We <3 Princess Pumps

Now after reading the owner's inspirational story, I just had to blog about:

How did I discover this brand? I think Facebook wins in this department again. It probably posted the ad because of all the shoe stores I have been liking recently so it has really won in my eyes.

So, Princess Pumps. What is it all about? Well, owner Jason Ponic was faced with financial uncertainty when the American economy took a dive in 2009. He took everything he had and started selling them on Ebay. With constant selling of his possessions, he took it a bit further by selling any props and costumes he had from making movies as a film student. Tucked away in a closet he found some Ruby Slippers that he had made and posted them up on EBay.

The first pair Jason ever made :)

A lady had contacted Jason asking if he could make a pair in a different size as a special gift for her daughter. She was willing to pay $100 for them. It was at this point that Jason realized he could post up 4 listings at a time for$99.99 for these custom made shoes. They sold out after 1 week. He did it again and the same thing happened. At that point, Jason's financial situation was solved and 3 years later, his business continues with the likes of Wicked: London as one of his clients :)

I love supporting those who hand make products. Why? Because I think of the time and effort they place into their creations and how proud they would be of their work. For me, Princess pumps are reasonably priced. You can get a pair of ballet flats for US$34 - what a bargain! Bearing in mind that Jason hand sews all the sequins on, that is really cheap! Here are some pics of the ballet flats:

The main seller are his Wizard of Oz pumps. Here are some pics:

The first pic is the Kitten Heel at US99.99 and the bottom pic are the Stiletto heels at US$119.99. They are totally gorgeous!!

Prices start low with the ballet flats previously mentioned and the highest priced shoe I saw was the Swarovski Rhinestone shoes at US$250:

Jason has a website here where you can place custom orders. He even lets you send your own shoes in for him to adjust. I actually preferred his Etsy store found here. I like the idea of sneakers being sequinned and he even does Vans :D

I must say, this is high up there on my list of finds. Great idea and I loved his story!