NEWS

Redneck Boot Sandals: SGF native innovates new fashion choice

Gregory J. Holman
GHOLMAN@NEWS-LEADER.COM
Yes, these are cowboy boots that have been customized into a sandal-type fit. Yes, this is a real thing.

Several years ago, Scotty Franklin was lounging on a Gulf Shores beach in Alabama, watching a cowboy pass by.

The man wore sturdy cowboy boots as he strolled the sands.

That's got to be uncomfortable, thought Franklin. It's 100 degrees out here.

"I thought it was kinda funny," Franklin told the News-Leader. "I was sitting in my beach chair, and I looked over at my sandals, and I thought it would be hilarious if people could cut a pair of sandals out of cowboy boots."

When he got back home to Springfield, he did just that.

Ingredients? An old pair of boots, a pocketknife, an industrial stapler, shoestring and some duct tape.

The prototypical pair of Redneck Boot Sandals was born. (Since then, a proprietary boot-to-sandal conversion process has been developed. Franklin is tight-lipped about the details.)

"It was hilarious," Franklin said. Before long, friends wanted a pair. Much joking about turning Redneck Boot Sandals into a business eventually led to an actual business.

And it went viral.

The Internet can't get enough of Redneck Boot Sandals right now. The Springfield-based company has had publicity from global media brands over the past week including Buzzfeed, Cosmopolitan and Huffington Post. A radio show in Calgary, Canada planned to interview Franklin on Friday afternoon. Good Day Sacramento planned an appearance Saturday morning.

Redneck Boot Sandals were even featured on Pee-Wee Herman's website. The company received more than 130 emails in the past 24 hours, Franklin said.

Some online commenters are laughing with Franklin:

And some are laughing at him:

Franklin embraces all the chatter and social shares, even sassy remarks.

"It's hilarious," he said. "It just blew up. I'm loving it. We're all having a blast with it. I don't know, it's a lot, but yeah we're having a good time with it."

Redneck Boot Sandals has seen its orders spike from a few boots per day to about 50 on Wednesday and 70 yesterday.

All this for a tiny family business that consists of Franklin; his mother, chief financial officer Beverly Franklin; and his niece, office professional Eden Meyer (just hired Friday morning), along with a few artisans they plan to contract for boot-to-sandal conversion.

"Surprisingly, I can't believe how many hipsters are going crazy over them as well," he said. "Hipsters and rednecks."

Previously employed in law enforcement, Franklin said the attention his company is experiencing is giving him a new measure of financial success, though he's far from "loaded or anything."

"It's all about living the American dream!" he said in a Facebook message.

How Do Redneck Boot Sandals Work?

Redneck Boot Sandals are available through the brand's Facebook page for $50 plus a $25 charge for shipping and handling to locations in the United States.

People send Franklin and his team a pair of boots—they get all kinds, from typical boots sold at big-box stores to thrift-shop boots to high-end Ariats—then Redneck Boot Sandals gets to work.

"Basically we cut them out, we refurbish them, polish them up," Franklin said. "Whenever we're done with your boots, they're going to look like something that comes straight out of the factory."