Walking seems simple enough, right? You place one foot in front of the other and move forward. It’s so easy that we can do it without thinking twice. But on rare occasions the primary movement takes a little more effort than usual. If you have narrow feet or if you’ve ever worn a pair of shoes that didn’t have a good grip in the heel, you’ve probably experienced your shoes flip flopping and sliding off your feet.
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Tracey Rhymes found this to be her issue every day as she’d walk across the parking lot to work. Tired of the bothersome and frequent occurrence, she decided to brainstorm solutions to fix the problem. The fashionista settled on a strap and hauled nearly 50 pairs of shoes to a local shoemaker for him to sew straps on them all.
That’s when it dawned on Tracey: “Why not have a strap that is removable and can suit any of my shoes?” She tells BlackEnterprise.com, “I knew that I couldn’t be the only women who has had this problem.” The aha moment turned into a brilliant idea and the launch of SAPHYA (formerly Shoe Straps Unlimited). In 2013, Tracey began working on her new business plan and designing interchangeable shoe straps.
“SAPHYA means beautiful,” she says of the company’s unique name. “As I was looking at my creations, I researched the name and said ‘Yes, this is it!'” Beautiful are the designs indeed. The company also has a collection of straps to accessorize and jazz up your boots.
SAPHYA is still new, officially launching in 2014. Despite the short span, however, Rhymes tells us “The company has accomplished a lot… I’ve been able to network with people that I never knew possible.” The straps are gaining popularity as the entrepreneur markets them on social media and even sends a few samples to radio and TV personalities.
She shares dreams of expanding beyond the dazzling straps. “The company is growing daily… Saphya will not be limited to just shoe accessories. We’re looking into shoes, purses, belts and so on. We will be a go-to company for all things women.”
SAPHYA straps and accessories can be purchased on the company website.
Take a look at some of SAPHYA’s shoe and boot straps on the following pages.