Grad student crowd-funds imported shoe business

An IU graduate student and two brothers are using the crowd-funding website kickstarter.com to bring a Bulgarian shoe craze stateside.

Jeff Lyon, who discovered the shoe while living in Bulgaria in 2006, brought it to the attention of Trevor and Tyler Nelson after they told him about their business plan to import foreign products to American markets.

Bös Footwear marks the group’s first business venture. The Bös shoes, offered in three colors across two styles for the first run, are simple, low-cut summer shoes woven with a cotton-synthetic blend.

According to Lyon, the shoes have been popular in Bulgaria for about 20 years, but weren’t exported from the country until now.

Lyon’s discovery was a perfect match to the Nelsons’ dream for a cross-cultural business.

“We’re bringing them into the States, but also altering it a little bit to keep it up to par with U.S. standards,” Lyon said.

Bös Footwear’s Kickstarter initiative will act as the first step in getting the venture off the ground to find other everyday products useful in the American market, Lyon said.
The group’s goal is to raise $10,000 by Jan. 3, for trademarking and import fees.

Afterward, they plan to introduce the shoe to retailers both in town and out, Lyon said.
“I think the biggest thing about the Kickstarter backers is to actually have people feel the shoe and see it,” Lyon said. “It’s a hard shoe to explain in a picture because you can’t really see the woven aspect of it.”

Lyon said after the first Kickstarter run, the three plan to expand available styles and colors and introduce American consumers to other cultures beyond Bulgaria.