I’m giddy with excitement to share this sister’s story – from one “shoenista” about another. When a woman stops Samanta Joseph to ask where she got here beautiful Brazilian-made shoes, that woman is often on her way to becoming a customer. Samanta was designing shoes since she was a young girl in Guyana. When her mother ordered her a pair of custom-made sandals to better fit her feet, that experience spawned a business idea.
After migrating to the US, Samanta graduated from Pace University in 2002 with a B.S. in computer information systems, but the self-professed “shoe addict” passed up lucrative job offers to follow her passion. That year she launched Samantashoes.com, an international retail and apparel company specializing in shoes that provide women a balance between quality, comfort, and style. Her husband and business partner, Kevin, is a CPA. With faith in herself and plenty of industry research, Samanta found the resources she needed in Brazil. With help from the Brazilian consulate in Guyana she connected with a manufacturer and an agent to represent her in the business. In addition to traditional sizes, Samanta offers large size women’s shoes in size 11, size 12, size 13, size 14, and wide width sizes.
Samanta shoes can be spotted on trendsetters like Tyra Banks, Debra Messing, Sanaa Lathan, Wendy Williams, Geena Davis, Sophia Bush, Queen Latifah, Rachel Bilson, and Rihanna. The company has also enjoyed a favorable response from the media, registering on the radars of the Oprah Magazine, Today Show, People, Marie Claire, Health, Lucky, InStyle, Essence, Latina, WSA Today, Footwear News, and Footwear Plus and was featured as one of Black Enterprise “40 Rising Stars 40 & Under” in the February 2012 issue. Samantha resides in New York with her husband, Kevin and their 2 kids.
Congratulations Samanta on your outstanding achievement. You Rock!
For purchases visit: www.samantashoes.com
Fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Samanta-Shoes
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