A fancy suit, a beautiful dress and a shiny shoe is the order of the day. Well how many of you all really take care of the shoes? We have certain methods and techniques to take care of our dresses, suits and shoes but when it comes to shoes we are always on the look-out for a cobbler to take care of it. Shoe Drop is here to solve all your modern day shoe problems and make sure that your shoes are well taken care of.
Shoe Drop is based in Chicago and was founded by Duncan Davis and Brandon Labrum who met while working at a private equity firm in the city. Both have spent their careers in finance and have worker in Hong Kong, New York and London respectively. They took a leap into the world of entrepreneurship when they realized they both had a passion to build and grow brands on their own, thus Shoe Drop was started by these two.
Shoe Drop is an app-enabled shoe care and repair service based in Chicago. Through over 100 drop locations at dry cleaners, high-rise residential buildings and offices, Shoe Drop removes the pain point of not being able to find a cobbler and the lack of transparency around pricing or quality that exists even if you do find somewhere to take your shoes.
What was the biggest hurdle you faced?
“Often times you are your biggest doubter. Jumping from a safe, well-trodden path in finance into the world of entrepreneurial-ism, I had a lot of self-doubt and doubt from my peers. I didn’t completely eliminate that doubt until I conquered my fear of failure and bought in to what I’d set out to do.” Duncan Davis
“There are only 24 hours in the day, and they go by fast. Balance drive with patience and process. It takes time to do things right, but usually worth it at the end of the day.” Brandon Labrum
Cobblers are not successful anymore as it has become more of a seasonal job or are losing their jobs because of the heavy amount of rent they would have to pay. On the other hand the demand for leather care has increased and more and more people are inclined buying artisanal and craftsman made goods. Shoe Drop hopes to create a vertically integrated business where the cobblers have a salaried employment and a steady business. By using the Shoe Drop app you don’t have to walk long distances in search of a cobbler shop, instead you could just drop your shoes off at the closest drop location and the shoes would be picked up from that location. Once it has been picked up, they would be then taken to the Shoe Drop facility where the cobblers would get to work. The type of service could be chosen in the app before dropping them off at the location and the cobblers would do the necessary work as they would be notified as well. Once that has been done the shoes will be dropped off at the same location, payment is done via the app while placing the order itself, thus avoiding any sorts of confusion.
Shoe Drop plans to expand to New York and San Francisco in 2016 and also enable mail in facility via the online website. For more details on Shoe Drop, you can visit them on http://shoedrop.com/