention. We were especially cognizant of the response toward them when we lived and worked in NYC. We had a “pie in the sky”/dream to fashion-forward, luxury boots to market. February of 2016, Sarah came to see me for my bday and over a few glasses of champagne, we decided to go for it! A little over a year later, we opened our studio in Highland Park Village.
Has it been a smooth road?
We are thrilled by the response to our business, the studio and our product. People seem to embrace our business and be excited by the prospect of our boots. That said, running a business certainly comes with its fair share of challenges and obstacles. And, for both Sarah and me, this last year has been a particularly busy time in our personal lives. Sarah graduated from Law School in May and is currently studying for the bar. I have 3 children 3 years and under, and juggling the needs of three babies with the demands of the business has been difficult. However, we’ve formed a strong, reliable team, which has not only allowed us to fulfill the obligations of our personal lives but has also ensured the business is successful. My advice to someone looking to start a business would be to surround yourself with people: a mentor(s), team, family – whoever it is that can help to provide sound advice, knowledge, and experience. This has been invaluable.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Miron Crosby – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Sarah graduated from college, moved to New York and spent her time in the City working for luxury shoreline Loeffler Randall. Sarah’s experience with fashion, design, production, and wholesale has been invaluable for us. I graduated from college and immediately moved to NYC. I worked for Forbes Magazine, then Goldman Sachs and Tiger Global. My background and interests, in general, lean more toward the operations and business side of our company.
I think what is most exciting (which I think is confirmed by the response we’ve had since opening), is that no one is doing what we are doing. We procure a beautifully designed and handmade cowboy boot, which is a classic and uniquely American silhouette. And then, we stand for custom, which is especially relevant in a day and age when everything is mass produced and can be accessed (globally) by the click of a button.
I think what excites me most about the brand is that we are disrupting a category. I really can’t pinpoint anybody who is doing what we are, and that excites me to no end because I think it’s a good indication of our growth potential. Also, it’s nice not to do what everyone else is doing because existing brands aren’t “competitors”
Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
Because of the focus on challenges and inequalities for women are making headlines, it’s an exciting time to emerge as women designers and business owners. I see women linking arms and empowering and supporting each other in a way that (I think) is unique to today in age. We’ve also had some super impressive, established, women-owned brands, such as Recreo San Miguel and Mi Golondrina, reach out and express their support and excitement for us. These brands have bolstered us through collaborative efforts, such as connecting us with potential partners, exposing us in new markets, asking us for trunk shows, etc. We are really grateful and excited by the opportunities available or women in business today.
Pricing:
- Our boos open at $895.
- We also carry baby boots and children’s boots ($50 and $185, respectively)
Contact Info:
- Address: Miron Crosby
Suite 201, Highland Park Village - Website: www.mironcrosby.com
- Phone: 214.238.3385
- Email: info@mironcrosby.com
- Instagram: @mironcrosby
- Facebook: Miron Crosby
- Twitter: @mironcrosby
Image Credit:
Will Graham
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