Cobblers Walk the Earth in Search of Perfect Location

	Due Farina's Matronic shoe

Welcome to the Small-Business Soap series, in which we follow a start-up in real time. Getting a small business off the ground can have as many twists and turns as a daytime drama. But unlike television plots, these stories can inspire and educate entrepreneurs -- be sure to tune in every Wednesday to find out how.

"People are outsourcing everything," says Marina Rosin, co-founder of Due Farina, a luxury shoe company she founded with Milan native Fabiana Rigamonti.

While their line is now carried in stores like Nordstrom (JWN Quote), Due Farina had to roam the globe before finding the right home.

Rosin and Rigamonti met at the Parsons School of Design in New York City. Three years ago, they started making shoes by hand out of their Manhattan apartment for themselves and a few friends until a pair was noticed by an editor at Glamour magazine. Soon Due Farina had secured its first bulk order for spring 2005 at upscale New York shoe vendor Otto Tootsie Plohound.

The decision to go global and begin manufacturing in Italy later in 2004 was made primarily because Rigamonti's U.S. student visa had run out. Plus, says Rosin, all business owners should have some sort of relationship with their location of choice. Rigamonti, born to parents entrenched in Milan's fashion industry, grew up working alongside her father making handbags and accessories, so she was aware of the industry's central role in Italy.

"Italy has the biggest history with fashion in terms of brands starting there," Rigamonti points out.

Rigamonti went door to door in Milan and scouted out a small factory to make samples for Due Farina. Because they didn't have a volume business yet, Rigamonti had to choose a factory near her home; the shoes were then picked up by nearby Italian boutiques.

"In retrospect, we could have done a majority of the things we did differently," says Rosin of the huge learning curve they were about to embark on.

Stalling in Italy

When Rosin and Rigamonti went to Italy, they knew it would be a challenge to compete in the saturated luxury-shoe market there, but they were confident in their highly aggressive design focus. "We had a very detailed business plan, but some of it was written as we went," Rosin says.

Production went smoothly for the first season, and the company had the dual benefit of being able to market Due Farina in Italy as a New York fashion brand and in New York City as a New York/European fusion brand.