Hot foot: St. Pete-inspired shoe to launch in March

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. 

Developing a shoe was never the initial goal, but a life experience changed everything. It all started with a sailboat named the Endoxi. 

Originally from Saint Paul, Minnesota, Will purchased the 1976 vessel from Craigslist five years ago to reconnect with St. Pete, where he lived in 2016. 

Docked at the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina, the Endoxi was a reason to visit the city more often, Llewellyn explained. He and Joe would live on the boat for periods of time and taught themselves how to sail. 

During those trips, the duo would often get off the vessel and walk around the marina and city. This required them to change their footwear frequently. 

“We wanted one shoe that could be perfect for the lifestyle of living in St. Pete,”  Llewellyn said. “We would walk into the local shoe stores and they didn’t have what we were looking for. So, we decided to design it ourselves.” 

This led the brothers to exchange ideas with each other during the moonlight evenings on the Endoxi – hence the name, Moondeck. 

Joe Llewellyn, left, and Will visiting Moondeck’s former factory in Porto, Portugal.

Creating the Lunar Tide 1 took four years. Backless, the slip-on product was designed to be a blend of sandal and athletic shoe. 

Neither brother had previous experience in shoemaking. Will’s background is in the sustainability technology industry, while Joe’s is in pharmaceutical research. 

“We just got our honorary degree in footwear development,” Llewellyn joked. “It was brutal at first. We could barely hold a conversation with a factory.” 

Finding the right manufacturer was a challenge that almost ended the project all together. 

Originally, a prototype was being developed in collaboration with a factory based in Portugal, which is known for its high quality production. However, the costs became too expensive for the duo, he explained. 

They spent over a year working with the company.  

This was the perfect opportunity to “bail out” of the venture, Llewellyn said. The brothers, passionate about the endeavor, decided to give it one more chance and found a factory in Vietnam with lower production costs. 

Since creating their Kickstarter page, the duo has received a positive response to the Lunar Tide 1. Approximately 500 pairs have been pre-ordered so far. An additional 300 to 400 units are committed by stores in St. Pete as well as Reno, Nevada, where Joe lives. The first product run will have 2,000 pairs.

The Llewellyn brothers hope to design shoes for different markets in the future. 

Moondeck website