Local Love: Poppy Barley

– Tell us a bit about this lovely idea, Poppy Barley

Like many great ideas, this one began with a plane ticket. Destination: Bali. Justine Barber, Poppy Barley’s co-founder, experienced the luxury and comfort of handcrafted boots made just for her at a shop in Seminyak. Inspired, she returned to Canada with a vision to bring custom footwear to the masses.

Gaining her first follower, Justine convinced her older sister Kendall to help build a movement. The pitch: luxury products, attainable price points, and an elevated customer experience through transparent manufacturing and a better fitting shoe. One size doesn’t fit all.

Diving into the history of shoemaking, the sisters settled on the company name, Poppy Barley, for its roots in England during the middle ages. Cobblers used poppy seeds and barleycorns as a unit of measurement; one barleycorn was equal to 1/3 inch, and four poppy seeds equaled one barleycorn.

Weeks of research and another plane ticket later, Justine and Kendall travelled to León, Mexico, known as The Shoe Capital of the World.

Their first touch point at the airport was with Laura, an English professor, translator and shoe broker, who helped Poppy Barley find a home at a rare custom shoe factory and currently acts as Poppy Barley’s operations manager.

Following an exciting meeting with the factory owner, Lupita Lyons, the four women formed a partnership with the mission to rethink every step of the footwear industry.

– What made you decide to open your business and why a footwear one?

Kendall and Justine are both avid runners, and shared a frustration with finding boots to fit their calves. They saw a gap in the market—in fact, Poppy Barley is the first company in North America to offer custom fashion boots online, at a price point unheard of in the bespoke goods industry.

While Poppy Barley solves a fit problem by offering sizes 5-12, and multiple foot and calf widths, it’s so much more than that: ethical manufacturing, female empowerment, and the fight against fast fashion. Kendall and Justine saw a huge opportunity to impact their communities and change an industry.

When we say #ShoesToLiveBy, we truly mean it; these are shoes you can stand behind and feel proud of wearing. But they’re also the most comfortable shoes you’ve ever walked in! You really can live in them!

We also say #LuxuryForThePeople, because we aim to offer customizable sizing at an attainable price. To us, luxury is not a statement to the world about riches. Luxury is a commitment to craftsmanship, thoughtful design, fair profits and a human connection to the makers.

– Any tips for future entrepreneurs in the city?

Edmonton has become a city of makers and entrepreneurs. Kendall and Justine often receive emails from and go for coffee with people who want to start businesses, but want advice first. After all those emails and all those meetings, one of the biggest things we discuss in the office is about having the guts to JUST DO IT. You can do all the research in the world, but nothing will prepare you for the realities of owning a business, and sometimes there are things that you just have to experience before really knowing how to handle it. One of our tag lines for our Fall 2016 campaign was about designing shoes for women who “want to start a business—and actually do.” Because it takes guts. We’re cheering for you!