Shraman Mitra
The Original Stretchlace is an innovative solution to do away with the inconvenience of tying shoelaces and can turn any laced shoe into a slip-on. Episode 24 of ‘Shark Tank’ season 12 saw entrepreneurs Jamie and David Montz present their interesting idea to the panel of Sharks hoping for a life-changing investment. The handy product sure got us interested in the company and its journey, and this is what we found out!
The Original Stretchlace: Who Are They and What Do They Do?
Initially, the idea for the Original Stretchlace occurred to Jamie Montz. Jamie is a Business Marketing graduate from the University of Idaho who has had experience in both entrepreneurship and e-commerce. She learned her ropes working in start-ups, and before long, she was launching her own products and taking the apparel and frozen foods industries by storm. With over 20 years of experience in e-commerce, Jamie has also served as a Director of Ecommerce at Amazon. On the other hand, her husband, David, serves as the CTO of a successful software company called Appdetex.
Sometimes, the most clever and innovative ideas are born out of frustration and irritation. The same happened to Jamie when she got frustrated with having to tie her children’s shoelaces multiple times a day. She even hoped to find a solution to it, but unfortunately, they were none. Nevertheless, Jamie’s entrepreneurial spirit did not sit still, and she brainstormed the Original Stretchlace into existence. The laces look like regular laces at first glance and can be used with any lace-up shoes. Usage is simple as the user needs to pre-lace the shoes and tie the perfect knot.
The laces can then stretch out and let the user slip the shoe on without having to de-lace it. Furthermore, there are no possibilities of the lace ever coming off. The most significant advantage of The Original Stretchlace is that it achieves a clean look and manages to deliver convenience without the use of clips, buckles, or anything of that sort. Additionally, Jamie claims that the elasticity of the laces offers a comfortable fit on any foot size, and it even helps in improving blood circulation, unlike normal lace-ups, which sit tight on the feet.
The Original Stretchlace: Where Are They Now?
The Original Stretchlace was launched sometime around June 2015. Initially, the product was directed towards children to offer them a convenient way of wearing their lace-up shoes. Soon, Jamie found that her product started getting more and more popular with senior citizens who previously found it difficult to wear lace-up shoes due to their diminishing motor functions. Additionally, athletes too took to The Original Stretchlace and started adopting it as it gave them way more comfort and better blood flow in their feet than any other regular laces.
By 2019, the company had a massive reach and grew to such an extent that Jamie decided to quit her job at Amazon and get hands-on with her own business. She used her advertising, marketing, and eCommerce experience to further her company and popularize her product even more. Ever since its inception, The Original Stretchlace has received excellent reviews from customers and has also been featured on well-known publications like Real Simple Magazine, Parade, Forbes Red Tricycle, and many more. The company has also joined the JUNIPERunltd family.
The Original Stretchlace is not just contained in the United States but is available internationally through Amazon. Each shoelace comes in an eco-friendly package that is made from recycled paper. At present, the company offers two kinds of laces, flat laces, which are 1/4 inch wide, and round ones, which are 3/16 inch wide. There are a variety of vibrant colors available for each type of elastic lace. The laces that will set you back by $9.99 or $10.99 can be brought on their own website or procured through online retailers like Amazon and Walmart.
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