{"id":37394,"date":"2025-11-07T15:15:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T15:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/37394\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T15:15:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T15:15:12","slug":"how-two-brothers-built-st-petes-new-footwear-brand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/37394\/","title":{"rendered":"How two brothers built St. Pete\u2019s new footwear brand"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Five years ago, Will Llewellyn and his brother bought a 1976 sailboat for $5,000 at the St. Pete Municipal Marina, right in front of Fresco\u2019s. What began as a weekend experiment in learning to sail quickly became the birthplace of a shoe brand that captures the essence of St. Pete living: Moondeck<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe realized there wasn\u2019t a shoe that fit the St. Pete lifestyle like we wanted,\u201d says Will, co-founder of Moondeck. \u201cSomething casual enough for the marina, stylish enough for Beach Drive, and comfortable enough for a day on Central. So, we decided to design it ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Moondeck shoe design| Photo via Will Llewellyn<\/p>\n

Finding freedom on the water<\/p>\n

The early days weren\u2019t glamorous. \u201cWe bought this old S2 boat without really knowing what we were doing,\u201d Will laughs. \u201cWe spent more time getting towed back into the marina than actually sailing. At one point, the engine exhaust was blowing into the cabin. Then I dove under the boat and realized there wasn\u2019t even a prop!\u201d<\/p>\n

The long days spent fixing the boat turned into nights spent on the deck, under the moonlight, dreaming up ideas for what would eventually become Moondeck.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something special about hitting the late-night scene on Central, then waking up to the sound of the marina and the sun hitting your face on a sailboat,\u201d Will says. \u201cThat feeling of calm and freedom became the foundation for everything we wanted Moondeck to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Designing the St. Pete lifestyle<\/p>\n

That sense of laid-back luxury is at the spirit of Moondeck\u2019s first shoe, the Lunar Tide 1; a backless, slip-on hybrid that blurs the line between athletic performance and beachside ease.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you slide into the Lunar Tide, your foot hits this wide toe box that feels instantly relaxed,\u201d Will says. \u201cWe wanted people to feel that same freedom you get when you\u2019re living out of a backpack on a sailboat, unhurried, but ready for anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

The brand\u2019s name reflects those beginnings too. \u201cWe used to sit on the boat, talking about shoes under the moonlight,\u201d says Will. \u201cThe name \u2018Moondeck\u2019 came from those moments sitting on the deck, under the moon. It\u2019s hard to beat that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Process of designing shoes| Photo via Will Llewellyn<\/p>\n

An \u201cAha\u201d moment and recognition<\/p>\n

Turning the idea into a real product wasn\u2019t easy. The brothers, who came from careers in sustainable agriculture and pharmaceutical research, had zero background in footwear design. \u201cWe had a steep learning curve,\u201d Will admits.<\/p>\n

But when a round of samples arrived last March, everything clicked. \u201cI slid the sample on and felt the \u2018aha\u2019 moment right there on my foot. All the ideas finally came together. That\u2019s when I knew we had something special.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had people stop me on Central or at restaurants asking where I got my shoes,\u201d Will says. \u201cThat never used to happen to me. I think it\u2019s because people are craving something that feels as good as it looks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moondeck\u2019s fans agree. Local pro baseball player Chase Achuff called them his go-to pair: \u201cI\u2019ve worn them every day, I always just seem to leave the house wearing them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even Ugg founder Brian Smith took notice, telling Will, \u201cI think your product is the best new style since I saw Allbirds many years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Built for Florida<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you walk into shops around Florida, most casual footwear brands are from outside the state: Olukai, Hey Dudes, Reef, On. We want to give people a local option, something that feels like Florida, like St. Pete.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, the brothers hope to grow Moondeck into a nationally recognized brand that embodies the Gulf Coast lifestyle with a mix of sun, salt, and easy confidence.<\/p>\n

Shop here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Five years ago, Will Llewellyn and his brother bought a 1976 sailboat for $5,000 at the St. Pete…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37395,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-37394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37394\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}