Mark Barbera, of Somerset Pennsylvania, always had an interest working on shoes. He used to patch up, restitch, and glue his friends’ shoes back together for them. He attended Bishop McCort High School, located in Johnstown PA.

Barbera is, currently only 19 years old, recently ran into a problem when he was boot shopping. Interviewed for an editorial in the tribune democrat, Barbera said that, “I just wasn’t satisfied with the quality of what was out there for the price I was willing to pay.”

Barbera took his passion for shoes and decided to tackle this problem himself. He decided to make his own brand of boots. The business is called Mark Albert Boot Co. Barbera has not yet started any type of large scale production, as he first needs funding. He has started a Kickstarter profile for this company, and hopes to first start with a launch of 120 boots to hit the market. To learn more about the details of this venture and to find out about the funding efforts, check out the full Tribune Democrat article here.

What is most inspiring about Barbera’s venture is his independent drive. The Johnstown, or Western PA area in general, may not be thought of as a the place that is ripe with business opportunities or a strong economy. However, Barbera is looking past that and is simply pursuing his passion right where he is. He is most definitely a builder. He is making his own designer boots right in PA and plans on selling them for a good price.

People like Barbera are what many regions like Western PA need. Young entrepreneurs who can connect with millennial buyers hold much potential in helping to rebuilt and restart local economies. It will be interesting to see what happens with Barbera’s business. As a Johnstown native, and as someone who needs new boots, if his product were already on the market, I would consider buying them now. Hopefully other people will be thinking the same way down the line, and there can be a cycle of millennial entrepreneurs and professionals supporting each other in local markets.