Five years ago, Will Llewellyn and his brother Joe Llewellyn bought a 1976 sailboat for $5,000 at the St. Pete Municipal Marina, right in front of Fresco’s. 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

Hang with us as Will shares his journey of creating a brand-new shoe to be sold worldwide—from the first idea, to building a prototype, securing funding, and finally going live. Along the way, he drops plenty of valuable business tips. Will truly embodies the entrepreneurial spirit!

For brothers Will and Joe Llewellyn, starting a business together was the realization of a childhood dream. Their company Moondeck began pre-orders for the Lunar Tide 1 shoe on funding platform Kickstarter Oct. 14. It will be available in March 2026. The shoe will also be sold at select St. Petersburg-based retailers beginning the same month.

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - What started as a passion project between two brothers on a sailboat in Florida has turned into a full-fledged business with a global challenge. They eventually partnered with a production team in Vietnam, a country known for high-quality footwear manufacturing. But just as they were gearing up to launch, the U.S. announced rising tariffs on imports from Vietnam—throwing an unexpected obstacle into the mix.

Following a successful Kickstarter campaign that established it as a fully operational footwear brand, Moondeck today announced that its shoes are now available across Florida at a curated group of independent specialty retailers in the Tampa Bay area, the Gulf Coast, and Northeast Florida. The launch marks a significant milestone in Moondeck's regional expansion and deepens the brand's presence in one of its most important markets.