Allen Edmonds

Allen Edmonds was founded in 1922 by Elbert W. Allen, Sr. and Ralph Spiegel in Belgium, Wisconsin. The partners purchased the Belgium Shoe Company and began producing shoes using the Goodyear welt method instead of the metal nails and shanks commonly used at the time. Their initial product was marketed as "Osteo-Path-Ik" shoes, promoted as comfortable footwear that required no breaking-in period.

In the late 1920s, Spiegel left the company and was bought out by William Edmonds, who owned a Milwaukee company called Edmonds Foot Fitters. In 1931, Allen partnered with Bill Edmonds to form the Allen Edmonds Corporation.

Elbert W. Allen ran the company until his death in 1946, when control passed to his eldest son, Elbert "Bert" Allen, Jr. Following Bert's death in 1968, his younger brother Boyd Allen became president. The company remained in the Allen family until 1980, when John Stollenwerk led a buyout of the business. By 1988, Stollenwerk had gained 90% ownership of the company.

Allen Edmonds remained family-owned until 2006, when it was acquired by an investment firm. The company changed hands multiple times before being purchased by Caleres in 2016 for $255 million. Under various ownership changes since 2006, the company has shifted much of its production overseas while maintaining some domestic manufacturing.

Allen Edmonds maintains its primary manufacturing facility in Port Washington, Wisconsin, where the company employs 135 craftspeople as of 2022, many of whom are second and third-generation workers. The company operates an apprentice program to train new generations of craftspeople. The Port Washington facility uses a 212-step production process and each pair of shoes is touched by 133 craftspeople during manufacturing.

The company's footwear uses a 360-degree Goodyear bench welt construction, which allows the shoes to be resoled and recrafted. This construction method involves sewing both the upper and sole to a strip of folded leather that runs around the perimeter of the shoe. The process creates durable footwear that can be rebuilt using the same materials and last as the original construction.

Allen Edmonds offers a recrafting service where customers can send shoes back to the factory for restoration. The service has reportedly saved more than 500,000 shoes from landfills over the past decade. Shoes can typically be recrafted two to three times during their lifespan.

Allen Edmonds sources materials from suppliers worldwide, including premium calfskin leathers and specialized sole materials. The company works with Horween Leather Company for shell cordovan leather and sources suede from C.F. Stead in England. Leather soles are supplied by JR, a family-owned Austrian tannery that has produced leather soles for over 150 years using hides from cattle raised in the Austrian Alps.

The company uses various sole materials including single and double leather soles for different styles, Dainite rubber soles from Britain, and Vibram soles from Italy. Most dress shoes feature single leather soles while casual designs use double leather soles for increased durability.

Allen Edmonds' dress shoe collection includes several classic styles built on the company's 65 last, which is described as the most popular shape in their lineup. The Fifth Avenue Cap-Toe Oxford serves as the company's flagship dress shoe, while the Strand represents a more casual dress shoe option with distinctive broguing details.

Other notable dress shoes include the Leeds, Hamilton, and Freeport. All major dress shoe styles feature six-eyelet lacing, which the company maintains as a distinguishing detail of Allen Edmonds footwear.

Allen Edmonds produces various boot styles including the Higgins Mill, Patton Cap-Toe Boot, Dalton Wingtip Dress Boot, and Dundee. Chelsea boot styles include the Nomad Chelsea and Denali Chelsea Boot.

Casual offerings extend to styles like the Venture Chukka and Dallas Roper. Allen Edmonds expanded beyond dress shoes in the 1980s, adding women's footwear in 1987, though the company later discontinued this line.

Allen Edmonds experienced major expansion phases throughout its history. During World War II, the company produced footwear for the U.S. military, which helped establish brand loyalty among service members. In 1984, a major fire destroyed the company's headquarters, but operations were rebuilt with a new state-of-the-art factory opening in Port Washington in 1986.

The company launched the Woodlore division in 1987, producing cedar shoe trees and accessories. In 1998, Allen Edmonds added leather belts to complement its footwear offerings. Online sales began in 2000, expanding the company's reach beyond its physical retail locations.

By 2002, Allen Edmonds reported sales of $82 million with 750 employees. The company has maintained pricing in the $200-$415 range for most footwear, with flagship models like the Park Avenue retailing for $425 as of 2024. Factory seconds and sale pricing can reduce costs to around $250-$329 for many styles.

Until the early 2000s, nearly all Allen Edmonds shoes were manufactured in the United States. The company has gradually shifted production overseas, with reports indicating that only eight of 206 styles were made in America as of 2023. This represents a significant change from the company's traditional emphasis on domestic manufacturing.