Matt Freedman sells boat shoes for golfers.
It’s definitely a small niche. So how did he figure out that this could actually be something that people wanted? His friends.
Freedman, 30, of Bucks County, jerry-rigged a pair of boat shoes for the golf course because he had a hard time finding golf shoes that fit his size 13 feet. Then his friends started asking about them. Soon, he had more requests than he could handle.
It took him nearly three years to design the perfect shoe (Freedman has no shoe design background) but by the summer of 2014, he had placed his first order with a manufacturer in China. He launched the site, called Canoos, last Halloween and sold out of nearly 500 pairs by Christmas.
Matt Freedman. (Courtesy photo)
Each pair will run you $120. Canoos also sells hoodies, vest and jackets for golfers, all of which are designed by Freedman.
Shop Canoos
Freedman used to be a sales director at Monetate. Before that, he was head of sales at 1SEO. Aside from running Canoos, he also does ecommerce and branding on a consulting basis for New York City menswear shop Jeremy Argyle. Freedman runs Canoos with two other partners.
The shoes are stored in a 20,000-square-foot warehouse in Warminster that acts as a fulfillment center, office and photo studio for the company. They’re also sold at online shop Country Club Prep and will soon be offered at D.C.-area Golfdom stores, he said.
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