The Story of Pru’s Shoes...
Pru’s Shoes was established in 2016 whilst I was on maternity leave after having my son. I’ve always been creative and had a passion for horses so started to play around hand decorating real Horseshoes. Friends and family started to order and pass my details onto their friends. Before long I set up my Facebook page ‘Pru’s Shoes’ named after my own Horse Prukamzan or Pru for short. Making these Horseshoes is where my love of Bespoke commissions comes from...People would request all sorts of weird and wonderful designs. Whether it be a lucky horseshoe for a wedding, made to match the colour scheme of the day or princess inspired for a pony mad little girl. I loved making each one as unique to the person ordering as I possibly could.
One day whilst grooming Pru I decided to give his tail a little trim...I say a trim, I absolutely butchered it lol and was left with a big wad of tail hair and no clue what to do with it...I’d seen horsehair bracelets but it wasnt quite long enough so I searched ‘Horsehair’ on Pinterest and saw a single strand of tail encased in a clear resin pendant. I ordered a basic kit off eBay with the last of my Christmas money and that was it...
I started off trialling and experimenting in my kitchen leaving my pieces on top of the washing machine to cure as it was warm...I started making a name for myself and soon outgrew the kitchen. I needed a designated workspace so after searching the selling pages for a few days I found a little potting shed on eBay for £50...this would become known as ‘The Shack’. My partner built it while me and my best friend went to ladies day at the races. We came back and after a few too many Prosecco’s decided to paint and fix it up. The shack was amazing as I started to see Pru’s Shoes as an actual business, I’d be up until 3/4am most mornings trialling different designs and ideas...I’d often ask for ‘testers’, customers willing to donate sentimental items so I could practice my skills and perfect my technique. I’m forever great full to those people as they lit a fire in me to always push myself outside of my comfort zone...I’m now quite well known as the artist to go to for the more unusual request.
I really loved that little shed, so much so that we still have it in the garden now and it has a new lease of life being a ‘pirate shack’ play house for my son.
In January 2019 I secured my current workshop. An old cattle barn outbuilding 200ft from my horses field. It was perfect, actual bricks and mortar next to my horses who inspire me so much...It needed a bit of work but I’m not one to shy away from that, I could see the potential.
I never in a million years thought Pru’s Shoes would become everything it has...I’ve won the ‘Queen Of Resin Keepsakes’ award, was a regional finalist in the 2019/2020 Rural Business Awards, I’m sponsored by my resin company and was even lucky enough to have my work displayed at the NEC for the 2019 Makers Central event...I’ve met celebrities and have over 15,000 amazing followers on my Facebook page. If you have a passion follow it...I feel I’m proof that if you work hard enough you never know where you’ll end up...
Donya xx
