History of Brown Shoe: Introduction
In 1878, a young man named George Warren Brown believed St. Louis could become a manufacturing center for the shoe industry. He invested his life savings and founded his own little company to manufacture and sell shoes.
That little company is now a major corporation with annual sales of $2.3 billion. Brown Shoe today is the No. 1 retailer of value-priced, brand-name shoes for the American family. Plus, we still own and market such well known brands as Buster Brown shoes for kids, and Naturalizer, LifeStride and Connie shoes for women.
Many people mistakenly think Brown Shoe was named after the much-loved Buster Brown character. In fact, our Buster Brown shoe brand came 25 years later.
In 1904 at the "Meet Me In St. Louis" World's Fair, a young Brown Shoe executive met Buster Brown's creator, cartoonist Richard F. Outcault, and purchased the name from him. At the time, Buster Brown was a mischievous cartoon character, who, together with his dog Tige and sister Mary Jane, delighted children of all ages.
Brown Shoe made marketing history when it sent on the road a series of actors, each dressed as Buster and accompanied by a dog (Tige). They toured the entire country selling Buster Brown shoes as they performed in theaters, department stores and shoe stores. In those days, such a touring show generally brought out the whole town.
