In tight economic times, who isn`t looking for a way to make their purchases look better and last longer?
That`s why Diana Ragusa is betting that women will snap up her invention. Called Classic Tapps, they`re small wedges of brass and steel that fit onto the backs of shoes. Though they`re designed in colors that match the shoes, their purpose is to protect shoe backs from scuffing and the shoes from looking battered.
”I was president of a networking organization, and we were sitting around talking and got to mentioning how bad the backs of our shoes would get to look,” related Ragusa, 29, of Pittsburgh, who previously had been a sales representative for a number of companies, including graphic arts and office supply businesses.
The primary culprit: driving, which can damage the backs of shoes by putting them in contact with the car floor.
After checking to see if a product already existed-only one poor-quality version did, she said-she decided to create a better one.
It wasn`t easy. Banks turned her down for loans and manufacturers wouldn`t help her with prototypes. Using her savings and her daughter`s play clay to mold the shapes of shoe heels, she set out to make the product.
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Finally a metalworking firm offered to foot the $25,000 bill for the custom-made die for the product in return for a per-pair residual.
And now Classic Tapps, made from brass and steel, are available in nine colors, including silver and gold ”shoe jewelry.” They can be temporarily tucked into the seams between the shoe backs and heels or permanently affixed with glue.
Ragusa is convinced there`s a demand. ”I`d take my own shoes to the shoe repair shop, which would polish them and repair the backs and charge me $6 or $7 every time,” she says. ”With these, you buy them once.”
Classic Taps are $6.95 to $9 per pair, and will be available in department stores within about a month. In the meantime, they`re available in some shoe specialty stores or directly from Ragusa, by calling 412-364-1440.