Marfa Boots

0:00SPEAKER_00:You're listening to the Preppy Podcast, and I'm your host, Patricia May Olsen. I'll be interviewing the brands, businesses, and influencers who are keeping the modern preppy lifestyle alive. Each Tuesday, I'll bring you a new episode, but if you're craving more preppy, then shop the merch and listen to past episodes at thepreppy podcast.com and be sure to follow at the Preppy Podcast and me, Patricia underscore May underscore Olsen on Instagram. They're comfortable, and most of all, they are affordable.

0:59SPEAKER_00:So you might remember I wore them at our camp preppy in Vale, and I got so many compliments on them. They're the yellow ones, just so, so cute. Um, so I had to have her on the podcast because I wanted to know how she came up with this concept, how she got her price point so good, um, and everything in between. It was just a really enjoyable conversation, as always. Um, but before we get into the episode, a few things to go over. First being, I have a few tickets for Kenny Bunkport Camp Preppy, which is at the end of October, so coming up super, super soon.

1:33SPEAKER_00:Um, but we have so much fun planned for that. We are doing a patch bar with our tote bags. We also obviously are doing some needlepoint, some mahjong. There's a lot of custom pieces as always. Um, and I know a lot of you guys always comment after Camp Preppy and you're like, I want that bag, I want this, I want that. So much of it is custom just for our campers. So if you want that kind of stuff, then you need to attend Camp Preppy. And speaking of that, we have a second Camp Preppy for this year, and that is going to be at Barnsley Resort at the end of November, all holiday themed.

2:06SPEAKER_00:I love Christmas, I love the holidays, so I knew I wanted to do a Camp Preppy based on that. We are going to do all sorts of holiday activities. For example, we have Dash from Augusta coming and teaching some holiday makeup techniques. We also have the Southern Sideboard who is going to be teaching us some yummy treats to bake for the holidays. Um, we have mahjong, needlepoint, everything that you can come to expect and so much more. So get both of those tickets if you want to go to either of those camps at the preppypodcast.com, as well as you can sign up for Club Preppy, which is our monthly membership.

2:42SPEAKER_00:It's virtual events, similar events that we do at Camp Preppy, just on virtually. We hear from all different experts and talent there. Um, we've had some new members, so I know that's so exciting that it's growing. A great community, a great group chat, and you get a fun little present from me each month, which this recent month we had these adorable mugs that a lot of you saw on social media. And next month, a little sneak peek teaser. We have these custom ceramic pumpkins coming from one of my favorite brands that I've had on this podcast.

3:15SPEAKER_00:And those are going to be like collectibles and each a different um pattern and print on them. So you want to get in while you still can, find out that information at the preppypodcast.com. But let's get into this week's episode. All right, so why don't you first let everyone know who you are, where you live, and what you do?

3:36SPEAKER_01:Okay, um, my name's Brooke John. I live in Dallas, Texas, and I own a boot company called Marfa Boots. We are a women's um western trendy boot company that we started in October of 2022, so almost four years old.

3:55unknown:Wow.

3:56SPEAKER_01:And um honestly the idea, I mean, I have a background as occupational therapist, so um totally different than that to like complete career change, but I love it. Um, we kind of just got into it honestly on a whim. Um we we like going to rodeo. We live in Texas. My husband, whenever I say we, I mean my husband and I. And um, we like going to rodeos, and the idea just kind of happened from he was one, so he's so my husband is I would say like he's kind of like business savvy.

4:44SPEAKER_01:He we've never owned a business before Marfit Boots, but he was wanting to kind of like invest his money or do something, and so he was like um went to a rodeo and I had a hard time finding boots that were fun, yeah, but not like would not but boots that like wouldn't fall apart, you know, like one time after wearing them, and then boots that weren't for$1,500,$2,000.

5:12SPEAKER_00:Yeah.

5:13SPEAKER_01:And so after the rodeo, we were like, okay, there's like a market for this, like for fun boots that are affordable and that don't, yeah, that don't cost a lot and that don't fall apart.

5:27SPEAKER_00:I love that, and it's so funny. So I I don't know how I found you guys. I want to say maybe Instagram, like I saw an ad that come up, and then I just love the styles. I purchased a pair of your yellow boots and I wore them to my camp preppy that we did in Vale. And I have to say, I was blown away. They were so comfortable, they are so cute. I got so many compliments on them. Um, so I reached out because I was like, I have to have you on the podcast to learn more about like how this came to be.

5:57SPEAKER_00:And it it is funny. I feel like um people that I have on the podcast, they either studied fashion or marketing and had this idea of a business all along, or it's something like they went into a different career, and then all of a sudden they had this aha moment. And it sounds like that's what you had. So can you tell me a little bit then? Um, what did you study in school originally? Um, and you you mentioned a little bit that you had a different career before Martha Boots.

6:27SPEAKER_01:Yes. So um, so my my school, my schooling was kind of all over the place. Um, so at first I was attending a school in Virginia, in Roanoke, Virginia, health science school, and I was studying biomedical sciences. I wanted to be a physician's assistant, specifically in dermatology, because um I used to have really, really poor skin. And so I became like super fascinated with just the skin and health, and so that was my that was my direction. Yeah, and then I transferred to Auburn University and um also was studying biomedical sciences, but I got into this one class, organic chemistry, and everybody said that's the weed out class for people who want to become physicians' assistants or doctors, and that was exactly my weed out class.

7:18SPEAKER_01:I I had I could not do that class. I was like, all right, well, what back to the drawing board, like what what now? Um, and so then I my mom got my my mom is in the um like she's a physical therapist. Okay, and so all along, like in high school, she'd been telling me you need to, you know, occupational therapy, physical therapy, it's a great career, like you should really and so I kind of like fell back into that, and so then um I changed my major to biology, and then I changed it again to independent studies, and then I finally landed on exercise science, and that was um what I graduated Auburn with, and um, and then started getting my occupational um therapist assistant license.

8:05SPEAKER_00:Amazing, that's so funny. So, something completely different than fashion and marketing. Okay, what skill though do you think from you know your studies and your previous career do you think helps with the business today?

8:19SPEAKER_01:That's a good question. Um I will say I I do love like one of the things that was super fulfilling about whenever I was an occupational therapist assistant was like taking care of people, like taking care of them. Um, and that was like one thing that was great is I could see like my work, like I could see the progression of it with them. Um, and so and I actually had a hard time um once I did leave that career and pivot like solely on Martha boots.

8:54SPEAKER_01:I had a hard time finding my purpose in it, I guess. Like I found my creativity that I never knew that I had, but I kind of had a hard time finding my purpose until I received this one message from this girl. Um, she had ordered the Jolene boot, a gold metallic boot that we carry. And she said, like, I had I think she she had posted about it, and I said, Oh, like, you know, love your outfit, love how you style the boots, you look so cute. And she goes, I just want you to know that these boots have helped me get through the hardest times this year.

9:28SPEAKER_01:And she's like, I know that might sound silly that a pair of boots could do that, but she was like, I had a really rough year, and she's like, and every time I wore these boots, I felt happy, I felt confident, and I was like, Okay, wait, I was like, is that my purpose right there? Like, I was like, did a boot that like I did like made you feel confident, and so that then I kind of like okay, well maybe, you know, maybe this is kind of my purpose.

9:52SPEAKER_00:Like, yeah, and feel good about themselves or feel pretty, and so um that makes total sense because your boots are they're colorful, they're stylish, they're happy. I could totally see how it could turn someone's day around or putting them on like brightens their day. You know, they probably get tons of compliments on it, they feel great in them. Um, I love that story. So then, you know, you're at this rodeo, um, you and your husband, you have the idea for a business of creating a boot brand that kind of is that in-between where it's not uh super expensive, like those thousand-dollar boots, but something that has quality um and will last.

10:31SPEAKER_00:So, what were the steps to taking from idea to getting product? Like, how did you go about finding manufacturer? Um, nail down like what these boots would look like. I'd love to hear that process.

10:45SPEAKER_01:So we so we yeah, we we got the idea like after that rodeo that just kind of like sparked the idea for doing the boots. Um, and then I will say, so my husband and I were both dreamers, but I am very much like I don't take risks. I could like sit on an idea for years and like nothing ever happened. But he is very much a doer, a risk taker, and so his, you know, he was just like, okay, let's just let's look up, let's, you know, go down a rabbit hole of some manufacturers, and we'll order, you know, a small quantity of boots and we'll just see what happens.

11:24SPEAKER_01:If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, we're like, you know, you it won't be the end of the world, yeah. And um, and so that's exactly what he did, and like that one night the literally the night that we got home from the rodeo, and we're like, okay, we should do this. He was up till 4 a.m. researching manufacturers, and um, and then we reached out to a few, one of them that we worked with, it was terrible quality. I mean, the boots literally fell apart, like, you know, and so we were just testing, like, so they just like sent us one, like a like a blank one, I guess, just for us to test quality.

12:02SPEAKER_01:And uh, we were like, no, this one's not, and then um, and then we tested another one. Um, love the quality, and then I that was whenever I started, like me my husband was like, Okay, now like, because I like to doodle and um on my iPad and stuff. So he was like, see, now like do a boot, like see what we can do. And I sent it in and they create a um like a proto kind of like a prototype for us, yeah. And then yeah, and then they send the boots to us.

12:34SPEAKER_01:Um, we make edits, like, no, I, you know, this isn't this this wasn't what it looks like, you know, on paper, on like my iPad, and so make make edits if we need to, and then um, and they they'll send us another prototype, and then we either kind of you know approve it or reject it again and go back to the drawing board. But that's kind of how the process works. And yeah, um, yeah, and I love yeah, go ahead. Oh, I was just gonna say, I love our manufacture.

13:05SPEAKER_01:The one that we landed on, she's just she's fabulous, and um we've just developed over the years like such a little like relationship. We she sends me pictures of her babies and ask about my kids at the time, I ask about her babies, like it's yeah, she's great.

13:21SPEAKER_00:That's so sweet. You know, it's funny after interviewing so many people on the podcast, I feel like most people, either whether it's a husband and wife duo um or it's like two business partners, there's always someone that's more cautious. And then there's the other person who is like, okay, I have an idea, like we're running with it, it's happening right now, right today. Um, so it sounds like the perfect balance then between the two of you. Um, and I do think finding the right manufacturer, you know, it takes a lot of time and a lot of trial and error because you want, you know, that end product to be amazing for your customers to be happy.

13:56SPEAKER_00:So it's definitely it's a process. Um, now once you had, you know, your first prototypes, you got them where you wanted, you were ready to uh take them to the consumers, then how did you get the brand out there? Did you start with a website and social media or did you go to like trunk shows and pop-ups?

14:14SPEAKER_01:No, so actually we we really so once we started, we so we started, I guess, kind of teasing about the company May of 22. We didn't start actually like opening up the website for purchase until I think specifically it was October 11th, 2022. Um, so we started kind of teasing the brand in May. I would give like little updates, you know, boots are in product this, you know, a style that we're doing is in production, like you know, just kind of like that kind of thing.

14:45SPEAKER_01:Um, and then we started having influencers, hey, when the boots come in, would love to help promote your brand. And I will say that influencers, um, specifically like some in Dallas, like really helped even put us on the map. Um, so it was kind of that, honestly. Um the influencers kind of just getting like word of mouth.

15:11SPEAKER_00:Okay, and they found you naturally, or you reached out to them and started following?

15:15SPEAKER_01:No, I actually didn't start reaching out to influencers um until maybe about a year ago. Wow, okay. We yeah, we just you know, but people girls like their boots around here, and there's a lot of influencers in Dallas, and so um, so yeah, they reach out to us, and honestly, for the most part, every influencer that we've ever worked with has been has been, you know, really great.

15:40SPEAKER_00:And um, yeah, so that's amazing. I feel like uh that hasn't happened to a lot of people that I've had on the podcast. Um, so it's so great that they were interested and reached out to you. And I mean, it makes total sense being in Texas, right? Yeah. Um, for listeners who aren't familiar with your brand, um, can you tell them a little bit about in terms of like what your price point is that you landed at, um, kind of what you're known for, you know, the some of the colors or the motifs that you have on your boots.

16:11SPEAKER_00:I'd love for listeners not familiar to kind of discover what makes your brand different.

16:16SPEAKER_01:Yeah. So um our price point ranges from I think 98 to 130. Um, our like, I guess more expensive boot is this is our like Trisha um faux ostrich boot. Um and I will say one of the things that we get told all the time was, oh my gosh, I can't believe your boots aren't genuine leather because they're like they look exactly like real leather. Um and that is like one of the things going back to the manufacturer, the quality of the boots really is like I know I sound biased, but it they really are great quality.

16:55SPEAKER_01:Um so um our price point, I wanted something, like I said, like I wanted something that was affordable, um, that you know, people like you don't have to spend, you don't have to save up weeks worth of paychecks for one pair of boots that you know, I mean, shoes are meant to be worn, so you're gonna wear them a lot. And I just feel like when people I mean, I have some heels that, you know, maybe are a little bit higher in, but like I'm I'm not wearing those heels all the time.

17:26SPEAKER_01:I'm cautious with those. I'm like, these are my expensive shoes, these are these are to, you know, every once in a while. And so um with boots, I did want something that was um didn't break the bank, but that were fun, and that because the whole thing is I I want you to feel, I want women to feel like they're a part of something, that they are special, that they um, you know, but they can also like it's attainable, you know. Yes, yeah. That was kind of like my big thing.

17:55SPEAKER_00:And you know, so I love that because so I live um outside of Philadelphia and I love wearing cowgirl boots. I go to a lot of events in Texas for work, um, or even I just think Western's really trending right now, but I don't always want to spend, you know, over a thousand dollars when I'm not wearing them every day around here compared to down in Texas. So that's why, you know, I think it's really great because not everyone lives in Texas, not everyone like can wear cowgirl boots to the grocery store without getting, you know, a second look at.

18:25SPEAKER_00:Um, and then I love you know the colors too, which you want to talk a little bit about the colors and like you have heart motifs and different and fringe I saw just launch or is launching, right?

18:34SPEAKER_01:Yes, yes. So so that's like one of the things that whenever I go, whenever I mention like creativity, so I've I feel like I've always kind of been a creative person. I used to sew, used to make little handbags, used to make blankets. Like I remember one summer I really got into making candles and like bat scrubs. So like I like to like, you know, kind of crafty. And so um with so whenever I started like doodling and designing and everything, I like doing a fun, colorful boot, like I love doing that, yeah.

19:06SPEAKER_01:And then we kind of like started doing some neutral boots because we were like, okay, well, not everybody, you know, may like a yellow boot, or not everybody may like um, you know, hot pink boot or whatnot. So I started doing some neutral boots, but that is like one thing where I do love, like I love to just sit down and do a really fun boot. And so I will say, like, the most fun one that I think I've personally done has been this one.

19:29SPEAKER_02:Yeah.

19:30SPEAKER_01:Um, and this one was a very special boot that I did. Um, it was actually for my best friend's Bachelorette in Jackson Hole. And um, when she picked Jackson Hole, I was like, wait, I was like, Would you want me to do a boot for you? Or like for all the girls on the trip? But she goes, wait, are you kidding? And I was like, No. So we um so that one took me a while though, um, to kind of get like inspiration for because like she sent me her wedding colors.

20:02SPEAKER_01:Um, and so it kind of took me a while to get some inspiration for it, but um, but I love it. It's been one of my like favorite boots, and whenever we wore them, and I and I've been wanting to do a fringe one, but I didn't know how. And so I was like, ooh, ooh, this will be the perfect time for me to like somehow implement fringe. Yes. And um we did, we got stopped. People were like, oh my gosh. Well, first of all, like, who are you guys? Are you guys a dance team?

20:31SPEAKER_01:You're all wearing this what's going on here, and then they're like, Where can we get the boots? What you know, and then my friends were you know, or the girls on the trip, you know, like, oh, it's Morphe Boots, it's her company. Um, and the boots hadn't launched yet. So um we were telling, you know, telling people they launched September 4th. And so um, yeah, so those have been like, I love these.

20:55SPEAKER_00:And what's that pair called for people who want to look at them? Okay, excellent. Um that's such a sweet story, and it sounds like a total pinch me moment, like having people, strangers stop you, want to know about the boots. What else has been like a high or pinch me moment, something you're really proud of in terms of the business?

21:16SPEAKER_01:Well, so we started opening up our um, so we we're like an online only direct-to-consumer brand. Um, but we did start uh I guess a year after we opened, so in 2023, um, we started opening up to like retailers because we were having a lot of retailers reach out to us, like, hey, I would love to buy your boots like from my store. And at first I said I was, you know, like no, right now it's just you know, and then we did start opening it up, but we were being very, very picky about what retailers would carry us.

21:51SPEAKER_01:Um, and now we're in a showroom. But one of the accounts that we landed that um I was so excited about um in 2024. um was a country music hall of fame. They picked us up and that was that was like like I couldn't even I couldn't believe it. I was like, wait, whenever they said like I was like, oh and like what's what's the name of your store and they're like, oh we're the country music hall of fame and I was like oh are you okay that's amazing oh my gosh that's major that's huge.

22:21SPEAKER_01:Yeah so that was that was a really fun cool moment um so yeah they're definitely our biggest our biggest account and they're great to work with so I've yeah definitely a pinch me moment now what about what's the hardest part about this business like what part keeps you up at night or do you put off doing like what's your least favorite honestly the the wholesale side of things um I love I love working with retailers and getting into these stores so we're in a lot of small boutiques like country music hall game is like the biggest but um I would say we most are in like a lot of small boutiques across the US we're in about like 150 to 160 stores um but they're little and um I I will say the hardest thing is just keeping up with inventory the inventory and not um overselling to you because retailers will they'll order boots let's just I'm just throwing out like yeah they'll they'll pre-order in June and want them for August or October.

23:32SPEAKER_01:Well you know August October comes around and then it's like time for me to send out their order and it's like oh no like I I'm short I'm sure I'm gonna be short one. And so um so inventory so forecasting inventory forecasting is probably the hardest for the to be able to cater to the retailers as well. Yes okay so that definitely gets tricky um but I did I hired on my first like W2 employee and she has been amazing and so we're kind of like working out all of that so that we can be more efficient and work smoother.

24:12SPEAKER_00:Yes I mean the numbers and I can't imagine forecasting like how do you predict the future right like that has to be so hard. Yeah yeah and it's funny I always talk on this podcast like what people are ordering on the wholesale side normally is opposite of what like direct to consumer people are ordering on a website. That happens across the board with a lot of my clients with a lot of people I interview on this so that makes it like another wrench thrown in here is like knowing what to order because they're opposite a lot of times right exactly no that is actually that is actually so true.

24:45SPEAKER_01:Cause a lot of the wholesale accounts um besides a couple order pretty much their neutral styles they're pretty much neutral across the board um whereas my customers direct to consumers they love the fun boots that I do so yeah it's it is very hard to to kind of judge because and again like I love doing the fun boots that's like that's my bread and butter and so um so yeah so ordering a lot of neutral boots I'm you know I'm always more hesitant but they're they're what my retailers like so definitely and I imagine another challenge for you could be shipping.

25:24SPEAKER_00:I know I worked at a shoe store in college and I mean boots take up a lot of room there's big boxes that they're in and then shipping them whether it's just a direct to a customer or a large a huge shipment um to retailers I'm sure that is a big expense and um you know something that you always have to keep take into account right yeah oh yeah and we recently just started doing um so our boots used to come like folded in a shoebox and I kind of wanted to create a better um first impression for like my customers and so even though so because so the boots so the boots came folded so they would come you know you'd fold them out and there would be a crease um I know that the crease comes out but to a new customer who's never you know bought our boots before and I can see how maybe it would be like well wait the there's a crease in them like I just got these and there's a crease so I to kind of help create a better like unboxing experience or just a better customer first impression I did switch the shoeboxes to be longer so that the boots don't have to come folded okay and that was something where my husband like like the business I pretty much run but like sometimes like he just likes to be in the know he just likes to kind of know what I'm thinking what I'm doing and I um I did do that and he was like what are you doing?

26:58SPEAKER_01:He was like this was he was like I don't think this was a good idea.

27:01SPEAKER_00:However it has been a great idea we it's it's definitely helped and our um it elevates it and makes it more luxurious even though you have a great price point you still want that same luxe experience.

27:17SPEAKER_01:Exactly that's like and that's like going back to like I want a good price point but I want you to feel I want you to feel luxurious. I want you to feel pretty I want you to feel like okay like this is a great decision.

27:29SPEAKER_00:So yes and that's such a detail I feel like a female would notice and appreciate and a man would be like this costs more why are we doing this yeah exactly yeah because he was like I just don't he's like I mean I don't see the point of it he was like you know but I'm like but not everybody not everybody knows that the crease comes out not everybody knows if you stand them up you know put something in them it'll work its way out like you want to have something you want to unbox something and it'd be ready to go totally um I'm curious who would a dream a customer be for you like who would be an absolute dream to wear your boots um well I mean if we're like a celebrity I would Ella Langley I would love for her to wear a pair of our boots um yeah I feel and I kind of feel like she would be I feel like she'd kind of be a good fit for them um somebody else was like oh you should get Lainey Wilson but before she had her boot brand but she always wore bows bottoms so I'm like you wouldn't be able to really see the boots now she has her boot brand so you know but um yeah I would say I would say Ella she's yeah okay that's a good answer I think that's perfect you know we're putting it out there in the universe that's like we're manifesting so I know you mentioned obviously to launch the business influencers really helped you any other tips for marketing for people listening who might have their own business or brand um any tips you can share in terms of marketing getting the word out or even maybe expand on the influencers like how you set that up then um even though they reached out to you like or how how would you how do you think you attracted them?

29:16SPEAKER_00:Maybe was it just you had great images on social media like I'd love any tips you could share with marketing.

29:21SPEAKER_01:Yeah so so yeah so one thing that I would do and I don't even remember I I don't even remember how I've like found this but so I was seeing um so like I would go on my to kind of help I guess like influencers even know that like we existed um I would always I would go to um what was it like explore page and I would just honestly like I would scroll and if I saw somebody who I thought and honestly some are like weren't even influencers. I mean they would just be like you know I mean you know girls and if I was like wait they would be like the boots would work perfect for them or I could see them being a customer of their brand or like our target audience and I was just an engage with them interact you know like I'd you know if I really like their content I'd follow them um I'd comment on things and then that kind of so honestly we got a lot of influencers from that like so they so without me reaching out to them about hey like these boots and then I just feel like once they start interacting with us then their algorithm changes and then for what their followers see you know it's like a whole it's a whole thing but um and then and then yeah then the right influencer you know reach out to us about the boots and whatnot.

30:39SPEAKER_01:So yeah kind of just just engaging with our target audience or who we would want to represent our brand.

30:49SPEAKER_00:Totally I think that's so smart and I feel like uh people used to do that a lot more like five ten years ago and but it's such an easy free way to get influencers or marketing. It just takes time honestly and but you could do it while you're watching TV right like scroll through comment engage um it it's easy and free it just it it takes your time yes that and that's exactly what I would do is before I would go to my my job whenever I was working as an occupational therapist assistant that's exactly what I would do I'd drink my coffee I'd get up early drink my coffee scroll through and do just that and so like for 20 minutes out of my morning and then I'd get you know I'd get followers from that and and then just collab opportunities.

31:42SPEAKER_01:But honestly with boots it's just it's so much and with sizes and with boots it can be like me hauling everything to the event it can just be kind of like like a you know a lot um but I do love I do I do love to meet to meet people and and also just for people to see the boots in person is always especially for an online company it's people always want to kind of feel C the product and yeah. And correct me if I'm wrong but some of your boots have pockets on the inside is that correct yes all of our all of our tall boots all of our like 12 inches and up boots and I I did that um I did that last year um because I was trying because we live in Texas and I was trying to find a way okay like there's a lot of boot companies around here and even though we're already set apart I feel like for our price point but also for like the looks of our boots we're already kind of set apart but I was like I want to stand out even more and I was like okay but what could be functional like what could be a functional part of the boot and I was inspired by um Hayley Bieber whenever she did with her um the road phone cases and the lip gloss thing on the back okay I was inspired because I was like that's a phone case but it's functional holds a lip gloss so I thought of pockets in our boots and I don't know if you can like see but there's two pockets.

33:14SPEAKER_01:We did a lip gloss pocket and then a credit card ID pocket and that kind of really helped to it did exactly what I wanted to do and it set us apart yeah um in a way to make the boots functional because a lot of our customers are girls that are in college or girls that go to concerts um but honestly anything I mean like you go to the fair put your card and your lip gloss in your boot. I mean it's I mean literally it's like going to the grocery store I mean I have two kids I've gone to the grocery store multiple times and I just have a my lip gloss and my credit card in there.

33:51SPEAKER_01:I don't have to get out the whole diaper bag I'm holding one baby here one baby here like I don't have room for my diaper bag too so it's like just a quick grocery grocery trip I like put my card in my boot and so smart.

34:04SPEAKER_00:I mean and such a good idea from the marketing genius of Haley Beaver to how to make it into a boot version right I love that story. What is your favorite style of boot on your website and then what's your best seller well my favorite style that's a hard question.

34:27SPEAKER_01:Honestly I will say I said I so I will say I do gravitate toward the I mean I wear these are the Trisha and cream and I will say I do like I wear these all the time I just feel like they go with everything. So I guess that one right now is kind of a favorite for me. The second one the boot that just kind of like makes me really happy is um the Carter and so um I don't have that one right beside me but um I it's a brown like cognac kind of colored boot um but a square toe so this one's like not so much a a western boot um and has embroidered flowers all over it.

35:05SPEAKER_01:And so that one I love that one that one was one um I actually did that one last summer I was in the hospital for nine weeks because my um my water broke early with my son so I was like had to be in the hospital until I delivered him but that was a booth that I did while I was in the hospital and so um that one just kind of like you know makes me makes me like happy and then um because I you know it brought me happiness while I was in there um and and that one that one is I would say that one's a top seller and then recently this one that one I could totally see why that one's so fun it has such amazing details on it.

35:47SPEAKER_00:No I I love all the stories behind your boots too like the person who inspired them or like where you created them and all of that. It's so fun to listen to okay now what about a resource that you can share with listeners is there like a great book a newsletter anything like that that you can share and they can learn from so I've well I've read one book while I was in um while I was in the hospital last year that was amazing.

36:17SPEAKER_01:Literally every single page I feel like was something I was like oh my gosh this is so good like I'm I'm this is what I needed this is what I needed to know and um it's called how to grow your small business by Donald Miller. Yeah I mean it's there was so many good things and it's like little like work like work pages and stuff and even has like an online thing that you can print out so you can create like um kind of fill out the work pages as you go.

36:46SPEAKER_01:So yeah this one this one was like actually like the best one and then um and then a another crazy one it was I a few weeks ago I guess about a month now I was checking the mail and I randomly got a book in the mail um hardback book that I didn't order my husband didn't order it for me uh I checked with like my mother in law I was like did you order me this uh my mom no basically nobody has ordered me this book and it's called the freedom based business method I I'm just now starting to read it oh it's by Natalie Ellis the founder of Boss Babe which I have heard of her um and but what I'm gather so far that the book is about is just um she's a mother and she's just trying to figure out how to juggle being a mother and owning a business without feeling like you're sinking drowning yes all above so yeah I'll have to add both both of them to my list and that story is so funny.

37:52SPEAKER_00:It's like it was meant to be you have to read this book.

37:55SPEAKER_01:Yeah oh yeah I know I was like I was yeah I I never heard of that and then I was like okay well add it to the list because I mean it was like it must be like it must must be meant to be so that's so funny. It just like came out of the sky too I'm only yes I am like wait this is weird like who sent me this I even asked my friends I was like did you like did you send me this yeah yeah hilarious meant to be I know yeah that's why that's why I'm like okay well I'm I'm gonna read it you have to totally okay so finally what does preppy mean to you since this is the preppy podcast how would you describe preppy preppy I feel like I just always think of the word polished I think preppy polished um yeah like kind of pulled together confident smart yep those are the words that I think of when I hear the word preppy totally and I feel like your cowgirl boots are a preppy take on that because they're colorful they make you feel confident like we talked about earlier.

39:03SPEAKER_00:Yeah so totally makes sense. Now finally where can people find you let them know your website social media so that they can shop they can support you and plug anything else you want yeah so we are on our website is marfabootsco.com our Instagram account is marfaboots at MarfaBoots um and well I mean we we do on our website we do have a tab that says locations of like the stores that we're located in across the US so we might be in somebody's neighborhood I don't know that's perfect um well thank you so much Brooke this was an absolute pleasure chatting with you and learning more about you and your fabulous mutes.

39:49SPEAKER_00:Yes thank you so much for having me on here. Thank you so much for listening to the Preppy Podcast. I hope this put a little prep in your step for the day. Please subscribe rate and review on wherever you listen to your podcast and follow along with at the preppy podcast on social media