Growth & Jobs | Zack’s Handmade Sandals carries on a family trade

For the last 15 years, Isaac Peart has been satisfying a market with a demand for unique leather sandals and building his brand, Zack’s Handmade Sandals.

His skill, inspired by his aunt, has allowed him to gain popularity, predominantly in central Jamaica and even in other countries.

“I do sandals for men and women, and my aunt was the one who really inspired me because she was in this business as well. Even my stepfather was in this business, too, so I went to learn the trade, and the rest is history.”

Though the straps, glue, thread, and material for the sole are important, Peart said the end product boils down to style.

“One slippers can take two hours while there are others that can take up to a day, and they can range from $3,000 to $5,000.

The unassuming tradesman said he relies only on his products to speak for him, and that is how he has received new clients and maintains old ones over the years.

“I have a lot of customers, and I get support from a lot of people. I have people who order locally and from overseas and have their friends pick it up and take it over. I think it is the uniqueness, the finishing, that makes my products stand out. The insole is water resistant, so it won’t pull out on you or anything like that.”

Peart said he tries to accommodate all the needs of his customers and correct any error that was made on his part.

“Very few people will say they had an issue, but if a customer has an issue, we try to fix it in the soonest possible time. I can’t be ungrateful. My clients have been very good to me. Business is sometimes up and down. In the summer to December period, slippers are in greater demand, but other times, it is just normal,” Peart said.

He added: “The hardest thing in this business sometimes is to get material because you really depend on other people to get raw material. But what I try to do is just do anything I can to the best of my ability at all times.”

Peart says he hopes to acquire more equipment to increase and improve production and one day, open a physical space.