Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shay McCray. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Shay, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
Well I always knew I wanted to own a shoe boutique just didn’t know when, what or how. So one day I was hosting a women’s panel in Las Vegas September 2019 and as I was introducing myself I told them I was also a shoe boutique owner. Now at this point I had no name but I knew what it took to open up the boutique. When I left there is when I created the name Le’ Shay Boutique (meaning The Shay Boutique). Now I had written my business plan 10 years prior just never executed. I later started researching wholesalers and this process was hard because I wanted to find uniqueness and quality. This was very difficult to do online. Then I flew to LA and found wholesaler and was able to touch and feel the product before I purchased. And that’s where the magic started. By November 2018 I had my launch and by December 2018 my product place in the mall. I started getting notoriety from me wearing my shoes on red carpets, in the airport and shooting content on IG. By March 2019 my shoes was on the cover of 6 Twelve Magazine worn by Angela Robinson. And later on worn by Dianna Williams and LALA Anthony. This has been an amazing journey because I love helping women feel beautiful by placing the most unique shoe on their feet in which I consider to be eye candy.
Shay, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Being a red carpet host I would try my best to stand out by wearing the best statement pieces. It was a conversation starter when they complimented my shoes or dress I would then talk about my boutique that was coming soon. Not knowing how I was gonna start or where o was gonna get the money from I just knew I was gonna launch very soon. All it took was one person to believe in me and I started to take the necessary steps to do what I needed to do. I purchased box by box until I had enough to start. I started with 15 different styles.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Word of mouth and being my own billboard. I would wear heels in the airport and people would stop me and tell me they love my shoes. Then that’s when I would tell them about my boutique.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
What helped me is that I don’t sell flats. I would get customers who would ask me to start selling flats. I stuck to the plans and i only cater to woman who wear high heels.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.leshayboutique.com
- Instagram: @leshayboutique
- Facebook: Le’ Shay Boutique