Connections - Steppin' Out with Alumna Julianna Finnerty

After graduating from Herkimer College, Julianna Finnerty enrolled at Manhattan College in the Bronx, where she continued playing softball. It was during her first year at MC that she began looking at her shoe hobby as a business.

Finnerty says, “I had seen Spider-man: Far From Home. I am a huge Marvel fan, and after seeing that movie I decided that I wanted a pair of shoes with Spider-man and Mysterio on them so I thought, ‘I can probably make myself a pair.’” She looked up some tutorials and made her first pair of custom shoes. After posting them on social media, she started getting orders from family and friends!

Finns Customs steadily grew, and really took off when Finnerty landed her biggest client, actor and musician Leslie Odom, Jr., best known for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the popular musical Hamilton. During a virtual lecture that Odom gave at her school, Finnerty asked if she could make him a pair of custom shoes and he enthusiastically said yes. She connected with him on social media afterward. Odom’s assistant collaborated with Finnerty on the design and style, and later sent a video of Odom opening the shoes, and told Finnerty he wears them around the house all the time.

“That was such a surreal experience for me, and I actually still cannot believe it happened. The entire experience was awesome because I am a huge Hamilton fan as well as a devoted fan of his music so being able to create a pair of shoes for him that he loved was a dream come true,” said Finnerty. The shoes, a pair of Air Force 1’s, drew inspiration from Odom Jr.’s album “Mr,” with nods to some of the more personal lyrics from the record and incorporated hand-painted images of his family and the album cover.

Finns Customs also received a shout out on a live ESPN broadcasting of the Manhattan vs. Stanford matchup in the 2021 NCAA Division I Softball Championship. “It felt so amazing to see a platform as big as ESPN talking about me and my shoes. The overall experience at the NCAA tournament was incredible in its own way and something I will never forget, but to also have all of these people see my business and the things that I create was crazy! I am so grateful. I’m hoping to eventually expand into the athletic realm with my business and hope to someday make cleats for professional athletes--the Yankees would be my dream!” said Finnerty.

While she prefers to paint on Converse, Vans, and Nike Air Force 1’s because of the easily paintable surfaces, Finnerty said she can customize almost any shoe style. Other themes have been popular Disney movies like Lilo & Stitch, Frozen, and Moana, as well as a pair depicting blooming sunflowers and honeybees and shoes depicting a beloved pet.

After graduating from Manhattan College, Finnerty returned upstate for an internship with the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs baseball program, alongside fellow former Generals softball player Vani Patel ’20.

While running Finns Customs, she also helps her mom with her small business. Finnerty is considering a master’s degree, and her long-term goal is to work in New York City in professional sports or entertainment.

Finnerty says she is grateful for getting her start at Herkimer College. “I wouldn’t have known how to balance a lot of the business aspects of this venture with everything else had it not been for my education and softball experience at Herkimer,” she said.

Discover other Herkimer College alumni entrepreneurs and business owners in the full issue of Connections: herkimer.edu/alumni/connections-magazine/.