From blind date to close friendship
Kristine Fears and Suzanne Boyd first met on a blind double date with their husbands more than 13 years ago after mutual friends introduced them. Fears had recently moved to Tulsa and was looking to meet new people.
The two quickly became close.
“We actually became prayer partners very soon after that and started praying for babies,” Boyd said. “And we had babies five days apart.”
Their friendship continued to grow as they navigated life’s milestones together, including raising families.
An idea born from loss
Years later, Boyd experienced a sudden loss when her mother, Mary, passed away unexpectedly. At the time, Boyd had been working as a pharmacist.
Fears, who had known Boyd’s mother, came to her with an idea, creating a product in her memory.
“It was Kristine’s idea,” Boyd said. “What if we created a product to honor your mom, and that’s why it’s a stain remover. After my mom, Mary.”
The product, called Mary’s Stain Remover, includes a base inspired by a traditional washboard and a soap stick.
Boyd said the concept was inspired by the quiet, everyday care her mother showed throughout her life.
“In my mom’s unexpected passing, I realized it was the small, continual daily acts of care,” Boyd said.
Built in the kitchen
The friends began developing the product in early 2024, working late into the evenings after their children went to bed.
“We were in her kitchen almost every night,” Boyd said. “I would come over around 8:30 or 9:00 and we would start mixing things up.”
The process involved months of trial and error.
Despite the challenges, the two say the process has been rewarding.
“The success is having joy within the journey,” Fears said. “This is something we’re really excited to share with people because it works.”
Next stop: Shark Tank audition
Now, the longtime friends are taking their idea to a larger stage.
Fears and Boyd plan to travel to Southern California on March 12 for an open casting call to audition for Shark Tank.
“It’s open to anyone,” Fears said. “But we feel like we have a good shot.”
Whatever happens next, the pair say the experience has been another chapter in a friendship that has already spanned more than a decade.
