Boot Illusions creators and business partners, Queenie Davis and Andrew Goodrum, introduced the leather and fabric “uppers” that slip over conventional high heels to turn them into fabulous boots. And you can switch from shoes to boots and back again in a matter of minutes. Simply zip the Illusions on and zip them off. Queenie and Andrew had only reached the prototype phase, but they had a manufacturer in Turkey ready to go. They were looking for help with retail distribution.
Barbara offered $100,00 for 55% equity. Andrew was not happy about that, but Queenie talked him into it. It turned out it really didn’t matter. After the show, Barbara learned that the company wasn’t as far along as she thought, so she did not invest.
Queenie and Andrew had the worst luck. Their Turkish manufacturer went out of business. They found another manufacturer in Brazil who promised they would have the Illusions before Christmas. Except that the fabric Queenie shipped to Brazil got held up in customs and arrived too late for the manufacturer to even come close to that deadline. All the money given as down payment by individual customers and wholesalers had to be returned. Also, their new website had no link to the old website, which, alone, would have interfered with the business. Barbara checked in every once in awhile to see how they were. Queenie thought she might jump back in if they had gotten the business on track, but it was not to be.
Boot Illusions is no longer in business.
