Nisolo, a company that sells handcrafted shoes, purses and jewelry, brings shopping to the customers, rather than vice versa, on Monday. The company will hold a house sale in the home of Mississippi State University student Abigail Hartman, junior biology major, from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. at 400 Louisville. Nisolo employs talented individuals in Peru to make quality leather shoes, and its team is made of American entrepreneurs who market Nisolo products in the United States. 

Zoe Cleary, Nick Meyer and Patrick Woodyard, founders of Nisolo, said when visiting Trujillo, Peru, the quality of shoes made there impressed them, and the poverty of the area struck them. The website tells the story of a few of the shoemakers, men and women trying to support their families but barely getting by.

The Nisolo staff said its goal is to provide means for Peruvian craftsmen and craftswomen to get their products to a wider audience while increasing consumers’ awareness of the story behind the goods they buy. 

“The talent, the will-power and the potential is evident, yet opportunity is absent due to a lack of access, capital or know-how to move products to larger markets with higher demand,” The Nisolo staff wrote on their website. “Our hope is to influence a growing culture of conscious consumerism here in the U.S. as well as to offer job creation and access to opportunity for this Peruvian community and others around the world.”

Nisolo has had an unquestionable positive impact on Trujillo, Peru. Nisolo began to give hard-working shoemakers employment to support their families. Woodyard said Nisolo’s vision is not just to provide these families employment, but to also see their communities develop. 

“Nisolo has provided over 30 Peruvian shoemakers with fair-wage jobs,” Woodyard said. “This has led to an income increase of up to 400 percent for the shoemakers, which has allowed them to not only rebuild their homes, but also send their children to college (firsts for these families and their communities).”

Now, Woodyard said Nisolo expands and closes a capital raise that allows the brand to double the U.S. workforce to 10 full-time staff members and the Peru workforce to 32 individuals. 

Woodyard said the Nisolo staff’s hope is to become a world-renown retail brand, provide quality products for its customers and empower skilled craftsmen in developing areas.

“In terms of scalability, Trujillo, Peru is home to over 30,000 shoemakers, many of whom are seeking an opportunity to work with a brand like Nisolo,” Woodyard said. “Trujillo’s shoe industry employs over 100,000 individuals, and 90 percent of the materials for Nisolo product are bought within the city limits.”

More than just Nisolo’s mission impresses many customers. Nisolo sells a wide selection of shoes and accessories that caters to many tastes.

Hartman said she heard about Nisolo through her sister, who attended Ole Miss with Woodyard and Meyer. She said she has been satisfied with its products,  looks forward to its Starkville show and hopes to see local boutiques carry Nisolo products.

“Nisolo is so great because they are socially conscious,” Hartman said. “They know all their shoemakers and have relationships with their families, so you know you’re actually helping people by buying their product. Everything they make is gorgeous. The shoes last for years, and they’re super comfortable. I have some of their jewelry, too, and I wear it all the time.”

A large majority of Nisolo’s sales comes from online orders from their website, nisoloshoes.com. Forty select retail stores around the country also sell Nisolo products, including Circle 7 in Madison, Miss., and Buffalo Peak in Jackson, Miss. This Starkville event is part of Nisolo’s quick Southeast tour before its December tour of 20 cities extending from New York City down the East Coast back to Nashville, Tenn., the company’s headquarters. 

Hartman said both Woodyard and Meyer will be at her house to talk about Nisolo and sell a range of shoes and accessories.

“People can come try on shoes, stock up on Christmas presents or just learn more about an awesome organization,” Hartman said.