What started as a conversation, with the intention to simply swap ideas, resulted in a partnership between two of Boston’s e-commerce companies. Shoebuy, the online footwear mecca founded in 1999, has acquired a minority stake in the Boston Boot Company, a local “micro-shoery” launched in 2013.
Boston Boot Co.’s boots, made from high-quality materials and sold at a relatively modest price point, are already available to purchase on Shoebuy’s e-commerce store, which houses hundreds of shoes along with accessories and apparel. The acquisition, however, means that Shoebuy will take over Boston Boot Co.’s distribution, marketing and integration – basically, all the “logistical components” of the business, according to Shoebuy CEO Mike Sorabella.
Sorabella said that while he didn’t head into the conversation with Boston Boot Co. founders Joe Lyons and Joe Prew with the intention of partnering with the brand, he was “immediately impressed with what they had, and fell in love” with the product.
“We love the Boston connection, and the story of the craft shoery really hit home,” said Sorabella, who became CEO of Shoebuy in 2011. “It resonates with what we’re thinking about in terms of our customer base, and we were really excited. It seemed like a natural progression for us.”
For the team at Boston Boot Co., the partnership frees up time they can use to work on developing new lines and building their brand.
“Our passion is to make great boots, and that’s what we wanted to focus on,” Lyons said. “Partnering up with Mike and Shoebuy gave us the opportunity to work with someone locally, but also the ability to address so many issues that these guys are experts in, and provide us with resources that we couldn’t build ourselves for many, many years.”
Lyons said that he and his partner Prew are using that free time to work on a line of Oxfords for the spring, as well as a line of women’s shoes. The partnership with Shoebuy will contribute to the brand in the long run, according to Lyons.
While Shoebuy currently does not hold stake in any other footwear brands, Sorbella said that he sees the partnership as a step toward their new brand repositioning, slated for this quarter. Last fall, BostInno spoke with Shoebuy’s Chief Marketing Officer, Anabela Perozek, who detailed the e-commerce company’s plans to revamp its website, social media presence and customer service engagement.
As Shoebuy goes through its own sort of brand renaissance (16 years after its launch), Lyons and the team at Boston Boot Co. are now under the company’s “umbrella,” as Sorbella put it, and will be able to grow their brand without being bogged down by daily, difficult-to-manage tasks.
You can shop Boston Boot Co.’s collection on Shoebuy here.
Image via Boston Boot Co.
